Steve Little, the genealogy AI guru, podcaster, and prompt-meister has another useful genealogy prompt in his voluminous toolbag.
Here is part of his post on 17 November about Steve's Genealogy Assistant V6.0 on Facebook:
Steve (or his digital assistant AI-Jane) wrote a blog post about this in You Will Hear of Launches and Rumors of Launches on the AI Genealogy Insights blog. The goal here is to see how well the AI LLM Google Gemini 2.5 does this task, and compare it later to how well the coming-soon Google Gemini 3 does the task. The actual prompt is, apparently, about having AI analyze a record, photo, etc. and apply the Genealogical Proof Standard to the analysis.
This looks interesting, so I tried it. I initially wanted to find a deed or will in period handwriting to see how well it could transcribe the text and then analyze the document. Then I thought about using a photograph. Finally, I decided to use a vital records document to perform this experiment. on the AI Genealogy Insights blog.
I chose the death certificate for my paternal grandfather, Frederick Walton Seaver Sr. who died in Leominster, Massachusetts on 13 March 1942. Here is the certificate that I obtained from the town clerk by postal mail many years ago:
Prompt 1: Deeply consider the attached record: Describe; Abstract; Analyze; Interpret; Leave no pixel unpeeked; Seriously, capture every piece of form, function, and meaning contained in the user input.
Response 1:
Steve's Research Assistant v6.0
Custom Gem
That's a fantastic document for genealogical research! This is an Official Copy of a Death Certificate for Frederick W. Seaver, Sr. from the City of Lawrence, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, issued on December 20, 1996, referencing the original record from 1942.
Here is the key genealogical data extracted from the document:
📜 Document Identification & Data Extraction
- Document Type: Certified Copy of a Vital Record (Death Certificate).
- Decedent Name: Frederick W. Seaver, Sr.
- Date of Death: March 13, 1942
- Age at Death: 65 Yrs, 5 Mos, 4 Days
- Sex: Male
- Color: --- (Not recorded/Specified)
- Condition: Married
- Disease or Cause of Death: Cancer Prostate
- Place of Death: General Hospital, Lawrence, MA
- Residence: Clinton Street, Salem, N.H. (New Hampshire)
- Occupation: Supt. (Superintendent)
- Place of Birth: Leominster, MA
- Name and Birthplace of Father: Frank W. Seaver, Westminster, MA
- Name and Birthplace of Mother: Harriet L. Hildreth, Northboro, MA
- Place of Burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, MA
- Date of Record: March 18, 1942
- Informant: Douglas & Dewhirst, Methuen, MA (Likely the Funeral Home)
🔎 Contextual Framing & Analysis
This death certificate is a derivative source (the 1996 certified copy) of the original record filed in 1942. It provides several pieces of information:
- Primary Information: Facts about the death event itself (Date, Cause, Place of Death) provided by the attending physician or hospital.
- Secondary Information: Facts about the decedent's life before death (Birth Date, Birthplace, Parents' Names/Birthplaces, Marital Status) provided by an Informant. In this case, the informant is likely the funeral home (Douglas & Dewhirst, Methuen, MA), who would have gotten the information from a close relative, perhaps his widow. Therefore, the information about his parents (Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth) and his birthplace (Leominster, MA) is secondary evidence and needs to be corroborated with primary sources like his birth record or census entries.
The age and date of death allow us to calculate an approximate Date of Birth: March 13, 1942 (Death) minus 65 years, 5 months, and 4 days equals October 9, 1876 (Approximate Birth Date).
🎯 Offer Structured Next Steps
This document is excellent! It provides specific names and places to advance your research considerably.
Key research leads: The names of both parents, Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth, and the specific birth and death locations.
Would you like me to:
- Analyze evidence quality (discussing the birth date/parentage information).
- Suggest a search strategy for his birth record and the family in the census.
- Help draft a citation for this document.
2) Since it already offered structured next steps, I asked it:
Prompt 2: What can you write about this now?
Response 2:
Steve's Research Assistant v6.0
Custom Gem
This death certificate for Frederick W. Seaver, Sr. is a valuable foundational document for your genealogical research, connecting him directly to the previous generation.
Here is an analysis and interpretation of the document, focused on the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) principles of source and evidence quality:
📝 Analysis of Frederick W. Seaver, Sr.'s Death Record
Assessment: The certificate directly proves Frederick's death on March 13, 1942, in Lawrence, MA. The most critical new information are his parents: Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth. Since this information is secondary (based on recollection years later), finding a primary source (like Frederick's actual 1876 birth record in Leominster, MA) is the next vital step to confirm the parentage.
Key Genealogical Conclusions
Based on this single document, we can establish the following claims, noting the evidence status for each:
- Death Confirmed: Frederick W. Seaver, Sr. died on March 13, 1942, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, MA.
- Approximate Birth: He was born approximately October 9, 1876 (65 years, 5 months, 4 days before death), likely in Leominster, MA.
- Parental Leads: His father was Frank W. Seaver, born in Westminster, MA. His mother was Harriet L. Hildreth, born in Northboro, MA.
