Several genealogical numbering systems have been widely adopted for presenting

family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

s and

pedigree chart A pedigree chart is a diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance of phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next, most commonly humans, show dogs, and race horses. Definition The word pedigree ...

s in text format. Among the most popular numbering systems are:

Ahnentafel An ''ahnentafel'' (German for "ancestor table"; ) or ''ahnenreihe'' ("ancestor series"; ) is a genealogical numbering system for listing a person's direct ancestors in a fixed sequence of ascent. The subject (or proband) of the ahnentafel is li ...

(Sosa-Stradonitz Method), and the Register, NGSQ, Henry, d'Aboville, Meurgey de Tupigny, and de Villiers/Pama Systems .

Ascending numbering systems

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 complete list, and allows one to derive an ancestor's relationship based on their number. The number of a person's father is twice their own number, and the number of a person's mother is twice their own, plus one. For instance, if John Smith is 10, his father is 20, and his mother is 21. In order to readily have the generation stated for a certain person, the Ahnentafel numbering may be preceded by the generation. This method's usefulness becomes apparent when applied further back in the generations: e.g. ''08-146'', is a male preceding the subject by 7 (8-1) generations. This ancestor was the father of a woman (146/2=73) (in the genealogical line of the subject), who was the mother of a man (73/2=36.5), further down the line the father of a man (36/2=18), father of a woman (18/2=9), mother of a man (9/2=4.5), father of the subject's father (4/2=2). Hence, ''08-146'' is the subject's father's father's mother's father's father's mother's father. The atree or Binary Ahnentafel method is based on the same numbering of nodes, but first converts the numbers to binary notation and then converts each 0 to M (for Male) and each 1 to F (for Female). The first character of each code (shown as X in the table below) is M if the subject is male and F if the subject is female. For example 5 becomes 101 and then FMF (or MMF if the subject is male). An advantage of this system is easier understanding of the genealogical path. The first 15 codes in each system, identifying individuals in four generations, are as follows:

Surname 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 Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

(i, ii, iii, iv). The system is organized by generation, i.e., generations are grouped separately. The system was created in 1870 for use in the ''New England Historical and Genealogical Register'' published by the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,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 The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is a genealogical interest group founded in 1903 in Washington, D.C. with over 10,000 members. Its headquarters are in Falls Church, Virginia. The goals of the organization are to promote genealogical skill ...

headquartered in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...

, 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. (–''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. It can be organized either by generation or not. 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 his parents. 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 France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It can be organized either by generation or not. 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. 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 The Huntington Family Association used this numbering system in their family memoir published in 1915, 25 years before Jacques d'Aboville is credited with inventing it. It may very well be true the Huntington family invented this numbering system.

Meurgey de Tupigny System

The Meurgey de Tupigny System is a simple numbering method used for single surname studies and hereditary

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

line studies developed by of the National Archives of France, published in 1953. 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. 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. 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 In this system, b2.c3 is the third child of the second child, and is one of the progenitor's grandchildren. The de Villiers/Pama system is the standard for genealogical works in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It was developed in the 19th century by

Christoffel Coetzee de Villiers Christoffel Coetzee de Villiers (10 March 1850 – 4 September 1887), born in Swellendam as the fourth son of a wagon-maker, and married in Wellington where he then settled, spent his last years as a printer's clerk in Cape Town. His passion for ...

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 The Genealogical Society of South Africa is a family history society. The society consists of 11 regional branches as well as an electronic branch accessible online. The society maintains a large archive of Genealogical material related to South ...

.Genealogical Society of South Africa
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References

;Sources *About.com
Numbering Your Family TreeNumbering Systems in Genealogy
by Richard A. Pence

External links

Encyclopedia of Genealogy-Numbering SystemsNumbering Systems in Genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genealogical Numbering Systems Genealogy

Genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...