TMG-L Archives

Archiver > TMG > 2004-07 > 1088699083


From: "Lee Kaiwen" <>
Subject: Assigning ID numbers
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 00:24:43 +0800
In-Reply-To: <005f01c45e6a$a6f5fde0$c7d94f51@Wylde>


I apologize, because this isn't really a TMG-related question. I looked
elsewhere, but didn't find a satisfactory solution, so given the incredible
wealth of genealogical experience in this forum, I thought I'd toss my
problem out here.

After years of computerized genealogy, I've decided I'm way past due in
organizing my hard copy stuff. Before I start opening boxes and creating
endless stacks of folders and other papers, I'm trying to establish a
flexible filing/organizational system. The first step in that process is
figuring a system for assigning individual and family group ID numbers. I'm
reading DeBartolo Carmack's book on organizing your research, but the system
she describes in the early chapters -- based on ahnentafels -- appears to be
rather inadequate to the task at hand.

Instead, I've devised an ahnentafel-based system that works something like
this:

DLA - direct-line ancestor: any individual on your pedigree chart
DLF - direct-line family group: any family in which BOTH parents are DLAs
CS - collateral spouse: any spouse of a DLA who is not also a DLA; e.g., a
stepparent.
CR - collateral relative: any blood-relation who is not on your pedigree.

DLAs just use their ahnentafels as IDs. DLFs are assigned the head of
household's ID as the family group ID (e.g., family group #4 is my paternal
grandfather's family, including my father and his siblings). CSs are
assigned the ID of the DLA spouse postfixed with a, b, c, etc., indicating
spousal order (e.g., my stepmother is #2b). And finally, all other CRs are
given an ID consisting of the family group ID of the DLF from which they're
descended, followed by a decimal and a number indicating birth order -- one
dot and number for each generation removed from the DLA.

Some examples:

2 is my father.
2.1 is my sister.
2.1a is my brother-in-law.
2.1.1 is my niece or nephew.
2b is my stepmother.
2b.1 is my half-sibling.
2b.1.1 is my half-niece or -nephew.
4.1.3 is the third child of my paternal
grandfather's firstborn; i.e., my cousin
27b.2.5.3 is my second half-cousin, once removed

The advantages of this system seem to be that it's comprehensive (it should
cover all blood relations, whether direct-line or collateral), easy to
learn, easy to read, and fairly compact. I've seen one or two alternative
proposals floating around, but nothing that seems to have any substantial
advantages over mine. Has anyone here seen a better system? Any potential
problems I've failed to anticipate?

There is one problem I'm running into: I have several lines that go back in
excess of thirty generations. Thanks to the modern miracle of multiplication
by two, this means I've got a fair number of 8- and 9-digit ahnentafels,
which are fairly unwieldy as ID numbers. Quick, which ancestor comes first
-- 44120448 or 220602432? See what I mean :-)? (And yes, those are REAL
ahnentafels from my pedigree.)

I'm toying with the idea of assigning IDs based instead on pedigree page
number. E.g., 48:12 would be individual #12 on page 48 of my pedigree.
Problem is, assigning page numbers turns out to be a decidedly non-trivial
task.

I'm asking to start filing. Anyone have any suggestions?

Lee Kaiwen,


This thread: