System of Numbering
In a genealogy of this size, the Clan system lends itself very well to a clear and concise understanding of family relationships. It is because of this, and because it is easy to follow, that it has been used. By using charts on each family head a clear picture can be had of the children and grandchildren of these heads of families.
The family is broken down into four main branches, namely, those of John Goodner, Jr, Peter (Mary) Goodner, Conrad Goodner, and Catherine Goodner, who married William Jackson, all children, as is conjectured, of the immigrant John Goodner, Senior.
The system of numbering is simplicity itself. Starting with the immigrant John Goodner, Senior, the first generation in America so far as is known, the letter a is assigned. The second generation is assigned the letter b, the third generation the letter c, and so on. Thus all names bearing the letter c for instance are in the third generation, those bearing the letter d are in the forth generation.
The numeral preceding these letters refer to the position of that person in relation to date of birth in his or her respective family. Thus the designation 3d means that the person is the third child of that family, and is in the fourth generation from the immigrant Goodner. The names of Goodner descendants are in bold for ready identification.