Lineages
 

My chapter revamped our clubroom and we used to have a wall that posted our lineages. The problem is that there is only so much wall and we've run out of room. If every lineage just had one little, it would be no problem because we could just write everything digitally. But a lot of our past brothers took more than one little so everything gets discombobulated. So basically, what I'm asking is if anyone has any ideas as to how to (re)record our lineages. What do you guys and girls do?

I think a digital version would be a good idea cause it's more transferable. Maybe something like a scrapbook where you can add pages to it?

There should be some sort of computer program where you could record multiple littles and such. See if ancestry.com or a similar site has a "create your own family tree" program that you can fill in or something like that.

Um I'n seen trees with word, but Visio would also work I think.

There's an application on facebook called Greek Family Tree, which many of the girls in my chapter use - informally - it lays it out really nicely for exactly your problem, of multiple littles, which is really common in my chapter. Each person doesn't have to have a facebook, either, as you can plug in a name without linking it to a profile.

Not do it?

You're a dude, right?

Ha ha. I've seen guys who take family lines far more seriously than girls do. I'm really starting to think it is a Northern thing (for guys and girls).

LOL.

Yeah, whether it's a Northern thing or not, I don't know, but I'd never heard of keeping track of "lineages" until GC.

It might be a small school thing?

The school I'm doing grad school at makes a big deal about it and even the guys talk about "grand big brothers" or whatever.

I don't get it. Maybe cuz it is a small school.

I mean I know my big, grand big, grand grand big, and so down the chain from me, but I don't really hang out with them other than my big brother and my little brother. I don't know.

It doesn't mean you have to hang out with them all the time, it's just a matter of knowing it.

Okay, so now that this has turned into a "discussion," I will share the general (read: general) NPHC take on "family trees" and "lineages."

When we talk about "lineages" we are typically talking about the people on each "line" that came through and their "line info." For smaller and younger chapters this is easier to keep track of and to learn/memorize. This is also the stuff that you will find displayed in chapter rooms/houses and on "lineage" sections of chapter websites.

When it comes to things like who the "membership intake leaders," "bigs/littles," and "specs" were, that info is usually (not always) documented by the chapter but typically not accessible to nonmembers. Also, people are generally not expected to remember that stuff. You know who your "intake leaders," "bigs/littes," and "specs" were but not everyone's.

I cared more about my family tree than most people in my chapter did. Most only knew up to their great grand level. Only reason I knew higher than that was because my Great-5 grand big was still around when I pledged. She and I were good friends. For initiation, she made me a lapboard (piece of wood cutout to fit on your lap so you can prop your books, etc. up and study on the floor or in bed) painted with our family tree back to my Great 7- grand. I've actually met everyone on that list amazingly enough.

I wonder, too, if there's a generation aspect. Back in the day, we had bigs and we had littles. I'd never heard anyone from any org refer to "grandbigs" or "grandlittles" or the like until GreekChat. We just didn't think about it that way. At least, that was my experience.

I think you're on to something. The older women in my alum chapter who have been AOIIs up to 60 years didn't keep up with anything other than their big and little sisters.

We definitely had 2bigs, 3bigs, etc which is the same thing.

Hmmm. Then maybe some combination of generational/regional and other factors?

I never realized it was a regional thing. My chapter is pretty hardcore about families, we're in the North. I've entered what I know onto a program called Family Tree Maker. My dad is big into genealogy, and the program works for Greek families, too!

We had to get 5 graduated family members to sign our paddles. A great grandbig, a twin, etc. I think when numbers were small it wasn't a big deal because you basically knew who everyone was but now your family might have 10 or 15 people in it at a time so it is good to keep up with it. I know people that don't know past their big but I kinda think it is important to know how you are connected to the organization.

I know my great great grandlittle and all of my (many many) many grand littles and MANY great grand littles and maintain a page where we can all keep in contact and try to get together as often as possible. They all know me and have met me in person, see me relatively often and can call me, etc. I only met my grand big once b/c my big was so "old" in the chapter by the time I got her that everyone was gone, but since I am so close to my littles, I made it a point to stay involved with theirs.

My chapter of Delta Sigma Pi is pretty big on families and lineages. We started the different families about twenty years ago, and the Historian (generally) keeps track. I managed to find my family's tree and I've been trying to update it since (it's been about three years since the most recent entry).

Our chapter is pretty large and updating the family tree has put in me contact with lots of brothers who are familiar with the chapter's history and old traditions.

I think the family tree was in a Word document. Not the best method, and I might look into genealogical software to better document the history.

I can't remember if it was the Alpha Xi's, or the DZ's aat our college that had family "names" (I think they were animals?), and pledges would post their family trees up outside their dorm room door. I always thought it was cool, because those family trees were HUGE!