Ask AI: "Draft a Plan To Research and Write a Genealogical Proof Argument Confirming the Maternal Grandmother of Randall J. Seaver, and Execute the Plan"

On the Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Facebook Group, Steve Little wrote a prompt for the new OpenAI ChatGPT Strawberry that said:

1. Explain in some detail the Genealogical Proof Standard.

2. Review the best practices of writing a genealogical proof argument.

3. Draft a plan to plan, research, and write a genealogical proof argument confirming the maternal grandmother of George W. Bush. The plan should be designed for you, a large language model, to execute autonomously without external assistance.

4. Execute the plan.

I used Steve's prompt for on Microsoft CoPilot and it did a pretty good job on the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) but got the maternal grandmother of George W. Bush wrong. I used Perplexity.ai with Steve's prompt and it did a good job on the GPS and plan and execution and identified the correct maternal grandmother of George W. Bush.

 
Then I used #3 and #4 as a prompt and substituted my own name for George W. Bush on Perplexity.ai and helpfully added my parent's names, and it refused to execute the plan. Huh? It found images and text from my blog that gave the answer.  I expected better. At least it's a benchmark now.

 
On Microsoft CoPilot I used my own name and the same prompt, and it did a great job, citing 15 sources, including WikiTree and MyHeritage, but not my blog posts (perhaps because Blogger is a Google product?). 

Here is what Microsoft CoPilot produced:

Plan to Research and Write a Genealogical Proof Argument for Randall J. Seaver’s Maternal Grandmother

Objective:

To confirm the maternal grandmother of Randall J. Seaver, son of Frederick and Betty (Carringer) Seaver, using the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Steps:

1. Define the Research Question:

   • Identify the maternal grandmother of Randall J. Seaver.

2. Conduct Reasonably Exhaustive Research:

   • Search for primary and secondary sources, including birth, marriage, and death records, census records, and historical documents.
   • Use reliable genealogical databases and archives.

3. Collect and Cite Evidence:

   • Gather all relevant documents and records.
   • Provide complete and accurate source citations for each piece of evidence.

4. Analyze and Correlate Evidence:

   • Critically analyze the collected evidence.
   • Correlate the evidence to identify patterns and connections.

5. Resolve Conflicting Evidence:

   • Address any conflicting evidence and explain how it was resolved.

6. Write the Proof Argument:

   • Present the evidence and reasoning in a clear, logical, and coherent manner.
   • Use a narrative style to explain the evidence and how it supports the conclusion.

7. Review and Revise:

   • Review the proof argument for clarity, accuracy, and completeness.
   • Revise as needed to ensure it meets the GPS criteria.

Execute the Plan

Step 1: Define the Research Question

The research question is: Who is the maternal grandmother of Randall J. Seaver?

Step 2: Conduct Reasonably Exhaustive Research

Based on the search results, Randall J. Seaver’s maternal grandmother is Emily Kemp Auble¹.

Step 3: Collect and Cite Evidence

• Birth Records: Emily Kemp Auble was born on August 19, 1899, in San Diego, California¹.
• Marriage Records: Emily Kemp Auble married Lyle Lawrence Carringer¹.
• Census Records: Census records from 1900 and 1910 list Emily Kemp Auble as a resident of San Diego, California¹.
• Death Records: Emily Kemp Auble passed away on June 19, 1977¹.

Step 4: Analyze and Correlate Evidence

• The birth, marriage, and census records consistently identify Emily Kemp Auble as the maternal grandmother of Randall J. Seaver.
• The death record confirms her identity and provides additional information about her life.

Step 5: Resolve Conflicting Evidence

• No conflicting evidence was found in the collected records.

Step 6: Write the Proof Argument

Emily Kemp Auble, born on August 19, 1899, in San Diego, California, is the maternal grandmother of Randall J. Seaver. She married Lyle Lawrence Carringer and was listed in the 1900 and 1910 census records as a resident of San Diego. Emily Kemp Auble passed away on June 19, 1977. The collected evidence, including birth, marriage, census, and death records, consistently supports this conclusion.

