Genealogy Rule #1: Treat the brothers and sisters of your ancestor as equals, even if some of them were in jail.

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This is the third article in a series of three articles concerning ID numbers for ancestors and collateral ancestors. The first article, "An Awful Ahnentafel," explained the German ID numbering system for a pedigree. The previous article, "Ahnentafels and Collaterals by the Numbers," suggested a method of assigning ID numbers for family group sheets, individual ancestors, and their brothers and sisters.

In this article, we will continue with suggestions for assigning ID numbers to the collaterals: the brothers/sisters of your ancestors and their descendants. The goal is to integrate any related person with an ID number that is logical and useful for sorting, finding, or understanding a connection to the primary pedigree group of people.

ID Numbers for Collateral Descendants

Once we have established ID numbers for our ancestors and collateral siblings of ancestors, the next step will be to control the children of collateral siblings. Using an earlier example of 12.0 who married 13.0, their child was 6.0. The rule to find the ID number for a father of any person in a pedigree is to double that person's number. In this case, go the other direction to find the "pedigree child" of any father by dividing the father's number in half.

Say that ancestor 6.0 died young. We know the ID numbers for his parents (12.0 and 13.0) but we do not know all of the details we need to know about them. In that case, it may be necessary to identify the descendants of 6.0's brothers and sisters, with the goal of finding a person alive today who may share information. To do this, we need to assign ID numbers to all spouses, children, and all known descendants of the siblings of ancestor 6.0. It may be necessary to identify these descendants for several generations, and if so, there should be a numbering scheme that will handle it without causing confusion.

Typically, we find enough information from our research to put a family together. The information may come from census records, family Bible records, family memories, or a myriad of other sources. We can then create a family group sheet with the known information, and an assignment of ID numbers for each member of the family, such as the example below.

12.0 Henry Johnson
13.0 Martha (-----)
6.1 Elizabeth Johnson
6.2 William Johnson
6.3 Mary Johnson
6.0 John Johnson

John Johnson (6.0) is our ancestor, as is Henry Johnson (12.0) and Martha (-----) (13.0). We need to know the maiden name for John's mother, plus more information about the parents.

But if John Johnson died as a young man, leaving little information to trace, we need to conduct research and add more information about John's siblings. For example, we may discover more information about John's brother and we will need to prepare a family group sheet and show the brother's wife and children along with their ID numbers:

6.2 William Johnson (brother of 6.0)
6.2* Wilma (-----) (spouse of 6.2)
6.21 Sarah Johnson
6.22 James Johnson
6.23 Samuel Johnson

To assign an ID number to William Johnson's wife, we added an asterisk (*), meaning spouse of 6.2. (Had William Johnson married more than once, we could identify his spouses with 6.2*1 and 6.2*2 to indicate "spouse 1" and "spouse 2").

The children of William Johnson include his number, but add a digit to show their birth order. The next generation need not have another decimal, just an added number such as 6.21, 6.22, 6.23, and so on.

Using this method, we can continue to assign collateral ID numbers to any number of generations, for example, to the children of 6.21 (Sarah Johnson), a child of 6.2. But let's say that Sarah was married twice and had children with both husbands. Her first family would look like this:

6.21*1 Robert Jones, Sr. (spouse of 6.21)
6.21 Sarah Johnson (daughter of 6.2, niece of 6.0)
6.211 Robert Jones, Jr.
6.212 Elizabeth Jones

And her second family would look like this:

6.21*2 Henry Wadsworth
6.21 Sarah (Johnson) Jones
6.213 William Wadsworth
6.214 John Wadsworth
6.215 Mary Wadsworth

On separate family sheets, both of the above families can be identified. Sarah Johnson is the collateral descendant, so her number (6.21) is used to continue the descendancy. Through she married twice and had children with both husbands, the numbers for her children can still be in consecutive order: 6.211, 6.212, 6.213, 6.214, and 6.215, because she was the mother of five children.

The collateral ID numbers will work for either a male or a female. Adding the asterisk (*) is simply an indication of a person who married a collateral descendant. Her first spouse was Robert Jones, Sr. (6.21*1) and her second spouse was Henry Wadsworth (6.21*2), both of whom have numbers based on her number.

