"Ahnentafel" is a german word meaning ancestor table. This type of
report is a pedigree chart in text rather than in graphic form.
An Ahnentafel number is unique number assigned to each position in a
pedigree which does not vary from chart to chart regardless of
whether or not one has an individual in the project to fill the
position. Ahnentafel numbers can tell one exactly how a particular
ancestor is related to the selected individual.
The number 1 is assigned to an individual, the first generation. After
this, the numbering "doubles" with each generation. Males are always
assigned the even number and females the odd.
Example:
1 You
2 Your father
3 Your mother
4 Your father's father
5 Your father's mother
6 Your mother's father
7 Your mother's mother
8 Your father's father's father
9 Your father's father's mother
10Your father's mother's father
11Your father's mother's mother
12Your mother's father's father
13Your mother's father's mother
14Your mother's mother's father
15Your mother's mother's mother
Remember, the numbers double with each generation.