My Tree and the Ahnentafel Numbering System

There are many different numbering systems used by genealogists. In addition of the standard systems, I know many people who make up their own systems to keep ancestors in order. In the charts that I am going to share here, I use Ahnentafel, also known as the Eytzinger or Sosa Method. 

This system allows for the numbering of direct ancestors beginning with a descendant; me. 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 example, I am number 1 in my own family tree. (But of course!) My dad is #2, my mom is #3, my paternal grandfather would be #4 (my dad (2) times 2 = 4), my maternal grandmother would be #7 (my mom (3) x 2 +1 = 7). Thus, fathers are always even numbers, mother's are always odd numbers.

In this blog I am only trying to speak of my dead. A friend asked why I didn't list the names of my relatives so someone googling a common ancestor might stumble across my blog. Well, that is my intent but I thought perhaps that discovery might come in time as I write about my relatives. But it got me to thinking that it couldn't hurt to actually post my family tree now.

Protecting the identity of my living relatives though, I am only posting my direct ancestors from my great grandparents back to my 3rd greats. I figure the details about their lives and others will come out in my blog over time. Some of my lines go much further back, most go at least one more generation, but at the very least I can name all 32 of my great great great grandparents.

In addition to posting this portion of my tree, I will list their names in text so that they can be googled. If you are a visual person like myself , though, you might want to see the tree. Therefore, I am explaining how the numbering system presented here works. 

So that this information can be searched by a search engine I am including the facts in the tree above as text below:

My Great Grandparents

8. Abram Thomas Earle (b. 13 January 1891 - d. 13 November 1973, my father's paternal grandfather)

9. Ethel Mae Losee (b. 14 February 1896 - d. 27 May 1960, my father's paternal grandmother)

10. Charles Aloysius Henry (b. 26 March 1896 - d. 14 June 1949, my father's maternal grandfather)

11. Anna Marie Sauer (b. 19 July 1899 - d. 8 May 1986, my father's maternal grandmother)

12. Almond Desjardins a.k.a. Albert Gardner (b. 21 September 1891 - d. 11 February 1946, my mother's paternal grandfather)

13. Mary Elizabeth Sharp a.k.a. Mayme Sharp (b. 2 October 1891 - d. 28 January 1961, my mother's paternal grandmother)

14. James Aloysius Fay (b. 11 February 1893 - d. 1 October 1964, my mother's maternal grandfather)

15. Mary Prince a.k.a. Mary Prinz (b. 15 October 1893 - d. 17 July 1983, my mother's maternal grandmother).

My Great-Great Grandparents

16.  Abraham Earle (b. 1849 - d. 1890, father of #8 above)

17. Sarah Samms (b. 1857 - d. 1899, mother of #8 above)

18. John M. Losee, Jr. (b. 1870 - d. 1940, father of #9 above)

19. Flora A. Smith (b. 1875 - d. 1920, mother of #9 above)

20. Victor Henry II (b. 1874 - d. 1908, father of #10 above)

21. Annette Hinch (b. 1868 - d. 1952, mother of #10 above)

22. William George Sauer (b. 1870 - d. 1932, father of #11 above)

23. Agnes Gray (b. 1871 - d. 1941, mother of #11 above)

24. Damase Desjardins (b. 1850 - d. 1911, father of #12 above)

25. Malvina Ethier (b. 1864 - d. 1944, mother of #12 above)

26. Daniel Sharp (b. 1825 - d. 1898, father of #13 above)

27. Lydia Marie McLean (b. 1868 - d. unknown, mother of #13 above)

28. Michael Fay (b. 1851 - d. 1915, father of #14 above)

29. Agnes C. Joyce (b. 1865 - d. 1933, mother of #14 above)

30. Johann Prinz a.k.a John Prince, Jr. (b. 1853 - 1925, father of #15 above)

31. Sabina Krantzel (b. 1860 - d. 1926, mother of #15 above)

My 3rd Great Grandparents

32. Elias Earle (unknown dates)

33. Sophia Goodyear (b. 1808 - d. unknown date)

34. Reuben Samms (b. 1830 - d. 1869)

35. Frances Organ (b. 1837 - d. 1925)

36. John M. Losee, Sr. (b. 1841 - d. 1918)

37. Susan Amelia Combs (b. 1843 - d. 1904)
38. Gershom Smith (b. 1844 - d. unknown date)
39. Sarah Garvey (unknown dates)

40. Victor Henry (b. 1838 - d. 1896)

41. Mary Carrillion (unsure of maiden name) (b. 1855 - d. 1907)

42. James Hinch (b. 1816 - d. 1886)

43. Jane Kavanaugh (b. unknown date - d. 1886)

44. George Sauer (b. 1827 - d. 1891)

45. Anna Schmitt (b. 1835 - d. 1899)

46. Thomas Gray (b. 1844 - d. 1899)

47. Anna Hughes (b. 1843 - d. 1904)

48. Eusebe Desjardins (b. 1825 - d. unknown date)

49. Elizabeth Clement (b. 1818 - d. unknown date)

50. Augustine Ethier (unknown dates)

51. Olivine Page ( b. unknown date - d. 1906)

52. Peter Sharp (dates unknown)

53. Annie Moore (b. 1782 - d. 1868)

54. Donald McLean (b. 1822 - d. unknown date)

55. Elizabeth Walker (b. 1842 - d. 1871)

56. Lawrence Fay (b. 1819 - d. 1879)

57. Bridget Kelley (b. 1832 - d. 1892)

58. John A. Joyce (b. 1828 - d. unknown date)

59. Mary Ann O'Neill (b. 1829 - d. 1911)

60. Johann Prinz (b. 1826 - d. 1888)

61. Franzisca Preuss (b. 1830 -d. 1902)

62. Heinrich Daniel Krantzel (b. 1825 - d. 1884?)

63. Elizabeth Goetz (b. 1830 - d. 1896)