Sometimes there are things that can completely surprise and befuddle even the most seasoned of genealogists. Suppose for a minute that you are a professional genealogist and a man calls or emails you asking you to help him create a family tree chart for his family. “No problem”, you say, you have created family trees for many clients and while each is unique you are always able to figure out who goes where on the branches of the tree.
Then, the man tells you something that turns your world upside down. He mentions that his name is Ziona Chana and that he is the patriarch of the world’s largest family. Mulling this information over for a second, you ask, “Well, Mr. Chana, how large is this large family of yours?” His response sends your mind into orbit. He tells you that he has 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters – in – law, and 33 grandchildren as of right now. They all live in the state of Mizoram in India, in a four – story home that has a hundred rooms.
By now, your mind is spinning. You manage to utter, “Thank you so much for calling me. I would like a few days to determine how I could best approach your family tree project. May I call you back some time before next Tuesday?” Fortunately, Mr. Chana seems to understand the quandary that he has presented you with and graciously replies that he looks forward to hearing from you soon. You hang up the phone and take some deep breaths, processing what just happened.
What do you recommend for Mr. Chana? I am quite the amateur genealogist, so my solution is probably rather amateur-ish. I would suggest a family history book, with the pedigree chart of the union of this man and each wife on a different page. The man and wife, their children, the children’s husbands and wives, and the resulting grandchildren should all fit on a page. Subsequent generations would require additional volumes, but the initial book would be a massive task in and of itself and would be meaningful to this very large family. Until I learned about Mr. Chana, I had no idea that families could be that large but I guess that they can, once you account for cultural factors like polygamy.