Great-grands
Have you ever felt baffled about how to best show generational relationships when writing about your grandparents’ direct ancestors? Are there elegant and easy-to-read ways to get around generationally accurate but clunky or confusing constructions?
When I struggled to describe my relationship with Alcena (photo above), members of the family history writers group I attend showed me styles they use to describe generations of their ancestors. I also dipped into writing style guides, visited genealogy websites, and searched for genealogy and family history publishers’ guidelines. I included below a handful of style options.
| A Small Sample of “Great” Constructions | |
| Style | Pros, Cons, Comments |
| Spell out each “great-” “She was survived by 26 great-grandchildren.” “She was my great-great-grandmother.” “My great-great-great-grandparents married in 1849.” | Pro: Good option when writing a narrative about grandparents’ parents or their grandparents. Con: This option becomes exponentially unwieldy with each additional generation. Our eyes—and the eyes of our readers—may glaze over if we spell out more than three “greats.” Comment: This style is commonly used in general writing,[1] and in newspaper obituaries.[2] |
| Abbreviate each “great-” as “g-” “She was my g-g-grandmother.” | Pro: Useful when describing many generations or when space is limited. Con: When used for more than two or three “greats,” you may frustrate—and possibly lose—readers who are counting each “g” under their breath or on their fingers. |
| Combine numeral (figure)”X-” with “great-” or “g-” “She was my 2X-great-grandmother.” “She was my 2X-g-grandmother.” | Pros: Useful when describing many generations Shorter “numeralX-g-” style is a good option to use where space is limited, such as in charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables. Con: Unless you provide an explanation, readers unaccustomed to family histories might have no clue what you hope to convey. They may skip or misunderstand this generational shorthand, pause to figure it out, or stop reading. Comments: Read “X” as “times.” In narrative, “1X-great-grandparent” is usually redundant. Why not just write “great-grandparent”? |
| Combine numeral (figure), hyphen, and “g-” “She was my 2-g-grandmother.” | Pro: A good option to use where space is limited, such as in charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables. Con: Unless you provide an explanation, readers might may skip or misunderstand this generational shorthand, pause to figure it out, or stop reading. Comment: If a hyphen does not precede and follow “G” or “g” (e.g., 2 G grandmother), readers may assume it is a typo or an abbreviation that has nothing to do with genealogy.[3] |
| Combine ordinal (word), hyphen, and “great-” or “g-” “She was my second-g-grandmother.” | Pro: Your readers may be more accustomed to this format if they’ve already heard relationship terms such as “first cousin” and “second cousin.” Con: Unless you provide an explanation, readers unaccustomed to family histories might skip or misunderstand this generational shorthand, pause to figure it out, or stop reading. |
| Combine ordinal (figure, superscript or not), hyphen, and “great-” or “g-” “She was my 2nd-great-grandmother.” “She was my 2nd-g-grandmother.” | Pro: This option saves space in charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables. Con: Unless you provide an explanation, readers unaccustomed to family histories might skip or misunderstand this generational shorthand, pause to figure it out, or stop reading. Comment: Superscript (e.g., 2nd-great-grandmother) may be easier to read in charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables, while this option without the superscript (e.g., 2nd-g-grandmother) may be easier to read in narrative writing. |
“Great” multi-generational style options also apply when combined with words describing relationships such as “grandchild,” “grandaunt,” “granduncle,” “grandniece,” and “grandnephew.”
After considering different options for writing about “great” ancestors, in narrative writing I find it easier to read “great-great-grandmother Alcena” and “2nd-great-grandmother Alcena.” And I like the “2nd-g-grandmother” style to use for charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables. But I’ll check with a test group of my family members to see which styles are easier for them to read. And if I’m submitting my writing to an editor to consider publishing, I’ll definitely use their style guide.
Play around with the options to see what works best for your reader and for you. You and I may choose different styles, and that’s fine because our writing projects will have different subjects and intended readers. However, I hope this small sample of possible styles will help you consider what you might use when writing about your family’s “greats.”
Bonus Resources:
- “The ONLY GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANNY in the UK.”[4] (Thank you, Barb, for providing the YouTube link.)
- “Multi-Great Style or the Great-Great-Great Tongue Twister.”[5] (I wish I’d found the article before I tackled this subject!)
- “How Many Ancestors Do I Have? (And Other Fun Questions to Help You Connect with Family).”[6] (Thank you, Renee for pointing me to the FamilySearch blog.)
- “Great-Aunt vs. Grand-Aunt: When to Use Them.” (Thank you, Lisa, for pointing me to the Ancestry blog.)[7]
- Which “great” style do you prefer to read?
- When writing about the “greats” in your family stories and histories, do you use multi-generational styles different from those listed above?
- Do you use a different “great” construction when writing narrative versus when preparing charts, endnotes/footnotes, and tables?
[1] Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, 7.96 “Hyphenation guide,” “3. Compounds Formed with Specific Terms,” search for “grand, great-grand” (The University of Chicago Press, 2024), p 486.
[2] The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, search for “great-” (The Associated Press, 2013), p 120.
[3] The Free Dictionary by Farlex, search “2G,” etc., thefreedictionary.com (encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com).
[4] “1980: The ONLY GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANNY in the UK | Record Breakers |BBC Archives,” YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcIneL26fZY), 4:32 minutes.
[5] Donna Cox Baker, “Multi-Great Style or the Great-Great-Great Tongue Twister,” Genohistory, 27 Aug 2016, (https://genohistory.com/2016/08/27/great-great-greats-question-style/).
[6] Kathryn Grant, “How Many Ancestors Do I Have? (And Other Fun Questions to Help You Connect with Family),” FamilySearch Blog, 02 Dec 2022, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/how-many-ancestors-do-i-have), second image.
[7] Ancestry team, “Great-Aunt vs. Grand-Aunt: When to Use Them,” Ancestry blog, Family History, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/c/ancestry-blog/great-aunt-vs-grand-aunt-when-to-use-them/).