Genealogy 101

Have you ever wondered how many direct ancetors you have? Well, let’s see. You have one mother and one father, they each have a mother and a father, and your grandparents each have one mother and one father. That brings our total ancestors to 14 (2+4+8=14). Well, that is not very many, or is it? With each generation, the number of ancestors you have will double and by the time you go back 10 or even 16 generations, this number becomes rather large. Keep in mind, these numbers reflect only direct line ancestors. Once you add in the siblings in each generation, the number of possible relatives becomes astronomical.

What is a direct ancestor? Also known as progenitor, a direct ancestor is an originator of an individuals direct line of descent. For example, your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc., are your direct ancestors. Your aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., are not in your direct line of descent, therefore, they are not your direct ancestors.

Each generation on the chart below is based on a 30-year average between generations to show the number of ancestors you may have going back to the year 1500.

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