Last month I blogged about my latest genealogy trip to Chicago in May and my disappointment at visiting many archives and not finding the information I sought. I wish I had read about Perplexity.AI BEFORE my visit.
Typically when I plan a research trip, I consult FamilySearch.org’s Wiki for the area. There, I find the libraries, museums, societies, and other archives that may hold the information I seek. Going to each website, I look at the card catalog and note any record sets that seem promising. I list the address, note closures, add hours of operation, any fees, and where to park. If an appointment is needed I request via email a day and time. Then, I arrive early and am ready to research.
My experience in Chicago, however, was rather bleak. I’d arrive and ask to see a record set. A librarian would then tell me it wasn’t going to hold the answer and I should go to another archive. Or, they’d give me the record but had no knowledge about how it was acquired, what the cryptic notes written on a page meant, etc. I would then get in my car and drive to the next location and go through the same process. Consequently, I came home with finding some information but not everything I had hoped to.
A week after I returned I read an article in American Ancestors about Perpexity.AI and I decided to give it a try. I entered my research question regarding where to find records for a possible 1890s scam of a Civil War Union veteran in Indiana. I wanted to know what record in Indiana could help me uncover who was the individual impersonating a deceased soldier. I received a list of archives and what their record collection held. I haven’t gone to those archives yet but it does look promising. Having a free AI tool to use to not only identify an archive but a record set in it based on information you uploaded for analysis is a gamechanger!
Later this summer I will be presenting at an international conference in Boston. One of the requirements is that my Power Point Slides be in two languages, English and either French, German, or Spanish. The problem for me is that I’m presenting on what was the Austria-Hungarian region, particularly what is now Croatia, so I already have two languages on most of my slides – English and Croatian. Adding a third language makes the slides overly filled with text but it is a requirement so it is what it is.
The next issue is I don’t write well in any of the languages so I decided to use AI to help me out.
I had learned at the National Genealogical Society conference that Transcribus was an excellent source to use for translation. Funded by the European Union, it was used throughout Europe.
I created an account easily but had extreme difficulty in getting it to work. It is in English but I didn’t find it to be intuitive to use.
I first tried to upload my .ppt but it can’t read that as Chat GPT can. I then typed the text I wanted translated into Word to upload. It wouldn’t take a .doc so I had to convert to .pdf. It uploaded fine but when I tried to get the AI to learn it I received a message that I needed to add more pages, at least 20. Sigh.
I had little time to watch a YouTube video, not even sure one exists, so I decided I would upload my .pdf to Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT. Interestingly, I received some very different translations.
As I said, I don’t write in French so I couldn’t be sure what I was getting was correct. Since the syllabus was due I didn’t have the luxury of having a human translation. Plus, to be honest, I didn’t want to spend the money on it.
So, I decided to try to rationalize the correct responses. Here’s how I did that:
The first difference was in translating the English word JOURNAL – as is a professional magazine. I received Revues and Journaux as my choices. I selected journaux as a revues is mostly associated with theatre.
Another difference was translating the term Coat of Arms. I received Blason from Chat GPT and Armoiries from the two other AIs. I went with Blason because it means heraldry and that was what my intention was. Armoiries can be a symbol or design varying from a crest to a family badge to a coat of arms as we think of in English.
Now I would not have thought I would have gotten diverse responses for the request to translate “Thank you for attending” but I did. Attending was the problem word – the responses were assisté (no, no one was helping me), votre presence (for your presence) and votre participation (no, no one was participating unless you consider listening as participating). So, I went with votre presence. Thank you for showing up.
We don’t really think about meaning when we are speaking. We know what we mean and just say it intuitively. AI has helped me realize that the words I use may not be the best choice in getting my message across. I believe in working to perfect the AI prompts so that I obtain exactly what I want. I believe it has helped me to improve my own speaking and writing skills. Not what I would have ever expected could be considered as an AI bonus!
Recently I helped a community member scan old photos from the late 1800s to the 1950s, along with some school records, a marriage license, and an old typed family genealogy. Some of the photos were of historically important pictures from buildings that no longer exist in our town, like the first YMCA.