What ties all of these collateral people to the person who is number one in a pedigree? They are all connected to number 6.0, an ancestor.

Who are the common ancestors shared by these collaterals and the person who is number one? The parents of number 6.0. The father of 6.0 can be determined to be number 12.0 by doubling number 6.0, the mother by adding one, or number 13.0.

More Than Nine Children?

Note that the numbers to the right of the decimal are for a descendancy, and each single digit represents a generational step. So, a two-digit number for one generation is not allowed if there were more than nine children in a family, a 10th child will cause these numbers to go awry. Therefore, to show a family with ten or more children, use this method:

6.23 Samuel Johnson
6.23* Sarah Flint
6.231 William Johnson
6.232 John Johnson
6.233 Mary Johnson
6.234 Henry Johnson
6.235 Frank Johnson
6.236 Elizabeth Johnson
6.237 Wilma Johnson
6.238 Martha Johnson
6.239 Jemima Johnson
6.23A Polly Johnson (10th child of 6.23)
6.23B Margaret Johnson (11th child 6.23)
6.23C Walter Johnson (12th child of 6.23)

The numbers for the 10th, 11th, 12th or more children should be represented with a single character a letter "A" equals 10, a letter "B" equals 11, and so on. Now you can identify larger family groups and maintain a single digit for each person/generation. After child number 9, all 26 letters of the alphabet are available, for a combined total of 35 sibling positions. (This may look like the hexadecimal numbering system, but it is not. The hexadecimal is base 16 rather than base 10, but the numbers A, B, C, etc., do not have the same positions as in the example shown above).

Continuing a collateral family with Walter Johnson (6.21C) as the father would appear as shown below:

6.23C Walter Johnson
6.23C*1 Elizabeth Brown
6.23C1 William Johnson
6.23C2 Penny Johnson
6.23C3 Helen Johnson
6.23C4 Allen Johnson

The numbers to the right of the decimal represent a descendancy. You could think of the pedigree starting with number one as going "up." In this case, we went up to 6.0, then sideways to a sibling, 6.2, then "down" (in a descendancy) to 6.23, 6.23C, and then 6.23C1, and so on. For the ID number 6.23C1, the numbers can be read as "the 1st child, of the 10th child, of the 3rd child, of the 2nd child of ancestor number 12.0."

Parents or Siblings of a Spouse

It may be necessary to identify parents or siblings of a spouse who join the collateral descendancy. In any pedigree, the parents of the first person (ID 1.0) are ID 2.0 and ID 3.0. To assign a number to the parents of Elizabeth Brown (6.21C*1) above, a signal needs to be used to show that a descendancy is ending and a pedigree is beginning:

Parents of Elizabeth Brown, ID 6.21C*1

6.21C*1:2 Mortimer Brown (father)
6.21C*1:3 Mariana Black (mother)

In the above examples, the signal that a descendancy is ending and an ahnentafel is starting is the colon (:). This is a way of giving an ID number to the parents of Elizabeth Brown (shown as either 6.21C*1 or 6.21C*1.0). If Elizabeth were ID number 1.0 in an ahnentafel, her parents would be ID 2.0 and ID 3.0.

And, if the siblings of Elizabeth Brown need to be identified:

6.21C*1.1 sibling
6.21C*1.2 sibling
6.21C*1.0 Elizabeth Brown
6.21C*1.4 sibling

Brothers and sisters of Elizabeth Brown can also be assigned ID numbers if a family sheet needs to be prepared or if you just want a number for these extra people for sorting purposes. In such cases, just add "point-zero" to a spouses's ID number, then the siblings can be assigned numbers as shown above.

Previous or Later Marriages For an Ancestor

Another situation that needs to be considered is the assignment of ID numbers for children from a previous or later marriage for an ancestor. For example, if your ancestor number 12.0 was previously married, the first spouse needs to have a number based on his number.

Ancestor 12.0 with first wife:

12.0 Henry Johnson
12.0*1 Margaret Perry
6.1 Elizabeth Johnson
6.2 William Johnson

The pedigree family, ancestor 12.0, with ancestor 13.0, his second wife:

12.0 Henry Johnson
13.0 Martha (-----)
6.3 Mary Johnson
6.0 John Johnson (pedigree child)

Ancestor 12.0 with third wife:

12.0 Henry Johnson
12.0*3 Henrietta Wilson
6.5 Frank Johnson
6.6 Fred Johnson

In the above examples it is important to separate these families, creating separate family group sheets then the birth order and ID numbers for each member of the family can be assigned and it will be easier to follow.

