The Huntington family could broadly encompass any individuals with the Huntington surname, but in common North American usage, and here, it refers to the descendants of the English immigrants Simon Huntington and William Huntington. Their origins and ancestry are unknown, nor is it known if they are related. There is record of Simon’s life in England, including his 1623 marriage in Norwich. The earliest records of William are from the births of his children in 1640s Massachusetts.
A notational system for Simon’s descendants is used by the Huntington Family Association (HFA). Simon is given the number 1, and then at each generation children are labelled .1, .2, and so on. So Simon’s fifth child (in their book), Ann, is 1.5; and her first child, if she had one, would be 1.5.1.
These labels are somewhat conventional, as in some cases birth order is not known with certainty, and there may be children we have no record of, or other discrepancies. Most significantly, this numbering assumes that William is Simon’s first son, but this was simply a guess by the HFA, and there is no proof of William’s parentage or that he has any relationship to Simon at all. As such, the very first numbering after Simon, 1.1, is unjustified, and thus all others may be “wrong”.
Under this system, my great-grandfather is 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3ref, and we can continue down:
1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3 Robert Huntington 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.1 Hubert Huntington 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.2 Bobby Huntington 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3 Genevieve Huntington 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.1 af Xpxy Njcaimchojdc J R Kep etc. 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.2 w Qw Sw Zlnjd Yjvsmqib M Hmuz etc. 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.3 xwn Dit Wl Fmyhdi Wz Itkkoj C 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.3.1 me 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.3.2 bbl Dzpbk S M Eoxorgjz 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.3.3 ckenwl Plljng etc. 1.3.6.3.1.5.4.1.3.4 Martha Huntington
Descent is of course not a line but a network, and due to the second-cousin marriage of Caleb Huntington and Lydia Griswold in 1720, my family could be given a second numbering:
1.2.7.3.1.5.4.1.3 Robert Huntington ⋮ 1.2.7.3.1.5.4.1.3.3.3.1 me ⋮
Arguably the latter should have precedence since it is through Simon’s putative second child rather than third. However, the 1.3 track goes through a male line of Huntingtons all the way down to my grandmother. The HFA focuses primarily on descents all named Huntington.
As noted, William was deemed part of the Huntington family by the HFA, but there is no evidence for this, and we may have two distantly related, or unrelated, Huntington families. DNA evidence could at least tell us whether they are patrilineally related, but to my knowledge no one has pursued such a project.
Although the HFA book does not trace William’s descendants through his granddaughter, one could apply the numbering down to me through the probable Elliott line:
1.1.9 Deborah Huntington 1.1.9.2 Edmund Elliott 1.1.9.2.10 Nathaniel Elliott 1.1.9.2.10.7 Jacob Elliott 1.1.9.2.10.7.7 Mary Jane Elliott 1.1.9.2.10.7.7.2 George Ryder 1.1.9.2.10.7.7.2.6 Fred Ryder 1.1.9.2.10.7.7.2.6.2 Ronnie Ryder 1.1.9.2.10.7.7.2.6.2.1 me
Many of these numbers are educated guesses, although in that respect it’s not different from the HFA. I also may have yet another descent through Deborah, as discussed in the linked entry.