All in the Family

[darkerhorse]

I'm struggling with nomenclature to identify six generations of relatives in a given small town in Sicily in charts and in a narrative.

I like the hierarchical categories of tribe, clan, branch, and family, but that's only four categories, and I need six. Using "group" as a category seems too vague.

I was thinking of using the prefix "sub" twice, for example, sub-tribe, and sub-family, but that's a little awkward. The resulting hierarchy would be:

Gen 1: Tribe
Gen 2: Sub-Tribe
Gen 3 Clan
Gen 4: Branch
Gen 5: Family
Gen 6: Sub-Family

There's only one couple identified in Gen 1 and one in Gen 2. I like using "clan" for Gen 3 because that's where ancestors really branch out - 8 couples. I'm using that Gen (3) as a point of reference or identity, as in "the heads of the 5 families". Which clan are you in, has a ring to it.

My grandparents' generation is Gen 6, the principal immigrant generation, so I like that their parents' generation (Gen 5) is labeled "families". My extended family can relate to that - their grandparents and siblings coming from the same "family".

An alternative is
Gen 4: Branch
Gen 5: Sub-Branch
Gen 6: Family

but I would have the awkward label of sub-branch for the reference group in Sicily before immigration - "our grandparents came from the same sub-branch", versus "our grandparents came from the same family".

Another issue is what to call subsequent generations, Gen 7 etc.?

Any comments or suggestions?

I'd be surprised if anyone responds, but this post gave me a chance to think it threw some more.

[darkerhorse]

Another option, which preserves meaningful labels for the key generations of 1,3, and 5, is to do away with "branch" and use "sub" each time after a key generation:

Gen 1: Tribe
Gen 2: Sub-Tribe
Gen 3 Clan
Gen 4: Sub-Clan
Gen 5: Family
Gen 6: Sub-Family

For example, "I descend from the Luigi Sub-Family of the Salvatore Family of the Rosario Sub-Clan of the Emanuele Clan of the Mauro Sub-Tribe of the Sebastiano Tribe."

Or, if you like "branch" might this version be better?

Gen 1: Tribe
Gen 2: Branch
Gen 3 Clan
Gen 4: Branch
Gen 5: Family
Gen 6: Branch

For example, "I descend from the Luigi Branch of the Salvatore Family of the Rosario Branch of the Emanuele Clan of the Mauro Branch of the Sebastiano Tribe.

[liviomoreno]

I never heard about this nomenclature in Italy
Some times (especially in the case of noble families) you may see Familyname, branch.

[darkerhorse]

How about nation, tribe, clan, family?