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Ahnentafel Explained The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2002 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Ahnentafel is a word commonly used in genealogy although it probably confuses most newcomers. Ahnentafel is a German word that literally translates as "ancestor table". It is a list of all known ancestors of an individual and includes the full name of each ancestor as well as dates and places of birth, marriage, and death whenever possible. It also has a strict numbering scheme. Once the reader is accustomed to ahnentafels, it becomes very easy to read these lists, to move up and down from parent to child and back again, and to understand the relationships of the listed people. Ahnentafels are very good at presenting a lot of information in a compact format. However, the numbering system is the key to understanding ahnentafels. To visualize the numbers, first consider this typical pedigree chart:
Carefully observe the numbers in the above chart. You will notice that every person listed has a number and that there is a mathematical relationship between parents and children. The number of a father is always double that of his child's. The number of the mother is always double that of her child's plus one. The number of a child is always one-half that of a parent (ignoring any remainder).In the above example, the father of person #6 is #12 (the father is double the child's number). The mother of #6 is #13 (the mother is double plus one of the child's). The child of #12 and #13 is #6 (the child is always one-half the parent's number, ignoring remainders). Now, let's take the above chart and write it in ahnentafel format:
Notice that the numbers are exactly the same as in the pedigree chart. The rules of father=2 times child, mother=2 times child+1, child=one-half of parent, etc., remain the same. This is an ahnentafel chart. For a more detailed example of an ahnentafel, here's an excerpt from the ahnentafel of one well-known American: 1. George Walker Bush, b. New Haven, Conn., 6 July 1946, m. 5 Nov. 1977, Laura Lane Welch 2. George Herbert Walker Bush, b. Milton, Mass., 12 June 1924, m. Rye, N.Y., 6 Jan. 1945 3. Barbara Pierce 4. Prescott Sheldon Bush, b. Columbus, Ohio, 15 May 1895, m. Kennebunkport, Maine, 6 Aug. 1921, d. New York, N.Y., 8 Oct. 1972 5. Dorothy Walker, b. near Walker's Point, York Co., Me., 1 July 1901, d. Greenwich, Conn., 19 Nov. 1992 6. Marvin Pierce, b. Sharpsville, Pa., 17 June 1893, m. Aug. 1918, d. Rye, N.Y., 17 July 1969 7. Pauline Robinson, b. Ohio, April 1896, d. Rye, N.Y., 23 Sept. 1949 8. Samuel Prescott Bush, b. Brick Church, N.J., 4 Oct. 1863, m. Columbus, Ohio, 20 June 1894, d. Columbus, Ohio, 8 Feb. 1948 9. Flora Sheldon, b. Franklin Co., Ohio, 17 Mar. 1872, d. "Watch Hill", R.I., 4 Sept. 1920 10. George Herbert Walker, b. St. Louis, Mo., 11 June 1875, m. St. Louis, Mo., 17 Jan. 1899, d. New York, N.Y., 24 June 1953 11. Lucretia [Loulie] Wear, b. St. Louis, Mo., 17 Sept. 1874, d. Biddeford, Me., 28 Aug. 1961 12. Scott Pierce, b. Sparkville, Pa., 18 Jan. [or June?] 1866, m. 26 Nov. 1891 13. Mabel Marvin, b. Cincinnati, Ohio, 4 June 1869 14. James Edgar Robinson, b. near Marysville, Oh., 15 Aug. 1868, m. Marion Co., Ohio, 31 March 1895, d. 1931 15. Lula Dell Flickinger, b. Byhalia, Ohio, March 1875 The above examples show information about 15 individuals, but ahnentafels typically contain information about many more people than this. You can often find ahnentafels that list hundreds or even thousands of individuals, all ancestors of person #1 in the list. For instance, a much longer ahnentafel for President Bush may be found at:http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~addams/presidential/bush.html Notice that the mathematical rules about relationships shown in the pedigree chart still apply in the ahnentafel chart. Also, the true ahnentafel lists the person's full name, along with dates and places of birth, marriage, and death, if known. All modern genealogy programs can produce ahnentafel charts. Of course, you could also create an ahnentafel chart by hand or by using a word processor. Whatever method you choose, an ahnentafel is an easy method of presenting a lot of ancestral data in a compact format. To discuss this story further on the message board for newsletter readers, go to http://www.RootsForum.com and click on "Message Board." Underground Railroad Information Sought I was contacted by a researcher who although is not a direct Dunton / Dunten descendant, has pioneer ancestors from Huntertown, Indiana that were related by marriage - specifically to to the family of Ephraim Dunten and Horace Friend Dunten. He is currently doing research on Underground Railroad history. So far there is pretty good circumstantial evidence that the Duntens and other early members of the Huntertown Universalist Church were actively involved in assisting fugitive slaves in the 1840s and 50s. It appears that these Duntens migrated simultaneously with several other Yankee families from New York to Indiana -- perhaps much like the Quakers of North Carolina, for the purpose of assisting in the abolitionist cause. The Ephraim Duntens are known to have been associated with abolitionist Alexander Rankin, a Presbyterian minister who preached from their homestead in 1834, not long after their arrival in Huntertown. If you know of any family folklore (or better still, anything written) regarding the Underground Railroad, or if you know of anyone who might, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. This researcher is working with a local historic preservationist in the hopes that they might be able to add certain locations or buildings to the growing list of known Underground Railroad landmarks. "Announcements"
Eugene R. Dunton PITTSFIELD - Eugene R. Dunton, 60, died June 2, 2002 at a Pittsfield nursing home after a long illness. He was born November 29, 1941 in Palmyra, son of Herbert and Phyllis (Fletcher) Dunton. He is survived by a son, Randy Leavitt and his fiancée, Carline McElhill of Hartland; two sisters, Betty Butler of Newport and Carol and her husband, Carroll Leavitt of Newport; a brother, Kenny Dunton of St. Albans. Mr. Dunton was predeceased by his parents of Palmyra. At his request there will be no services. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Newport. Arrangements by Crosby & Neal Funeral Home, Newport. Source: The Daily Maine Doris Dunton Burial arrangements for Doris B. Dunton, 65, of Severna Park, were omitted from her obituary in The Sunday Capital on Oct. 6. Mrs. Dunton died Oct. 4 at the Chesapeake Hospice House in Linthicum after a lengthy illness. Visitation is from 6 to 9 tonight at Barranco and Sons Severna Park Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Highway. Services will be at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 400 Benfield Road, Severna Park. Burial will be in Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville. Source: The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland What's new cousins??? Let us know for the next issue. New information has been added to the "Archive Page".
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