Genealogical numbering systems

Several genealogical numbering systems have been widely adopted for presenting family trees and pedigree charts in text format. Among the most popular numbering systems are: Ahnentafel (Sosa-Stradonitz Method), and the Register, NGSQ, Henry, d'Aboville, Meurgey de Tupigny, and de Villiers/Pama Systems.

Ascending numbering systems

Ahnentafel

Ahnentafel, also known as the Eytzinger Method, Sosa Method, and Sosa-Stradonitz Method, allows for the numbering of ancestors beginning with a descendant. This system allows one to derive an ancestor's number without compiling the list and allows one to derive an ancestor's relationship based on their number.

The number of a person's father is the double of their own number, and the number of a person's mother is the double of their own, plus one. For instance, if the number of John Smith is 10, his father is 20, and his mother is 21.

The first 15 numbers, identifying individuals in 4 generations, are as follows: 1 Subject 2 Father 3 Mother 4 Father's father 5 Father's mother 6 Mother's father 7 Mother's mother 8 Father's father's father 9 Father's father's mother 10 Father's mother's father 11 Father's mother's mother 12 Mother's father's father 13 Mother's father's mother 14 Mother's mother's father 15 Mother's mother's mother

urname methods

Genealogical writers sometimes choose to present ancestral lines by carrying back individuals with their spouses or single families generation by generation. The siblings of the individual or individuals studied may or may not be named for each family. This method is most popular in simplified single surname studies, however, allied surnames of major family branches may be carried back as well. In general, numbers are assigned only to the primary individual studied in each generation.Curran, Joan Ferris. "Numbering Your Genealogy: Sound and Simple Systems." Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 1992.]

Descending numbering systems

Register System

The Register System uses both common numerals (1, 2, 3, 4) and Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv). Generations are grouped separately.

The system was created in 1870 for use in the "New England Historic and Genealogical Register" published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society based in Boston, Massachusetts. "Register Style", of which the numbering system is part, is one of two major styles used in the U.S. for compiling descending genealogies. (The other being the NGSQ System.)Curran, Joan Ferris, Madilyn Coen Crane, and John H. Wray."Numbering Your Genealogy: Basic Systems, Complex Families, and International Kin." Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 1999.]

(–"Generation One"–) 1 Progenitor 2 i Child ii Child (no progeny) iii Child (no progeny) 3 iv Child

(–"Generation Two"–) 2 Child i Grandchild (no progeny) ii Grandchild (no progeny) 3 Child 4 i Grandchild

(–"Generation Three"–) 4 Grandchild 5 i Great-grandchild ii Great-grandchild (no progeny) 6 iii Great-grandchild 7 iv Great-grandchild

NGSQ System

The NGSQ System gets its name from the "National Genealogical Society Quarterly" published by the National Genealogical Society headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, which uses the method in its articles. It is sometimes called the "Record System" or the "Modified Register System" because it derives from the Register System. The most significant difference between the NGSQ and the Register Systems is in the method of numbering for children who are not carried forward into future generations: The NGSQ System assigns a number to every child, whether or not that child is known to have progeny, and the Register System does not. Other differences between the two systems are mostly stylistic.Curran, Joan Ferris. "Numbering Your Genealogy: Sound and Simple Systems." Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 1992.]

(–"Generation One"–) 1 Progenitor + 2 i Child 3 ii Child (no progeny) 4 iii Child (no progeny) + 5 iv Child

(–"Generation Two"–) 2 Child 6 i Grandchild (no progeny) 7 ii Grandchild (no progeny) 5 Child + 8 i Grandchild

(–"Generation Three"–) 8 Grandchild + 9 i Great-grandchild 10 ii Great-grandchild (no progeny) + 11 iii Great-grandchild + 12 iv Great-grandchild

Henry System

The Henry System is a descending system created by Reginald Buchanan Henry for a genealogy of the families of the presidents of the United States that he wrote in 1935. [Henry, Reginald Buchanan. "Genealogies of the Families of the Presidents". Rutland, Vermont: The Tuttle Company, 1935.] The system begins with 1. The oldest child becomes 11, the next child is 12, and so on. The oldest child of 11 is 111, the next 112, and so on. The system allows one to derive an ancestor's relationship based on their number. For example, 621 is the first child of 62, who is the second child of 6, who is the sixth child of 1.

In the Henry System, when there are more than nine children, X is used for the 10th child, A is used for the 11th child, B is used for the 12th child, and so on. In the Modified Henry System, when there are more than nine children, numbers greater than nine are placed in parentheses.

