Chapter 1

The main lines of the genealogy from Adam to Abraham. 

Nine generations only from Adam to Noah.  Noah is 9th.  Given the lifespan back then though, this is likely several thousand years.

Some interesting things here:

Noah's sons seem to be the point that geography traces back to. 

There is Japheth, who's sons are Magog and Gomer among others.  These are known place names in history in the area of western Russia.  Togarmah is also in there. 

The sons of Ham include Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.  So Ham's descendants settled the Middle east and gave it their names.  (Wouldn't you expect a broad sampling of the DNA in these areas to all point back to a common point?  Except that DNA mostly traces back the maternal side, and these guys would have had wives from all over...)  One of the sons of Egypt, Casluhim, was the "father" of the Philistines.  As might be expected, Canaan fathered the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, and Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and the Hamathites, many of whom were mentioned as Israel claimed their land.  The place names were people, who settled that area, and built kingdoms and peoples and nations. 

Sons of Shem include such names as Asshur, Lud, Aram, Uz (where Abraham was from - the far east  2024 - Or was that Ur...pretty sure it was Ur.).

Here's one that always intrigued me...

[1Ch 1:19 ESV] 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan.

Divided how, exactly?  Was this the end of Gondwonaland?  Doubtful.  If so it would be recent enough to be well known.  Politically?  Linguistically? (Yes!  MSB says this was apparently about the scattering from the Tower of Babel.  Note that in vs. 10 we see that Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the one building that tower.  I wonder about what year this would have been?)

vs 1 -26 get us from Adam to Abraham, through the Noahic choke point.

2021 - vs 32 begins the list of the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine.  I don't think we see much about these sons elsewhere, but there were a lot of them, and they have place names like Midian.  Two of her sons are listed to the second generation. She had 6 sons, herself, but was never favored with marriage.  Her sons would have been among those given gifts and sent away.  Perhaps they resented this, because among them we find Midian - which was forever harassing Israel, Sheba and Dedan, which are listed elsewhere though I don't remember details except that the Queen of Sheba comes to visit Solomon.  One gets the idea that she was not too fond of Israel until that time.  Perhaps Sheba had a Queen instead of a King because they traced themselves back to Keturah rather than to Abraham, who had sent them away?

(2021 - Ismael, pronounced Yish-mah-el', means "God will hear".  Israel, pronounced Yish-raw'el, means "God prevails".  Just struck me as interesting today.)

Through vs 42 we get from Abram to Israel and Esau.  All of Esau's descendants are then named, but not Israel's.

Then we go into a presentation of the kings of Edom.  (I believe Esau went and settled in Edom after Jacob stole his birthright.  That is why the kings there would matter.)