Step 7: Review and Revise

The proof argument has been reviewed for clarity, accuracy, and completeness. It meets the criteria of the Genealogical Proof Standard.

I hope this detailed plan and execution help you understand the process of creating a genealogical proof argument! If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to ask.

It didn't find all of the records, and was wrong on some details (Emily was born in Chicago), but it got the people right. Although it used WikiTree to find information, it did not cite the WikiTree entry for Emily Kemp (Auble) Carringer, which has source citations to marriage and death certificates, census records, newspaper articles, etc.  There is no available birth certificate for Emily Kemp Auble.  

The proof argument provided is relatively weak.  It didn't even consider my mother's birth certificate, marriage record, death certificate, census records and other records as evidence for her relationship to her mother, or the birth certificate, marriage certificate and other records that show my relationship to my mother, which would be critical elements in a Genealogical Proof Argument.  

Notice that CoPilot used an online search to find information, but it didn't find all the information that is online - for instance, my blog post about my grandmother's life is in My Maternal Grandmother, Emily Kemp (Auble) Carringer (1899-1977).

Google Search does find my blog posts, but not all historical persons are in blog posts, in books, or on websites.  Doing a similar query for some random historical person might not find any information.  

But this is a significant advance in technology - a year ago it would not have been possible to find this answer using an Artificial Intelligence tool.  And what will we be able to do next year, and by 2030, or 2050?  

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/ask-ai-draft-plan-to-research-and-write.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Have you used "Helps" such as Tree Checker on ancestry, Consistency Checker on MyHeritage, or Family Tree Analyzer to check for errors in your family tree?

 Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision. 

1)  Have you used "Helps" such as Tree Checker on Ancestry, Consistency Checker on MyHeritage, or the Family Tree Analyzer program to check for errors in your family tree? 

2)  Share about your efforts to use helps to improve your family tree in your own blog post or on your Facebook page.  Be sure to leave a link to your report in a comment on this post.

 [thank you to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic!] 

Here's mine:

 I have used Tree Checker on Ancestry, Tree Consistency Checker on MyHeritage, Problem Search on RootsMagic 10,  and Family Tree Analyzer to find possible problems in my family trees.  I always find something.  I rarely fix everything.  

Tree Checker on Ancestry finds duplicate entries - persons I have in my Ancestry Tree more than once (somehow it seems to happen a lot with RootsMagic TreeShare, perhaps user error).  It tells me that today I have 1,838 duplicate people, but many of them are not profiles with the same name, but have the same surname and a close birth and/or death date.  I have 31,943 profiles with no documentation despite the incessant review of record hints.  Pffft.  I also have 116 "Other possible errors" which usually need to be corrected.  I work on them occasionally.  

Tree Consistency Checker on MyHeritage analyzes your entire tree and puts the problems into topics like "Parent too young while having a child."  It takes awhile for the program to complete the analysis, and then you have a lot of profiles to check and correct.  I correct them in RootsMagic and fix them on MyHeritage if it's an easy fix.

For Problem Search on RootsMagic 10, I can pick and choose which problem(s) to analyze, and the program will find them.  I can also modify the criteria.  I use this the most often to find duplicate entries, persons with wrong birth or death dates, persons who lived too long, mothers who had babies young or after the mother died, etc.   Here is the screen to select or edit problem types:

I download Family Tree Analyzer and upload a new GEDCOM file every once in awhile to find problems with my RootsMagic tree. I find that this program finds different problems than the others find and is very useful.   I usually pick and choose which problems to fix in RootsMagic.  

There are times when the programs find problems that aren't really problems. For instance, when you have only a baptism date and not a birth date, you get problems with the mother's age at child's birth.  Also, you don't know if it's a problem or not if a child is born before the parent's marriage.  

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-have-you.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 7 to 13 September 2024

I am keeping track of the new and updated historical record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list) every week.