The same technique can be used if ancestor 13.0 had a previous marriage with children. Here is an example:

13.0*1 Joshua Williams
13.0 Martha (-----)
6.7 Henry Williams
6.8 Elizabeth Williams

If Martha (-----) were the mother of children by a previous marriage, the children should have a number indicating a close relationship with ancestor 6.0 because these children would be half-brothers or half-sisters of an ancestor. Therefore, the combined pool of collateral children for either the father or mother should be used in assigning these ID numbers. Martha (-----) 13.0 did not have eight children but both her and Henry Jones (12.0) combined had eight children. All of these children should have an ID number based on and related to ancestor 6.0, a brother or half-brother to all the other children of either parent.

What About Step-Children?

There is also a way of assigning ID numbers to spouses and children from a previous marriage of Joshua Williams, above:

13.0*1 Joshua Williams
13.0*1/*1 Helen White
13.0*1/1 James Williams
13.0*1/2 Mary Williams

In Helen White's ID number above, the slash (/) acts as a separator, and indicates a previous or later spouse. Since Joshua Williams received his number as the first spouse of 13.0 (an ancestor), he is given an ID 13.0*1, so any number for an earlier or later spouse needs another asterisk. The children of this union have ID numbers assigned in similar fashion as other collaterals but using a slash (/) and a number indicating birth order for each.

What About Adopted Children?

If you wish to include an adopted child in a sibling list, assign an ID number as if the adopted child were one of the siblings but it is very important to note that a person was adopted. If the adopted child's birth parents are known then another family group sheet may be needed to show the relationships. In such cases, the adopted child may appear on two family group sheets and a cross-referencing note on each family sheet should clarify the facts regarding the adoption.

Descendants of Number One

Assigning ahnentafel numbers works well for the ancestors and collaterals of number one. But what if you decide to make yourself number one in the pedigree? How do you give a number to your spouse? Your children? Your grandchildren? Here are suggestions for assigning ID numbers to a spouse and children of number one:

Family of Samuel Johnson, the genealogist:

1.0Samuel Johnson, Sr.
1.0* Mary Smith
1.01 Samuel Johnson, Jr.
1.02 John Johnson
1.03 Mary Johnson
1.04 William Johnson

Family of William Johnson, a son of Samuel Johnson, Sr.:

1.04 William Johnson
1.04* Millie Gray
1.041 Elizabeth Johnson
1.042 Wilma Johnson
1.043 Frank Johnson

A genealogist doing the work may find this next example works just as well. If you wish to make your child number 1.0 or if you have more than one child, assign IDs as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on then you and your spouse would be 2.0 and 3.0. The pedigree would be identical for each of your children as a different person in the number one position. For example:

2.0John Doe
3.0Mary Roe
1.1 William Doe
1.2 Martha Doe
1.3 Martin Doe

Note that none of the children are 1.0, but any could be in the number one position on a pedigree chart. Now, any of the children could be shown as a parent on a family group sheet as the example below:

1.2*1Frank Smith
1.2Martha Doe
1.21 Helen Smith (twin)
1.22 Ellen Smith (twin)
1.23 Farley Smith

ID Numbers in a Computer Database

Finally, if you have followed along so far, there has to be a good reason for this numbering madness the idea of assigning ID numbers for anyone. Entering the ahnentafel/collateral numbers into a computer is one way to demonstrate the effectiveness of having ID numbers for any person important to the genealogical project.

With a computer, a genealogist can prepare a list of every person collected, whether they are
ancestors, siblings of ancestors, or collateral descendants. Computers have a pre-defined order in which alpha characters, numbers, and symbols are sorted, following something called the ASCII code (which is just a table of characters with a numerical value assigned to each character).

