Little did I know that the German terms Ahnenreihe (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-rye-ah, meaning line of ancestors) or Ahnentafel (pronounce: ‘Aah-nen-tough-el, meaning chart of ancestors, aka genealogical table or family tree) made it into the English language. I always thought that any people recording their history had such terms in their own languages without borrowing from others. And of course, as already proven, the English language does. I wonder whether the Germanisms are really in use and, if so, only in scientific contexts.
Of course, family trees are interesting and sometimes even helpful when it comes to researching specific connections to historical events, individual traits such as health issues or personal interests, and of course, when it comes to legacies or inheritance matters. One of the most delicate matters is that of racial origin. It can be vital for a person to fully understand why they identify as they do and bring closure. It can be deadly when a government sources people out because of their racial background.
Ahnentafeln used to be a big thing in the European aristocracy since the Middle Ages. They were presented with the families’ coat of arms (and all those coats of arms that were connected via marriage) and openly hung in family galleries. Or personal portraits took over that role in an ancestral portrait gallery. If you have ever visited a European castle, you will have encountered one or the other.
Ahnenreihen are a more mathematical device to trace back one’s background. Some people go entirely by the number a person receives in this instrument. Number 1 is the person that is researched. Number 2 the father, number 3 the mother, number 4 the father’s father, number 5 the father’s mother, etc. In short, all even numbers (except number 1) are fathers, all odd numbers are mothers. If you really dig this, just the number named to you will tell you that you’re dealing, e. g. with your father’s father’s mother or you mother’s father’s mother!
Being German and due to historical context, I have an Ahnenreihe that can be traced back hundreds of years including exact birthdates, birthplaces, and occupations. There is even a coat of arms on one family branch. In the 3rd Reich, one racially “wrong” family member in the younger levels of the family tree would have sufficed to condemn a person to discrimination and/or death. I can’t wrap my head around how anybody’s mind could be that twisted.
I have friends, whose families were ripped from Africa into slavery. They barely know where their ancestors come from or where family members might have ended up due to the horrific practice of separating families and selling people off to other places. They are searching and will never get a full answer to their questions about which country, which region their ancestors hailed from. No paperwork, no family trees, no Ahnenreihe. I hear their pain.
I know others who immigrated here of their own free will or as indentured servants. Their paper trails are sometimes intact; in other cases, names were changed during the immigration process, and if they didn’t document it or told their progeny, the line of ancestors ends at the port of immigration.
Ahnentafeln or Ahnenreihen are incredibly helpful to define the identity of an individual in the context to their place in a more general history. That is why so many people these days start writing memoirs or autobiographies – in order to tell people who they are and where they come from. And in doing so, helping their descendants find their own identity.
