Family Treedition

Description from Washington Post, January 21, 1982:

My mother's sister is my aunt--20 points; my autn's neice is me--30 points; but then again, she could be my sister or my cousin, and my grandmother's cousin is my . . . what?

Weaving through the genealogy of who begat whom on the family tree has become a new card game called "Family Treedition," created by Mildred Davidson Austin Smith, an active community volunteer and former opera singer from Northwest.

Smith said she designed the game as a "way to get back in touch with the family," and as an inexpensive form of family entertainment.

The object of the genealogy game is to earn points by placing on a board three cards from your hand that represent a correct relationship between blood relatives. For example, "my father's first cousin is my second cousin."

The deck's 64 cards represent everyone from great-grandmother to third cousin. Of course, there are a few wild cards, to get you out of tight spots. The figures on the cards have what Smith calls Egyptian-like, angular features. These, she said, are universal faces. Smith said she started working on the game in 1975, "even before Roots came on television." It seemed simple, she said, until she realized there are hundreds of possible combinations of relatives.

Smith obtained a patent on "Family Treedition" two years ago. She paid a printer to produce 100 copies of the game last October and has sold them all, many as Christmas gifts. Another 500 copies are on the way for $14.95 each. The game can be purchased from Smith, or through Stanley 5 & 10 Cent Stores in Brookland.