Henry Modified Henry 1. Progenitor 1. Progenitor 11. Child 11. Child 111. Grandchild 111. Grandchild 1111. Great-grandchild 1111. Great-grandchild 1112. Great-grandchild 1112. Great-grandchild 112. Grandchild 112. Grandchild 12. Child 12. Child 121. Grandchild 121. Grandchild 1211. Great-grandchild 1211. Great-grandchild 1212. Great-grandchild 1212. Great-grandchild 122. Grandchild 122. Grandchild 1221. Great-grandchild 1221. Great-grandchild 123. Grandchild 123. Grandchild 124. Grandchild 124. Grandchild 125. Grandchild 125. Grandchild 126. Grandchild 126. Grandchild 127. Grandchild 127. Grandchild 128. Grandchild 128. Grandchild 129. Grandchild 129. Grandchild 12X. Grandchild 12(10). Grandchild

d'Aboville System

The d'Aboville System is a descending numbering method developed by Jacques d'Aboville in 1940 that is very similar to the Henry System, widely used in France. [ [http://www.genealogie-standard.org/outils/numerotation.html Généalogie-Standard: "Les systèmes de numérotation" (Numbering Systems)] ] It differs from the Henry System in that periods are used to separate the generations and no changes in numbering are needed for families with more than nine children. [ [http://www.eogen.com/dAbovilleNumbers Encyclopedia of Genealogy: d'Aboville Numbers] ] For example:

1 Progenitor 1.1 Child 1.1.1 Grandchild 1.1.1.1 Great-grandchild 1.1.1.2 Great-grandchild 1.1.2 Grandchild 1.2 Child 1.2.1 Grandchild 1.2.1.1 Great-grandchild 1.2.1.2 Great-grandchild 1.2.2 Grandchild 1.2.2.1 Great-grandchild 1.2.3 Grandchild 1.2.4 Grandchild 1.2.5 Grandchild 1.2.6 Grandchild 1.2.7 Grandchild 1.2.8 Grandchild 1.2.9 Grandchild 1.2.10 Grandchild

Meurgey de Tupigny System

The Meurgey de Tupigny System is a simple numbering method used for single surname studies and hereditary nobility line studies developed by Jacques Meurgey de Tupigny of the National Archives of France, published in 1953. [ Guide des recherches généalogiques aux Archives Nationales. Paris, 1953 (Bn : 8° L43 119 [1] )]

Each generation is identified by a Roman numeral (I, II, III, ...), and each child and cousin in the same generation carrying the same surname is identified by an Arabic numeral. [ [http://francegenweb.org/~standard/index.php?page=numerotation Standard GenWeb: La numérotation Meurgey de Tupigny] ] The numbering system usually appears on or in conjunction with a pedigree chart. Example:

I Progenitor II-1 Child III-1 Grandchild IV-1 Great-grandchild IV-2 Great-grandchild III-2 Grandchild III-3 Grandchild III-4 Grandchild II-2 Child III-5 Grandchild IV-3 Great-grandchild IV-4 Great-grandchild IV-5 Great-grandchild III-6 Grandchild

de Villiers/Pama System

The de Villiers/Pama System gives letters to generations, and then numbers children in birth order. Therefore c4 is the fourth grandchild and d3 is the third great grandchild. For example:

a Progenitor b1 Child c1 Grandchild d1 Great-grandchild d2 Great-grandchild c2 Grandchild c3 Grandchild b2 Child c1 Grandchild d1 Great-grandchild d2 Great-grandchild d3 Great-grandchild c2 Grandchild c3 Grandchild

The de Villiers/Pama system is the standard for genealogical works in South Africa. It was developed in the 19th century by Christoffel Coetzee de Villiers and used in his three volume "Geslachtregister der Oude Kaapsche Familien" ("Genealogies of Old Cape Families"). The system was refined by Dr. Cornelis (Cor) Pama, one of the founding members of the Genealogical Society of South Africa. [ [http://www.ggsa.info/ Genealogical Society of South Africa] ]

Notes and references

*About.com: [http://genealogy.about.com/cs/research/a/numbering.htm Numbering Your Family Tree]
* [http://www.saintclair.org/numbers/ Numbering Systems in Genealogy] by Richard A. Pence

ee also

*Ancestral File Number
*Ahnentafel
*Cousin chart (Table of consanguinity)
*Family tree
*Family tree mapping
*GEDCOM
*Genogram
*Kinship terminology
*Pedigree chart
*Pedigree collapse

External links

* [http://www.eogen.com/NumberingSystems Encyclopedia of Genealogy-Numbering Systems]
* [http://www.saintclair.org/numbers/ Numbering Systems in Genealogy]