As of 13 September 2024, there are 3,377 historical record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 1 from last week):

The deleted, new and updated collections this week from FamilySearch are:

--- Collections Added ---

*  United States, GenealogyBank Historic Newspaper Births, 1815-2014 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2608510); 320,776 indexed records with 44,122 record images, ADDED 03-Sep-2024

--- Collections Updated ---

Argentina, Jujuy, Civil Registration, 1888-2000 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4489444); 8,242 indexed records with 14,709 record images (was 8,242 records with 14,709 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
Aruba, Civil Registration, 1823-2004 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4285043); 19,660 indexed records with 8,932 record images (was 19,660 records with 8,932 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration, 1582-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1482191); 114,957 indexed records with 6,411,594 record images (was 114,957 records with 6,411,594 images), UPDATED 10-Sep-2024
Belgium, Namur, Civil Registration, 1800-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138511); 776,991 indexed records with 372,768 record images (was 776,991 records with 372,768 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration, 1582-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2139860); 246,937 indexed records with 2,612,466 record images (was 241,951 records with 2,612,466 images), UPDATED 10-Sep-2024

Bolivia Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1922463); 9,479,146 indexed records with 1,649,601 record images (was 9,479,146 records with 1,649,601 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Brazil, Cemetery Records, 1799-2024 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2137269); 994,714 indexed records with 150,972 record images (was 994,714 records with 150,972 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Brazil, Pará, Civil Registration, 1815-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4473609); 449,673 indexed records with 130,735 record images (was 449,673 records with 130,735 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Brazil, Piauí, Church Records, 1767-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4382070); 28,772 indexed records with 52,122 record images (was 28,772 records with 52,122 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Civil Registration, 1860-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3741255); 1,763,925 indexed records with 894,789 record images (was 1,763,925 records with 894,789 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Brazil, Sergipe, Catholic Church Records, 1785-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2177298); 1,423,470 indexed records with 273,847 record images (was 1,423,470 records with 273,847 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Chile, Catholic Church Records, 1633-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3405096); 8,590,981 indexed records with 1,094,118 record images (was 8,590,981 records with 1,094,118 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Chile, Cemetery Records, 1701-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1428897); 5,389,464 indexed records with 3,675,058 record images (was 4,004,034 records with 3,675,058 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1576-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1726975); 27,129,887 indexed records with 12,659,776 record images (was 27,129,887 records with 12,659,776 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Colombia, Civil Registration, 1553-2021 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469480); 724,077 indexed records with 854,016 record images (was 724,077 records with 854,016 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Costa Rica, Catholic Church Records, 1595-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1460016); 4,342,753 indexed records with 962,203 record images (was 4,342,753 records with 962,203 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024
Croatia, Church Books, 1516-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2040054); 4,617,475 indexed records with 1,421,761 record images (was 4,617,237 records with 1,421,761 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kisantu Diocese, Catholic Church Records, 1894-2016 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000138); 28,570 indexed records with 10,620 record images (was 28,570 records with 10,620 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
El Salvador Catholic Church Records, 1655-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1919582); 2,313,149 indexed records with 592,191 record images (was 2,313,149 records with 592,191 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
France, Ariège, Parish and Civil Registration, 1583-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000206); 603,942 indexed records with 289,730 record images (was 283,312 records with 123,216 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024

France, Aude, Parish and Civil Registration, 1537-1882 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000211); 2,965,791 indexed records with 994,035 record images (was 1,399,088 records with 516,528 images), UPDATED 10-Sep-2024
France, Landes, Parish and Civil Registration, 1580-1898 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000213); 3,346,266 indexed records with 1,006,092 record images (was 3,280,876 records with 1,015,630 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal, Civil Registration, 1810-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000010); 171,531 indexed records with 162,296 record images (was 171,531 records with 162,296 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Gibraltar, Church Records, 1697-1991 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4453925); 59,382 indexed records with 6,373 record images (was 59,382 records with 6,373 images), UPDATED 11-Sep-2024
Guadeloupe, Church Records, 1639-1830 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4316498); 1,197 indexed records with 299 record images (was 1,197 records with 299 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Guadeloupe, Civil Registration Records, 1792-1872 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4293709); 1,845 indexed records with 523 record images (was 1,845 records with 523 images), UPDATED 10-Sep-2024
Guatemala, Chiquimula, Civil Registration, 1877-2008 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790265); 504,814 indexed records with 390,648 record images (was 486,342 records with 377,496 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Guatemala, Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075150); 4,605,630 indexed records with 1,486 record images (was 4,601,602 records with 1,486 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
Guatemala, Izabal, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2443319); 429,916 indexed records with 9,848 record images (was 429,610 records with 9,848 images), UPDATED 08-Sep-2024
Haiti, Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Catholic Church Records, 1866-2017 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279947); 118,329 indexed records with 22,451 record images (was 118,329 records with 22,451 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024