- Residence: At the time of his death, he resided on Clinton Street in Salem, New Hampshire (N.H.). This is a crucial detail for finding him in the 1940 U.S. Census and other New Hampshire records.
Suggested Search Strategy (GPS Element 1)
The next steps should focus on confirming the secondary information and locating the family unit:
- Locate Birth Record (Primary Goal): Search for a Massachusetts birth record for Frederick W. Seaver born in Leominster, MA, around October 1876. This should provide the primary evidence for his parents and exact birth date.
- Locate Parents' Marriage/Death Records: Search for the marriage of Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth in Massachusetts, likely between 1870 and 1876.
- Locate in U.S. Census Records: Find Frederick W. Seaver (age ≈ 63) in the 1940 U.S. Census (in Salem, NH, based on his residence). Then work backward to find him as a child with his parents (Frank and Harriet) in the 1880 and 1900 U.S. Census records in or near Leominster, MA.
Would you like me to focus on creating a complete citation for this document, or should we move on to the search strategy to find his birth record?
3) I next requested a complete source citation:
Prompt 3: Please provide a complete source citation for this document
Response 3:
Steve's Research Assistant v6.0
Custom Gem
That is an excellent step. In genealogy, every piece of evidence must be accompanied by a complete, accurate citation (GPS Element 2) to allow for verification.
Since this is a certified copy of an original municipal record, a layered citation is appropriate, naming the original repository and the specific image you accessed.
Here is the complete source citation for the document you uploaded, using a standard genealogical format:
📜 Complete Source Citation
Full Citation (First Reference):
Massachusetts, City of Lawrence, "Certified Copy of a Record of Death, Frederick W. Seaver, Sr.," died 13 March 1942, recorded 18 March 1942, Death Records, Book 20, Page 100, No. 228, Office of the City Clerk, Lawrence, Massachusetts; digital image, FrederickWSeaver-1942-DeathCert-LawrenceMA.jpg, [User-provided file name], provided to Steve's Research Assistant v6.0.
Explanation of Citation Elements
4) Finally, I asked for a strategy to find the birth record:
Prompt 4 was: what strategy would you use to obtain a birth record?Response 4 was:
Steve's Research Assistant v6.0
Custom Gem
That is the next crucial step in your research, as a birth record for Frederick W. Seaver will provide primary evidence to confirm the secondary information about his parents found on his death certificate.
Based on the information that Frederick was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, around October 9, 1876, the strategy for obtaining his birth record is highly focused.
🗺️ Strategy for Obtaining Frederick W. Seaver's Birth Record
The strategy uses the principles of Reasonably Exhaustive Research (GPS Element 1) and Jurisdictional Awareness for Massachusetts vital records.
Step 1: Determine Jurisdiction and Timeline
- Location: Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
- Time Period: 1876.
- Records: Massachusetts maintains state-level copies of vital records, but individual cities and towns also kept their own records. For this period (1876), records should exist at both the municipal and state level.
Step 2: Search the Easiest-to-Access State Records
The most efficient starting point is usually the state archives or the repositories that hold the digitized state copies.
- Search FamilySearch and Ancestry (Indices/Microfilm): Massachusetts vital records (births, marriages, deaths) from 1841 to 1910 are well-indexed and often microfilmed or digitized.
- Action: Search the Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915 collection on FamilySearch or Ancestry using the name Frederick W. Seaver, the year 1876, and the town Leominster.
- Expected Result: A record or index entry confirming the exact date (October 9th) and providing the volume/page number, which is required to order the official copy.
2. Search the Massachusetts State Archives: The state archives hold the original returns filed by the city/town clerks.
- Action: Consult the Massachusetts Archives Vital Records indices or collections for 1876.
- Expected Result: Confirmation of the record details.
Step 3: Search the Local Records (Leominster)
If the state-level index search fails, or to confirm the state copy, you can go to the municipal level.
- Search Leominster Town/City Clerk Records: The original record would have been filed here first.
- Action: Search digitized Leominster Vital Records (often available on platforms like FamilySearch or local historical society websites) or check the published records of Leominster (sometimes found in genealogical libraries).
Step 4: Order the Official Record
Once you find the index entry, you can order a certified copy.
- Ordering Source: Order the record from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics or directly from the Leominster City Clerk.
- Action: Provide the specific name, date (October 9, 1876), and parents' names (Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth), and if found, the book and page number from the index.
- Reasoning: The record you receive will be a primary source (or a certified copy of the primary source) that definitively names his parents, which is the highest quality evidence needed to bridge the generations.
Would you like me to use the current information (Frank W. Seaver and Harriet L. Hildreth) to suggest a starting search for Frederick's record on FamilySearch?
5) I stopped there. I could have asked for a search strategy for finding a marriage record, or census records, etc.
6) Steve's Research Assistant V6.0 Gemini Gem prompt works well.
I have only a few quibbles:
- it used the term "primary evidence" in two places - one Response 2, and one in Response 4 - it should be "direct evidence."
- it used the term "primary source" once in the Response 2, and twice in the Step 4 discussion of Response 4 - it should be "original source" so that the user is not confused with "primary information."
- there is a "Primary Goal" term in Response 2. I suggest "First Goal" or similar to avoid confusion.
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