Cousin vs. Nephew to Describe Relationship in 1765

[JonBoody]

Hello,

I am working on figuring out relationships between various members of a family in Dublin and in Co. Tyrone in the mid-1700s. I believe I have figured out the most plausible structure, except that in this structure one person, in his will dated 1765, refers to the son of his sister as cousin rather than nephew. Does anyone know of any situations back then where someone would refer to their nephew as a cousin? Did that ever happen? These two people are definitely of two different generations in the same family, with one being about 30 years older than the other. Note that it is possible that the first person was a half-brother to the mother of the nephew, sharing the same mother but different father. Could that change how they described their relationships? Or, does this all indicate a flaw in the family structure I am building?

Any and all thoughts are welcome.

Thank you.

Jon

[RJ_Paton]

At one time the term "Cousin" was used to describe almost any relative

noun
Also called first cousin, full cousin . the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.See also second cousin, removed .
one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.

a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.

[Wexflyer]

Was the will worded by a lawyer, or by the deceased himself?
You can usually tell.

[JonBoody]

Thank you for the replies and insights.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate the actual will, and I am assuming it no longer exists. The reference to his cousin is found in a Bentham abstract. I am assuming the will was written by a lawyer as the testator himself was rather wealthy and had come from a prominent family - his father had been a wealthy merchant and land owner in Dublin, his uncle had been Archbishop of Armagh and his cousin/nephew was Curate of Donaghmore in Co. Tyrone at the time the will was written. The cousin/nephew appears to have been the sole heir.

I have since found through additional research that it would be very unlikely that the testator was a full brother of the heir's mother, but could definitely be a half-brother.

[Wexflyer]

Thank you for the replies and insights.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate the actual will, and I am assuming it no longer exists. The reference to his cousin is found in a Bentham abstract. I am assuming the will was written by a lawyer as the testator himself was rather wealthy and had come from a prominent family - his father had been a wealthy merchant and land owner in Dublin, his uncle had been Archbishop of Armagh and his cousin/nephew was Curate of Donaghmore in Co. Tyrone at the time the will was written. The cousin/nephew appears to have been the sole heir.

I have since found through additional research that it would be very unlikely that the testator was a full brother of the heir's mother, but could definitely be a half-brother.

In the one and only time I have had opportunity to make use of a Bentham abstract, it appeared to me that it was incorrect. It was a long time ago, but my (hazy) recollection is that the will itself survived, in the form of a Registry of Deeds memorial, and did not match with the abstract.