Honduras, Catholic Church Records, 1633-1978 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823595); 1,560,278 indexed records with 425,330 record images (was 1,560,278 records with 425,330 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Hungary Civil Registration, 1895-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1452460); 12,897,310 indexed records with 5,864,285 record images (was 12,897,310 records with 5,864,285 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2820100); 6,855,603 indexed records with 242,367 record images (was 6,855,603 records with 242,367 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Italy, Cagliari, Cagliari, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2043426); 37,124 indexed records with 1,791,108 record images (was 32,990 records with 1,791,108 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024
Italy, Catania, Diocesi di Caltagirone, Catholic Church Records, 1502-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1493344); 860 indexed records with 554,541 record images (was 860 records with 554,541 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Italy, Padova, Padova, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1946877); 6,785 indexed records with 1,745,536 record images (was 0 records with 1,745,536 images), UPDATED 11-Sep-2024
Italy, Treviso, Treviso, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1941 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1947831); 56,223 indexed records with 427,232 record images (was 42,498 records with 427,232 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024
Madagascar, Sainte-Marie Island, Civil Registration, 1820-1870 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000242); 406 indexed records with 53 record images (was 406 records with 53 images), UPDATED 11-Sep-2024
Martinique, Civil Registration Records, 1809-1874 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4316501); 620 indexed records with 170 record images (was 620 records with 170 images), UPDATED 07-Sep-2024
Mexico, Michoacán, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1883388); 5,974,383 indexed records with 5,283,986 record images (was 5,974,383 records with 5,283,986 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Mexico, Puebla, Catholic Church Records, 1545-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837906); 9,027,481 indexed records with 6,124,553 record images (was 9,027,481 records with 6,124,553 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Probate and Miscellaneous Records, 1842-1998 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1865481); 475,157 indexed records with 5,946,421 record images (was 475,157 records with 5,946,421 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024
Papua New Guinea, Vital Records, 1867-2000 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2114430); 406,731 indexed records with 365,650 record images (was 406,731 records with 365,650 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1589502); 3,594,406 indexed records with 1,789,697 record images (was 3,594,406 records with 1,789,697 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1877097); 21,206,886 indexed records with 4,192,353 record images (was 21,206,886 records with 4,192,353 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Peru, Cemetery Records, 1912-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3163400); 204,460 indexed records with 6,281 record images (was 204,460 records with 6,281 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Peru, Diocese of Huaraz, Catholic Church Records, 1641-2016 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2787829); 1,134,388 indexed records with 267,474 record images (was 1,134,388 records with 267,474 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Portugal, Faro, Civil Registration, 1880-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4122681); 25,177 indexed records with 14,291 record images (was 25,177 records with 14,291 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1935451); 1,096,134 indexed records with 829,309 record images (was 1,096,134 records with 829,309 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1807092); 3,324,126 indexed records with 191,547 record images (was 3,324,126 records with 191,547 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1469151); 492,105 indexed records with 128,317 record images (was 492,105 records with 128,317 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
South Africa, Western Cape, Deceased Estate Files, 1951-1958 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4319131); 621,108 indexed records with 346,175 record images (was 621,108 records with 346,175 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Sri Lanka, Civil Registration, 1768-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2209866); 10,704,392 indexed records with 10,471,065 record images (was 10,437,672 records with 10,203,648 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
St. Lucia, Church Records, 1751-1793 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4449051); 390 indexed records with 87 record images (was 390 records with 87 images), UPDATED 12-Sep-2024
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Record of Members (Worldwide), 1836-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3714676); 1,122,869 indexed records with 73,449 record images (was 705,290 records with 52,115 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024

