The Wampler/Wampfler Genealogy ID Tags

Section 2.2 Last update: 9/26/'11

The first two letters of the tag point to one of the database files. The third character is a generation number (in each file, generation 0 is assigned to the first immigrant generation, even if that person was listed in another file. The one exception is the files mc files). For example, hg2 is for the children of Hans George Wampfler [he1-8], one of the immigrants to colonial America who entered with his parents in 1741. Since Hans George was also a child of an immigrant parent, he is listed as generation 1, rather than 0. This part of the identifier is separated by a dash, -, from a sequentially assigned accession number for that individual. These last numbers are assigned at the time of entry into the database and DO NOT represent birth order. Individuals from the same family may not have sequential numbers and will not necessarily be listed in order in the database.

If you download one of the database files, you may find individuals by searching for their first name preceeded by TWO SPACES. You may then search for the children of that person, by searching for the ID tag followed by the first name followed by the symbols =>. For example, the string "[hm4-51]Joseph=>" would find the children of the entry "[hm4-51] Joseph" (with two spaces separating "]" and "J"), since their lineage lines would all end with this sequence.

To find all of the descendents of this individual in the database, search for the string "[hm4-51]Joseph". This search string finds all individuals with "[hm4-51]Joseph" in their lineage line. Other miscellaneous references to this individual can be found with the string "[hm4-51] Joseph" where only one space separates the id-tag from the name.

In summary, the SPACE character is the critical one for searching off-line. When the id tag is separated from the first name by two spaces, you will find the first line of an entry. When separated by one space, you will find miscellaneous other references to that entry. When separated by NO spaces, you will find the lineage records containing reference to that entry.

For more information on searching the database off-line, click here.