Ahnentafel #1

Ahnentafel is a German word which translates to ancestor table.  This format originated in the 1500's (see, I'm back in the past again).  It's a kind of short hand for showing an individual direct lines backward.  The subject of the ahnentafel is listed as No. 1, so that would be me.  No. 1 can be either male or female.  Even numbers are always men.  Odd numbers greater than 1 are always women.  A person's father is their number doubled (1x2=2) and the person's mother is their number doubled plus 1 (1x2+1=3)


Example:

1. subject is the child of
2. father of #1
3. mother of #1
4. father of #2
5. mother of #2
6. father of #3
7. mother of #3 

 Each generation has double the number of ancestors of the previous generation.  So the subject has four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, etc.  By the 10th generation I will have completed research on more than 1000 ancestors, some of which will be duplicated due to intermarriage.

Ahnentafel reporting generally consists of a single line of data regarding the person.  This could be the person's name and dates of birth and death; the person's name, birth date and location of birth.  The point of the ahnentafel is to be a shorthand genealogy that lists the maximum amount of people in the least amount of space. They are a great research tool when working in courthouses and libraries.

For the blog entries I'm planning to do a biographical sketch.  I will exclude dates for any living persons just because.

I am #1 and by the way, I'm still alive, so I won't say too much about myself.  I grew up in Southern Illinois on a farm between Starvation Corner and Scrub Hill.  My grandma Grace is responsible for my interest in genealogy.  There wasn't a person who came up in conversation, but she would say, "we're related to him" or "she's my cousin."  Some times she would elaborate and other times not.  This was a trait she passed along to my dad and I have taken it up.

Old Courthouse, my window 2nd floor third from left

I studied history in college which led me to a career in archives.  I've been an archivist for nearly 30 years.  I started out in the Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Illinois State University (go Redbirds!) in grad school.  My first real job was with the National Park Service at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial aka St. Louis Arch.  The archives is located in the Old Courthouse.  A very cool place.  I highly recommend the 10:00 tour which starts at 10:00.  I moved across town to the Missouri Botanical Garden on a two year grant project.  Upon the completion of the project I was hired by the Kansas State Historical Society.  Most of my day was spent doing genealogy for other people and I burned out of doing my own pretty quickly.  I did help design and create the first website there, skills I've been using ever since.  My next job was as University Archivist & Records Manager at East Carolina University (go Pirates!).  I was there ten years, the highlight of which was working with Dr. Henry Ferrell on the school's centennial history.  Currently, I am the University Archivist & Records Officer at Western Kentucky University (go Hilltoppers!).

I am currently spending more time on genealogy and getting my archives pulled together.  I've been blogging steadily for the last two years as well as maintaining a Lathrop Family wiki.  My other major research project is a wiki about the inhabitants of Four Mile Township in Wayne County, Illinois from 1850-1900.