The genealogical numbers used in South African family pedigrees are according to the De Villiers/Pama system.
C. De Villiers fashioned this unique system of numbering during his works on Genealogies on Old Cape Families during the 1800′s, and was later revised by Dr. Cor Pama.
Have you uploaded your Family Tree into our tree builder in a more modern way?
In this numbering system the progenitor of the family is always “a” and is always a male. His children are numbered chronologically “b1”, “b2” and “b3”, etc. His grandchildren are the “c” generation and his great grandchildren the “d” generation and the “e” and “f” etc. etc.
The following abbreviations are used:
* birth / gebore
˜baptised / gedoop
† died / oorlede
¸ divorced / geskei
x married once / eerste huwelik
xx married twice / tweede huwelik
xxx married three times / derde huwelik
a arrived / aankoms
bej. bejaard / adult (baptised as)
BS British settler / Britse Setlaar
dg daughter / dogter
D/N death notice or sterfkennis
Ds. dominee / clergy
DL Duitse Legion 1858 / German Legion 1858
Eng. English Church / Engelse Kerk
LV Member of Parliament / Lid van Volksraad
MD Medical Doctor / Mediese Dokter
MOOC Master Office and Orphan Chamber (Cape Town)
NN name not known / naam ondbekend
sn son / seun
spes. Lis special licence marriages / spesiale lisenise