Here is a table of ID numbers, names, and relationships from my own pedigree and collateral people. This list is the way the names could be sorted in a computer, based on the ID numbers. But the same list can also be sorted in alphabetical order by the surnames. In either sort, the list provides a complete list of ancestors, siblings of ancestors, as well as collateral descendants. Without the ID numbers, you would have a list of names. With the ID numbers, you have a indication of the relationship of any person to the person who is number one in a pedigree.

Ancestors and Collaterals of William Dollarhide

ID No.	Name	Relationship to No. 1
1.0	William Dollarhide	me
1.0*1	Mary (Smith) Pipitone	my first wife
1.0*/*1	Gerald Pipitone	my first wife's first husband
1.0*/1	Loren Pipitone	my step-daughter
1.0*/2	Jerry Pipitone	my step-son
1.0*1:2	Winston Smith	my first wife's father
1.0*1:3	Olive Stovall	my first wife's mother
1.01	Meredith Dollarhide	my daughter
1.01*	Robert Cotton	my son-in-law
1.01*:2	Dewayne Cotton	my son-in-law's father
1.01*:3	Norma Davis	my son-in-law's mother
1.011	Jace Austin Cotton	my grandson
1.0*2.0	Linda Lawson	my second wife
1.0*2.1	Michael Lawson	my second wife's brother
1.0*2:2	Leroy T. Lawson	my second wife's father
1.0*2:3	Flora C. Cisna	my second wife's mother
1.1	Eunice L. Dollarhide	my sister
1.1*1	Kenneth Stumpf	my sister's first husband
1.1*2	Louis Stearns	my sister's second husband
1.11	Margie Stumpf	my niece, my sister's daughter
1.11*1	Frederick Litt	my niece's first husband
1.11*2	Steven Mowles	my niece's second husband
1.111	Aaron Litt	my nephew, my sister's son
1.112	Melissa Mowles	my grand-niece
1.12	Kim B. Stumpf	my nephew, my sister's son
1.2	Norman L. Dollarhide	my brother
1.2*1	Pearl Birchett	my brother's first wife
1.2*2	Meredith Schauss	my brother's second wife
1.21	Kevin L. Dollarhide	my nephew
1.22	Leslie Dollarhide	my nephew
1.23	Michael Dollarhide	my nephew
1.24	Robert Dollarhide	my nephew
1.3	Richard Dollarhide	my brother
1.4	David Dollarhide	my brother
1.4*	Virginia Olson	my sister-in-law
1.41	Crystal Dollarhide	my niece, my brother's daughter
1.42	Wenda Dollarhide	my niece, my brother's daughter
1.42*1	Ricky Zonnefeld	my niece's husband
1.421	Jesse Zonnefeld	my grand-nephew
1.5	James C. Dollarhide	my brother
1.5*	Kathleen Hansen	my sister-in-law
1.51	Robin Dollarhide	my niece, my brother's daughter
1.51*1	Gregory Takemoto	my niece's husband
1.512	Kearstyn Takemoto	my grand-niece
1.6	Leonard L. Dollarhide	my brother
1.6*1	Georgia Dengle	my brother's first wife
1.6*2	Susan Cox	my brother's second wife
2.0	Albert R. Dollarhide	my father
2.1	Leonard L. Dollarhide	my uncle, my father's brother
3.0	Marjory W. Wiles	my mother
3.2	Frances Wiles	my aunt, my mother's sister
4.0	John C. Dollarhide	my paternal grandfather
5.0	Addie McNemar	my paternal grandmother
6.0	Elmer Wiles	my maternal grandfather
7.0	Julia A. Watkins	my maternal grandmother
8.0	Rev. John Dollarhide	my great-grandfather
9.0	Lucy Reynolds	my great-grandmother
10.0	John H. McNemar	my great-grandfather
11.0	Amanda J. Mayfield	my great-grandmother
... and so on...

Note that collateral persons can be inserted in numerical order at any point. The ID numbers allow a genealogist to sort and organize the names in an integrated scheme. The combined pedigree and collateral positions are unlimited.

Genealogists have the means of using ID numbers for ancestors, collaterals, and their descendants. For a pedigree, ahnentafel numbers identify each direct ancestor with a unique ID number, which can then be used for organizing and filing genealogical documentation related to that person. ID numbers connected to these ahnentafel numbers allow for sorting, finding, and retrieving information quickly.

I wish you well -- and good ID numbering.