Check out your local library to see if they have a scanner you can use. Ours has a large flatbed which was wonderful for some of the oversize documents. Speak with the staff to get their tips and tricks so your results will be the best they can be. This is especially important if you want to share your items with a local historical society, museum, or library. I typically save in .jpg but that degrades quicker than .tiff, though it takes up less space. Ask before you begin what their preference is and if they are interested in the scans.
Bring a thumb drive to store the scans on. It’s easy to share through Google docs or Dropbox. To save time, you can just let the scanner assign a number to the photo but do go back and rename to what it was you scanned, such as 1892.Smith Family Picnic.Glen Park Indiana. If you don’t know the info, that’s okay, there are GPTs that I wrote about two weeks ago that will help you identify more information about the picture or you can use MyHeritage.com’s Photo aids.
Now share with family! Sure, some time is involved but the knowledge that you have preserved your family history is a big plus.
I will be taking the next two weeks off from blogging as I hit the road with family to go on an ancestral quest. I’m so excited to be traveling again and will be sure to share all the wonderful finds I anticipate will occur. Type with your soon!
I’ve been blogging alot about AI and genealogy and today I’d like to introduce you to some tools that can help you get the most out of AI and your research.
Enter GPTs! GPT is the acronym for Generative Pre Trained Transformers. All that means is this is a tech way to communicate with artificial intelligence. Other terms that are sometimes used instead of GPT are bots, assistants, and agents.
You’ve been using bots for several years though you probably didn’t know it. When you are on a website for your bank or credit card company and can’t find the info you want, you may have clicked on the Chat box. You typed in your question and hopefully, got the information you requested. If not, it usually directs you to a human.
Enter chat boxes for genealogy! The recent class that I completed on AI through the National Genealogical Society tasked us with creating GPTs for genealogy. Here are my favorites through open.ai:
GenealogyAtHeart – Yes, I created this and I’m shamelessly listing this as my favorite because I have linked it to my website. This means that all the useful hints, heartwarming stories, and recommendations to get the most out of your genealogy can be quickly accessed by you on open.ai. Yes, I do have a search box on my website but the search box will only find the terms I’ve entered into it. Through ChatGPT’s Genealogy At Heart you can find EVERYTHING I’ve entered. Side note: If we share an ancestor you’ll be able to find everything I’ve written about the individual quickly and in a summary format. If we don’t share a relative, you can still find all the hints, helpful links, and recommendations I’ve made in the over 500 blogs I’ve posted in the last 9 plus years! Have a brick wall? Need help in planning a project? Thinking of planning a genealogy research trip and don’t know where to begin? This GPT is for you!
DeKalb County, Indiana Resources – Okay, I get it! Most of you don’t have any interest in DeKalb County, Indiana but I am the county genealogist so this is very important for those people who do need this resource. I created this GPT for those folks.
I’m working on a census GPT for U.S. federal census records. Hopefully, that will be available for you your use soon. This will help you access quickly the enumerator directions, dates of the census, compare quickly census results from decade to decade, and so on.
I am not the only person creating genealogy GPTs so here are my other favorites from colleagues:
Diagrams: Show Me – for creating mind maps or showing relationship commonalities with Venn Diagrams, this is the way to go! It is a little slow so be patient. Not so good for creating a family tree.
Genealogy Eyes: Designed by Steve Little, NGS AI Director, this is an awesome one for you to try if you have a picture of a tombstone you are having trouble deciphering or an older family pic you need more info about, such as time period or event. MyHeritage does offer something similar but I’ve found Genealogy Eyes to provide more info and be more accurate (I always try something with AI that I already know the answer for first, to test for accuracy).
GPTs aren’t just about genealogy. I’ve created one for native plants, Native Green Thumb, which is another passion I have. Remember that old commercial that repeated, “There’s an ap for that!” Well, GPTs are the new aps. Everyday more and more are being developed.
Have an idea for one that hasn’t been created? It’s simple to do as AI will help you formalize your thoughts. Just log onto ChatGPT. Click “ExploreGPTs and on the upper right side, click the green +Create box. It defaults to Create which is the simple way; it’s like computer coding in English. If you are a techie than by all means select Configure. Under Create, give the AI your thoughts in the Message GPT Builder and press enter. It will ask you questions and you provide your thoughtful responses. Don’t like what it created? No worries, you can delete it. Want only family and friends to see it? Just select the link option when saving. You can then share the link with them. Or, you can have the link publicly visible to everyone or just yourself.
