The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta, CoPilot and Claude) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with information about myself based on my prompt history on the free AI tools. I wrote about it in Ask AI: "What's one thing you can tell me about myself that I may not know about myself?"
Genealogy Research: Potential Omissions
Community and Social History:
While you've focused on individual ancestors and family lines, you might have missed diving deeply into the communities where they lived. Understanding their neighbors, friends, or business partners could reveal untapped connections and give a richer context to their lives.
Example Questions to Explore:
- Who lived near Henry Carringer and Sarah Feather in Mercer County, PA?
- Were there migration patterns or shared origins among the families who settled in Louisa County, Iowa?
Cultural Traditions and Practices:
If you’ve only focused on records, you might have missed uncovering how cultural or ethnic traditions shaped your ancestors’ lives. Customs like naming patterns, burial rites, and even holiday celebrations can offer a deeper understanding.
Example Questions:
- What cultural practices did Henry Carringer’s family follow in Pennsylvania or Iowa?
- Were there traditions passed down through the Smith or Vaux families?
Brick Wall Strategies:
For the tougher mysteries, have you fully explored advanced strategies like cluster research (FAN club method), negative evidence (what’s missing in records), or migration routes (tracing how people moved)? These techniques could help uncover parents, siblings, or missing connections for elusive ancestors like Sarah Feather or Devier Lamphier.
Example Strategy:
- Map the other Feathers in Ohio or Pennsylvania around 1804—were there cousins, siblings, or possible parents in the same counties?
Language and Translation Barriers:
If your ancestors spoke a language other than English (e.g., German for Spanglers or Carringers), you might have missed records in their original language, such as church books or legal documents. Are there untranslated or overlooked records?Exploration of Female Ancestors:
Many genealogists struggle to fully explore female ancestors due to lack of records. For example, Sarah Feather’s origins could benefit from questions focused on maiden names, property rights, or records tied to her husband or children.Storytelling: Potential Omissions
The Voices of Women and Children:
Your storytelling often focuses on the male ancestors' narratives or major life events (like migration or careers). Have you considered reconstructing the quieter, everyday lives of women or children in your family? Their perspectives—what they wore, ate, read, or dreamed about—could be powerful additions.
Example Questions:
- How did Sarah Feather balance life as a wife and mother to 10 children in early 19th-century Pennsylvania?
- What might Emily Auble Carringer’s life have felt like as a widow in San Diego during the 1940s?
Exploring Conflicts and Tensions:
While you’ve highlighted the successes and migrations of your ancestors, have you delved into family conflicts, struggles, or failures? Stories about hardships, misunderstandings, or even scandals can humanize your ancestors and make their lives feel more relatable.
Example Questions:
- Did Devier Smith’s adoption lead to any tensions between biological and adoptive families?
- What challenges might Austin Carringer have faced balancing work in aviation mechanics and family life?
Focus on Historical and Geographic Context:
You’ve touched on historical context occasionally but could expand it. How did major events (wars, depressions, inventions) impact your ancestors’ daily lives? This can enrich storytelling and connect your family to larger narratives.
Example Questions:
- What was life like in Mercer County, PA, during the 1830s and 1840s when the Carringers were raising their family?
- How did the Dust Bowl or Great Depression affect families like the Smiths or Carringers in Kansas?
Audience Engagement:
Have you considered tailoring stories for different audiences? For example, family members might want short, engaging anecdotes or visuals, while a historical society might prefer detailed timelines and sources. Matching format to audience could help make your stories more impactful.
Example Formats to Try:
- A scrapbook-style presentation for grandchildren.
- A formal article submission to a genealogical journal for your findings on Devier Smith’s adoption.
Myth-Busting in Family Lore:
If your family doesn’t have stories or letters, you might still encounter assumptions or inaccuracies passed down. Have you considered digging into potential family myths or local legends? Correcting or verifying these can make for fascinating storytelling.Key Takeaways
The omissions aren’t glaring but rather opportunities to expand into new directions. You’ve done amazing work piecing together the factual and personal details of your ancestors' lives. Pushing further into community context, untold stories of women and children, or advanced research strategies could fill in gaps and make your storytelling even richer.
Does any of this resonate with you, or spark ideas for the next phase of your research and writing?
2) Frankly, everything ChatGPT4 and the other AI Tools tells me sparks my curiosity and interest. Those are all excellent suggestions for doing extensive research and telling family stories.
I love that ChatGPT4 used examples from my previous queries about people, places, and stories. The examples can be used for all of my ancestral families - I can just change the names and the places.
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1 comment:
Very insightful! Thank you for sharing the results from your prompt/s
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