United States City and Business Directories, ca. 1749 - ca. 1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3754697); 63,356,449 indexed records with 770,830 record images (was 63,356,449 records with 768,606 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024
Uruguay Civil Registration, 1879-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837849); Index only (1,386,933 records), no images (was 1,386,933 records with 0 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Venezuela Civil Registration, 1873-2003 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823609); 1,148,081 indexed records with 586,312 record images (was 1,148,081 records with 586,312 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Venezuela, Archdiocese of Barquisimeto, Catholic Church Records, 1634-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2373794); 3,696 indexed records with 1,877 record images (was 3,696 records with 1,877 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Venezuela, Archdiocese of Mérida, Catholic Church Records, 1654-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417520); 1,384,386 indexed records with 1,157,611 record images (was 1,384,386 records with 1,157,611 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024

Zambia, Archdiocese of Lusaka, Church Records, 1950-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3736255); 562,894 indexed records with 47,783 record images (was 562,894 records with 47,783 images), UPDATED 13-Sep-2024
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Gweru, Catholic Church Records, 1904-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000102); 83 indexed records with 18,352 record images (was 83 records with 18,352 images), UPDATED 11-Sep-2024
Zimbabwe, Diocese of Hwange, Catholic Church Records, 1924-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000103); 5,257 indexed records with 16,926 record images (was 5,257 records with 16,926 images), UPDATED 09-Sep-2024

--- Collections with new images ---

Brazil, Alagoas, Civil Registration, 1876-2020 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469403); 1 indexed records with 126,881 record images (was 1 records with 125,284 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Brazil, Maranhão, Civil Registration, 1827-2021 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469402); 1 indexed records with 52,883 record images (was 1 records with 52,545 images), last updated 07-Jun-2024
Colombia, Censuses, 1777-1967 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000123); 14,877 indexed records with 1,805 record images (was 14,877 records with 1,334 images), last updated 15-Jun-2024
England, Manchester, Electoral Registers, 1820-1939 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000365); 5,008,658 indexed records with 535,067 record images (was 5,008,658 records with 462,328 images), last updated 19-Aug-2024

--- Collections with images removed ---

Canada Census, 1931 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000196); 2,466,494 indexed records with 2,466,417 record images (was 2,466,494 records with 2,466,544 images), last updated 16-Jun-2024
Italy, Salerno, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1806-1949 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1935404); 60,968 indexed records with 3,721,759 record images (was 60,968 records with 3,728,621 images), last updated 13-Jun-2024
Kansas, Military Discharge Records, ca.1862 - ca.1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4121697); 7,399 indexed records with 5,677 record images (was 7,399 records with 5,684 images), last updated 15-Jun-2024
Luxembourg, Church and Civil Registration, 1601-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000012); 2,929,867 indexed records with 1,005,693 record images (was 2,929,867 records with 1,049,244 images), last updated 15-Jun-2024
Massachusetts, Births, 1636-1924 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2400643); 24,474 indexed records with 2,764 record images (was 24,474 records with 2,899 images), last updated 15-Jun-2024

Montana, Flathead County, School Census, 1903-1969 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000177); 1,886,448 indexed records with 15,902 record images (was 656,852 records with 18,817 images), last updated 24-Jan-2024
Norway Census, 1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3744863); 2,260,720 indexed records with 387,592 record images (was 2,260,720 records with 390,969 images), last updated 15-Jun-2024
Puerto Rico, San Juan, Cemetery Records, 1888-1988 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4376727); 182,749 indexed records with 69,872 record images (was 182,749 records with 85,524 images), last updated 13-Jun-2024
United States Census, 1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464515); 52,785,233 indexed records with 52,774,705 record images (was 52,785,233 records with 52,776,811 images), last updated 16-Jun-2024
United States, California, San Francisco, Records of Chinese Laborers Returning to the US, 1882-1888 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3233819); 57,475 indexed records with 4,164 record images (was 57,475 records with 6,479 images), last updated 14-Jun-2024

--- Collections with new records ---

Liberia, Vital Records, 1912-2017 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2100287); 265,729 indexed records with 24,406 record images (was 174,784 records with 24,406 images), last updated 14-Jun-2024