Want to find more GPTs that can be useful for you? Click “Explore GPTs” and in the “Search public GPTs” type what you’re looking for. It will save your favorites on the bar on the left so you can refer to them quickly anytime. I’m working on one now to help analyze U.S. federal census records quickly.
Please let me know if you see a problem with Genealogy At Heart or DeKalb County, Indiana Resources. Email me at genealogyatheart@gmail.com.
Last week I blogged about how to print your family tree from the three genealogy giant sites – Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and MyHeritage.com. If you don’t pay for a subscription or you don’t want to rely on FamilySearch’s free site because of other people changing the tree for the worse, there are more options for you. Many genealogy software companies that will allow you to purchase their package for under $50.00. Sometimes, you can even get it for as low as $20.00! Those specials are usually available for a limited time, especially during a major conference, like RootsTech. The next one coming up is the National Genealogical Society conference in May. This would be a great Mother’s Day gift or early Father’s Day one, as well! I recommend you check out the ones I’m mentioning below by visiting their website. They have cookies so will know you visited. These cookies don’t add pounds, they’ll just save you money as you’ll get offer discounts sent to you.
RootsMagic9 synchs with Ancestry.com. This means, if you decide someday to get a subscription to Ancestry, you can upload the tree you are building on RootsMagic9 quickly. If you have no intention of ever getting an Ancestry account, no worries! You still have a means to build a family tree, print it, save photos and records to individuals, create narratives, and share with family if they have the program.
FamilyTreeMaker (FTM) also synchs with Ancestry.com. This program does everything that RootsMagic9 does. So, which should you get?
I have both because they have slightly different options. What works for me might not be what works for you so my advice is to go to both websites and download a free version, though usually FTM doesn’t have a free version. They may be getting ready to put out a new edition so keep visiting as that’s usually the time for freebie or lost cost to purchase options. Play with it. If you like it and it meets your need, purchase it.
Legacy Family Tree does not synch with Ancestry.com. I can download a gedcom file from Ancestry and upload it to Legacy. That saves time in not having to type everything in my tree again but it DOES NOT SAVE MEDIA! This means, all photos will not be available to view on Legacy. If you think you might want to someday purchase a MyHeritage.com subscription, though, Legacy is for you because it does synch with MyHeritage. I really like some of the charts that Legacy has that the two others don’t have so yes, I have this software, too. Like with RootsMagic, try it for free.
There are other companies out there but these are the ones that are most used and which I am familiar with.
When you decide on a software program, PLEASE DO NOT save it only to your computer. If your computer crashes you have lost everything. That’s one of the perks of paying for a subscription – your tree info is saved in the cloud. So, save to a thumb drive if your tree is small, or a stand alone hard drive if your tree is large. Another option is to purchase your own cloud storage through Dropbox, Google, or Amazon. I personally recommend making a copy on a stand alone hard drive and giving it to a family member. In case something happens to your home, there is another copy somewhere safe. Periodically, you can get it back and update it.
Lots of options to think about! Whichever you decide you can always make another choice if it isn’t working out.
I received a great question from reader Molly a few weeks ago that I think many of you might benefit from. Are you frustrated with the cost of subscription based genealogy sites that aren’t so great for graphically representing your tree? Maybe you are keeping all your finds in a notebook because of the high cost or perhaps, worry that the site will close taking your hard work with it.
I share the concerns as I want to have control of my research. That being said, I do pay for subscriptions to many sites because I need that for my work as a professional genealogist. Here’s some options if you do pay for a subscription to:
Ancestry.com – Click on “Tree” on the ribbon, then click on the tree you want to print (if you have more than one tree). I personally like the Horizontal View but you can switch views by accessing the tool bar on the right side of your screen that looks like this:
If you prefer a Vertical tree view just click Vertical. Your other option is a Fan Chart.
I then use my Snipping Tool and clip the tree. I can’t say it will look pretty but it works in a pinch. I take copies with me when I travel to share with family I meet or when I’m going to an archive that I’m not sure I can access my online tree.
FamilySearch.org – you know the site is free, however, everyone and their brother has access which can sometimes be frustrating when a well meaning person insists on adding wrong info to the shared tree. I recommend you clean up what is wrong and then print a fan or pedigree chart. The following is the steps from FamilySearch’s website on how to do that:
“How do I print fan charts and pedigree charts in Family Tree?
