Lucius Joseph Cousino (1929-07-19 – 2000-04-20), born Lucius Joseph Blaise, is supposedly the illegitimate son of Nathan Emerson Ryder (1903-09-27 – 1978-06-25) and Bernadette Jennie Blaise (1913-12-10 – 1991-02-09), where Nathan is a son of Bert, son of William and Mary Ryder, and Lois, daughter of Herman and Jeannette Fleming; and thus my double second cousin, once removed. His mother later married Peter John Cousino (1897-10-14 – 1965-05-24), who adopted him.
This relationship would make Lucius the ancestor of a disproportionately large number of members of my extended Ryder family, especially in the male line. Indeed, the majority of surviving male male-line documented descendants of going all the way back to Ireana Ryder, his possible great-great-great-grandmother, would be through Lucius.
Lucius shares my birthday.
At the time of Lucius’s conception, Nathan would have been 25 and Bernadette 14. Supposedly Nathan had been employed as a farmhand for the Blaise family. Nathan later married Madeline Ramona Reed on 1930-05-23 and had three children, Lucius’s half-siblings: Evangeline Christobell “Van” (
Lucius married Jean Ellen Tilley (1931-08-16 – 2005-05-04) on 1947-12-13 had six children: Eugene, Rosemary, Mark, Lucius, John Paul, and Laurie. John Paul died in 2018, and the rest are believed to still be living as of 2022. He has 14 grandchildren⟮2⟯According to his obituary; I can confirm only 13., as well as many great-grandchildren.
Lucius and Jean later divorced. She remarried but he did not.
It would be nice to confirm this relationship with DNA, which should be possible with living testees. DNA evidence might also corroborate inferences around the Ryder paternity.
Lucius’s adopted father Peter Cousino is of Quebecois descent; all eight of his great-grandparents were born in Quebec. The surname derives from Cousineau and is claimed to be traced as far as 16th century France.
Bernadette is of mostly Quebecois descent.