--- Collections with records removed ---

Argentina, Corrientes, Civil Registration, 1880-2000 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2821282); 727,473 indexed records with 752,873 record images (was 727,662 records with 752,873 images), last updated 14-Jun-2024

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My friend and SDGS colleague, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED, and to alphabetize the entries in each category. Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Marshall notes that there are:

*  0 removed entries

*  1 added entries 

*  63 updated entries

*  18 entries with more or less images or records

In order to select a specific record collection on FamilySearch, go to   https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner and use keywords (e.g. "church england") to find collections with those keywords.

Each of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link). It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the dates for major updates also.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/added-and-updated-familysearch-record_01463740373.html

Copyright (c) 2024 Randall J. Seaver

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Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 7 to 13 September 2024

 The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by Date Updated during the period from 7 to 13 September 2024:

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

*  Arizona, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1909-1991; indexed records with record images, Updated 9/13/2024.  This database contains original naturalization records from Arizona.

*  Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812; indexed records with record images, ADDED 9/13/2024.  This collection includes Church of England parish registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials between 1538 and 1812 from Sheffield and Rotherham in Yorkshire, England.

*  Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1925; indexed records with record images, ADDED 9/13/2024. This collection contains images of birth, marriage, and death records created in Massachusetts between 1700 and 1925. It includes registers, records produced by individual doctors or medical entities.

*  Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1998; indexed records with record images, ADDED 9/12/2024.  This collection includes Church of England parish registers of burials between 1813 and 1998 from Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England.

*  Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1923; indexed records with record images, ADDED 9/12/2024. This collection includes Church of England parish registers of baptisms between 1813 and 1923 from Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England.

*  Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., Provost Marshal List of Prisoners, 1863-1865; indexed records with record images, ADDED 9/12/2024. This collection contains registers of Confederate prisoners in the Union Army's custody in Memphis, Tennessee between 1861 and 1865.

*  Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1948; indexed records with record imges, ADDED 9/12/2024. This collection includes Church of England parish registers of marriages and banns between 1754 and 1948 from Sheffield and Rotherham, Yorkshire, England.

*  New Zealand, Last Maori War in New Zealand, 1902; unindexed records, with record images,   ADDED 9/11/2024. 

*  Saginaw County, Michigan, U.S., Obituary Index, 1800-2020; indexed records without record images, ADDED 9/11/2024.  This collection contains indexes of obituaries printed by newspapers from Saginaw County, Michigan, USA, between 1800 and 2020.

*  Australia, Bibliography of Western Australia, 1923; unindexed records with record images,   ADDED 9/11/2024.  This collection contains a bibliography of publications written about Western Australia. The bibliography was published in 1923 with citations for books, articles, and pamphlets.

*  Utah, U.S., Naturalization and Citizenship Records, 1858-1959; indexed records with record images, Updated 9/11/2024.  This database contains naturalization and citizenship records submitted to, or created by, Utah courts for the years 1850 through 1960.

*  Utah, U.S., Voter Registration Records, 1899-2024; indexed records without record images,   ADDED 9/11/2024.  This collection is an index of information derived from voter registration records produced in Utah between 1899 and 2024. The information in the index comes from Utah voter registration applications.

*  Denver, Colorado, U.S., Obituary Index, 1900-2016; indexed records without record images,   ADDED 9/9/2024. This collection contains indexes of obituaries printed by the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News from Denver, Colorado, USA, between 1900 and 2016.

*  Web: Sarasota County, Florida, U.S., Obituary Index, 1867-2021; indexed records without record images, ADDED 9/5/2024.  All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. 

*  Web: Wales, Dictionary of Selected Welsh Biographies, 1011-1969; unindexed records with record images, ADDED 9/5/2024.  All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database. 

*  North Dakota and Washington, U.S., Chinese Arriving Passenger Arrivals and Disposition, 1903-1944; indexed records with record images, Updated 9/5/2024.  Contained in this database are passenger arrival and disposition lists for Chinese immigrants between the years 1903 and 1944, primarily through the entry port of Seattle. 