You can print fan charts and pedigree from Family Tree. FamilySearch converts the information into a PDF file, which you can save to your computer.
Fan chart and pedigree chart options on the website or the mobile app
Seven-generation fan chart.
Five-generation portrait chart.
Four-generation pedigree chart.
The default print orientation is portrait. However, the landscape orientation better optimizes the presentation of your fan chart. When you send the request to the printer, you can change the orientation.
Steps (website)
From Person Page
Sign in and click Family Tree.
In the drop-down menu, click Tree.
Navigate to the person that you want to use to begin your chart.
Click that person. Click their name to be taken to their person page.
Click the Details tab.
On the right, find the Tools section.
Click Print Options.
Click what you want to print.
A PDF opens in a new tab. Use your browser’s print feature to print it. If your computer has trouble with the PDF file, clear your cache and cookies, or use a different browser.
From Family Tree
You can print from the portrait, landscape, and fan chart views.
Sign in and click Family Tree.
In the drop-down menu, click Tree.
Navigate to the person that you want to use to begin your chart.
Click that person. In the pop-up menu that appears, click Tree. The tree opens with that person as the person-of-focus.
Open the kind of chart that you want to print: Portrait, Landscape, or Fan:
In the top-right, click the chart on display (Portrait, Landscape, Fan Chart, Descendancy, or First Ancestor).
From the menu, click the chart that you want to print. If you select Fan Chart, use the Options icon to specify what information to include. The information is visible in the printed document.
If anyone on the chart has more than one spouse or set of parents, you can change which shows on the printed chart.
Click the Options icon .
Click Print.
The chart opens as a PDF in a new tab. Use your browser’s print feature to print it. If your computer has trouble with the PDF file, clear your cache and cookies, or use a different browser.
On the FamilySearch website, Family Tree generates interactive PDF files for the 4-generation pedigree. You can add or modify information in it.
Changing the PDF file does not change the information in Family Tree. We recommend that you change the information in Family Tree and then print.
Below each name on the chart is a box with the letter F. You can enter an alternate identifier in the box and coordinate the people on the chart with printed family group records.
You cannot alter the width of each generation on the chart.
Steps (mobile)
If your mobile device is set up to print, you can print the pedigree chart or family group records from the Family Tree mobile app.
From within the Family Tree mobile app, tap Tree.
Find the person that you want, and tap his or her name.
If the person has more than one spouse or set of parents, you can change which shows on the printed chart.
Tap Spouses or Parents.
Tap the down arrow for the spouse or parents that you want to print.
Tap Preferred Spouse or Preferred Parents.
Open the charts option:
Android: Below the dark bar that includes the name, scroll to the right and tap Charts.
Apple iOS: Tap the three dots in the top-right corner and then tap More and tap Charts.
Tap the chart that you want.
Send the chart to your printer:
Apple iOS: at the top, tap the 3 dots and click Share. Then tap Print.
Android: tap the 3 dots and then tap Print.
The Family Tree mobile app does not generate interactive PDF files.”
I’ve been writing alot about AI but I’d like to let you know about another cool tech tool that is invaluable for your genealogy.
Best part – it’s free! I LOVE free!
Just click on WolframAlpha and you will find a variety of topics, such as Math, Science & Tech, Society & Culture, and Everyday Life.
How could you use this with genealogy? Well, Society and Culture would be a benefit if you are writing about the historical period in which your ancestor lived. The People section will allow you to see who was influential in your forebear’s time period.
The Dates & Times section can give you facts about a particular date. Want to quickly calculate that tombstone inscription from the date of death to determine the birthdate from 88 y. 3 m. 2 d.? It can do that, too!
Words & Linguistics is another option when you are trying to translate and get stuck.
This site was not developed for genealogy but can be helpful. There is a Genealogy section – first click “Hobbies” and it will be displayed under “Genealogy.” This section is designed to help establish family relationships.
I have not tried this AI tip noted on Facebook by Michael Cassara but it is something I’ve placed on my to-do list.
Do you have lots of old VHS tapes? I do and I’ve had them digitized as they do fade away with time.
