20 A NEW TYPE OF BRACHYPHALANGY IN MAN. 



V. FAMILY RECORD. 



In this family record the following method of numeration will be 

 used: 



Each individual is given a number corresponding to his order of 

 birth in his fraternity. His offspring have the same number plus their 

 own ordinal number. Since in some families there are more than 10 

 children, a period is always placed just before the fraternity number of 

 each invididual. Thus the first brachyphalangous member of the 

 present family is 1. Her offspring are 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc., to 1.17. The 

 offspring of 1.1 are 11.1, 11.2, etc.; of 1.5: 15.1, 15.2, etc. The number 

 of digits in each case represents the number of generations from 

 individual 1. Relationship is also obvious at a glance — 1153.2 and 

 1154.1, for example, are evidently cousins. 



One of the main advantages of this system is that it enables new 

 individuals to be inserted in the pedigree without renumbering any of 

 those already pedigreed. As a rule, only initials and dates of birth 

 and death will be used to mark the individuals. Men and women will 

 be designated in the ordinary manner by cf and 9 . In the descrip- 

 tion and measurements the Roman numerals I-V will characterize the 

 fingers, I meaning the thumb, V the little finger. The Arabic figs. 

 1-3 will be used in referring to the phalanges, 1 being the basal, 3 the 

 terminal phalanx. 



I Generation. 



1. Marthe Kristine Haarbye (Dec. 19, 1764-Feb. 1, 1826) is the 

 first brachyphalangous individual concerning whom the family book 

 contains detailed information. She was born in Fredrikshald, Norway, 

 as the oldest daughter of merchant Andreas Haarbye, from Aarhus 

 in Jylland, Denmark. Her mother, Kristine Skouw (1729-1814), was 

 born in Fredrikshald, Norway. 



Marthe Kristine Haarbye married, in 1782, district judge L. 0, 

 born in Flekkefjord, Norway, between 1750 and 1760, died May 18, 

 1812. About her the family book gives the following very interesting 

 information, here quoted literally: 



"She left 10 living children and 22 grandchildren, 18 living, about whom 

 the following pages are written, and be it noticed that every second child 

 has, as she had herself, crooked or shortened index fingers with only one joint. 

 Besides the 10 children she had also 7 other children, who were stillborn." 



This portion of the family book was written by her son, bailiff 

 L. 0., 1.7 cf. He was a very intelligent and precise man who took 

 special interest in genealogy and wrote the family book for three 

 generations with admirable care. He had the shortened index fingers 

 himself in a very pronounced degree, as will appear later. The infor- 

 mation he gives about his 9 brothers and sisters is in every respect 