Michael uploaded his digital file to ParrotAI and had the former VHS tape transcribed. It can then be summarized and you can even ask questions, such as “Where was immigration mentioned?” of “What did Aunt Dot say about her first job?” This would be a real time saver if you can’t watch the entire video and need to refer to a certain part.
Last week I blogged about solving an AI creepy result and this is a continuation of how you can get the most out of AI. You can read last week’s blog here.
First, a disclaimer. AI will not immediately be looking at your blog posts as the various companies “train” their technology at set times. This means you aren’t going to see immediate results but you will over time.
You will likely see positive results fairly quickly by connecting with far flung family members who are researching the very same lines you are. I’ve obtained photos and lots of helpful documents I wouldn’t have known existed if I had not blogged about my family.
I love blogging for so many reasons! I began it as I pursued certification through the Board of Certified Genealogists as I thought the journey would be of interest to others. I did not obtain certification but I got hooked on blogging!
Several folks I know had tried to blog but just didn’t follow through with it. The reason was they claimed they didn’t have time. It doesn’t take long to write a short blog post. Schedule an hour once a week at a time where you will have minimal distractions. With practice, you’ll cut down on the time you spend writing.
Another reason I’ve heard that people don’t blog is because they can’t think of what to write about. I write about what I’ve been doing or plan to do. If I find a great webinar, hint, or an a-ha moment, I figure it will be of use to others so I share it. It’s that simple!
I think one of the reasons I was successful in continuing to blog was because I initially wrote four blog posts before I ever published one. That way, I had back up posts in case life got crazy. At the time, I was working two jobs, still had kids at home, and was involved in a lot of community organizations. Developing the habit of sitting down to write when there was a quiet moment and writing several pieces helped me develop a habit. Scientists claim (according to Google, hmm!) that it takes 66 days to develop a positive habit. So, definitely schedule time during that initial period. After that, you can wing it.
I began blogging through Google’s Blogger. It is simple, just follow the directions provided on the website. Why I chose Google over other blog sites is because you will have that search engine behind you to get the word out of what you are writing about.
As my business, Genealogy At Heart, grew I added a website through WordPress. I selected WordPress because other professional genealogists said it was easy and inexpensive. Now I post my weekly blog in both places. If Google ever decides to stop supporting Blogger than my blogs are safe on my own website. If I decide to retire and cease my website, then I can easily backup my blog posts so that future family will still have access to my ancestral discoveries. That’s a win-win outcome!
There are many other blog sites so do a simple search if you’d like alternatives.
So, there you have it! I’ve published over 500 posts since I began in 2015. In 2023 my Genealogy At Heart blog was recognized as one of the top 100 by Genea-Blogs and for 2024, FeedSpot has named it in the Top 100 Bloggers. Getting recognition is nice and appreciated. Getting connections with other who have the same passion I do is even better. Got a question on how to get started? Email me at genealogyatheart@gmail.com.
In December, I blogged about a creepy AI discovery I had made when testing ChatGPT’s ability to extract and summarize from newspaper articles. Information in the summary was provided by AI that was no where in the articles uploaded. Although errors like this, called hallucinations, are known to happen with this budding tool, the information that AI proved was 100% correct. That’s what made this feel creepy. How did it know more about my family than the articles I entered?!
I’m now enrolled in my second AI for Genealogy class through the National Genealogical Society and my instructor, Steve Little, noted in class this past week that AI was trained by, among other information, through blog posts.
Bingo! That explains how ChatGPT got my correct ancestors to include in the summary as I have blogged extensively about my Leininger and Landfair families.
Since I’ve blogged about my families for years much of my research is available online. I’ve spoken with other family historians who haven’t had as good a result as I have with using AI. Perhaps this is why I’m getting the results that I am.
When the world wide web was in its infancy, I had difficulty with understanding the concept that once something is place there you can’t get rid of it. Sure, websites come and go but the information is still out there if you look hard enough with tools like the Wayback Machine. Personally, I was involved with an educator only web in the early 1990s and on the world wide web since 1995 so my digital footprint is a large size. Who knew that it would be a help to me with the latest technology?!
If AI is not giving you the results you’d like, I’d suggest that you upload the info you’re working with as a pdf when you prompt it. This might also be a good time for you to start blogging about your family. I will be providing more info on how to do that next week. Happy Hunting!
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