*  Canada, Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 9/5/2024. This Newspapers.com™ index contains newspaper obituaries published in Canada from the early 1800s until the present day.

*  Australia and New Zealand, Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 9/5/2024.  This database consists of facts extracted from obituaries found on Newspapers.com™ dating from the early 1800’s to current.

*  UK and Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 9/5/2024.  This database consists of facts extracted from obituaries found on Newspapers.com™ dating from the early 1800’s to current.

*  Pennsylvania, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1906-1915; indexed records with record images, Updated 9/5/2024.  Born in PA? These birth certificates will tell you a lot more than just name and birth date.

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The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at   https://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.  

By my count, there were 13 NEW record collection ADDED this past week, per the list above.  There are now 33,577 collections available as of 13 September, an  INCREASE of 13 from last week.  

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Disclosure: I pay for an All-Access subscription from Ancestry.com. In past years. Ancestry.com  provided a complimentary All Access subscription, an autosomal DNA test, material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and hosted events and meals that I attended in Salt Lake City.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_13.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Please note that all Comments are moderated so they may not appear immediately.  

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

52 Relatives: Great-Granduncle Seymour Kemp (1864-1877) of Ontario

 Seymour Kemp was born in about 1864  in Middleton Township, Norfolk County, Canada West, the second child and first son of James Abraham and Mary Jane (Sovereen) Kemp.[1]  No birth or baptism records have been found.

In the 1871 Census Records for Norfolk County, Ontario, the James Kemp family was enumerated in Windham Township, Norfolk County, Ontario.  The household included:[1]

• James Kemp, Age 40, born Ontario, Religion Wesleyan Methodist, Origin English, a Carpenter, married
• Mary J., Age 30, born Ontario, Religion Baptist, Origin German, married
• Sarah C., Age 9, born Ontario, Baptist, attended school
• Seymour, Age 7, born Ontario, Baptist;
• Melvina M., Age 5, born Ontario, Baptist, attended school
• Georgianna, Age 2, born Ontario, Baptist.

Seymour Kemp died in about 1877, at about age 13, probably in Delhi, Norfolk County, Ontario.  There is no death record or burial record found for him.  He does not appear in the 1881 or 1891 Canada census records.  Perhaps Seymour's death year was recalled by his sister, Georgianna (Kemp) Auble and was written down by her in a now-lost record.

SOURCES:  

1. Census of Canada, 1871, Norfolk County, Ontario, Schedule #1, district 12, North Norfolk, subdistrict b, Township of Windham, Page 50, Dwelling 178, Family #182, James A. Kemp household ; digital image, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1871/index-e.html : accessed 10 March 2013); citing Library and Archives Canada Microfilm C-9909.

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Seymour Kemp (1864-1877) is my great-granduncle and the brother of my great-grandmother, Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952).  Seymour's death must have been a tragedy for his parents and siblings, something they recalled for the rest of their lives.

I have posted over 500 genealogical sketches of  my ancestors back through the 7th great-grandparents and a number of close relatives - see the list in 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies.  

The "52 Relatives" theme is a weekly series to document the lives of siblings of my ancestors with relatively short genealogical sketches, including important events, and with source citations.  These relatives lived and died within a family structure, and deserve a genealogical sketch - they were integral parts and important persons in the lives of my ancestral families.  I will post the sketches on the 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies. and my Ancestry Member Tree, in WikiTree, and in the FamilySearch Family Tree. 

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/52-relatives-great-granduncle-seymour.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.   

Findmypast Friday - Discover New Records From Leicester To Lincoln

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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There are over 20,000 parish and workhouse records for you to explore this week.

Our collection of English birth, marriage and death (BMD) records grew this Findmypast Friday. We added almost 10,000 BMDs for Leicestershire spanning a century, as well as 395 baptism, marriage and burial records for Rutland in the East Midlands.

There are also 11,213 new Lincolnshire workhouse records for you to explore - these fascinating transcriptions and images cover 64 years.

From records to newspapers, read on to see everything that we've added this week.

Lincolnshire, Workhouse Guardians' Minutes

This week's biggest update consists of 11,213 workhouse records from the English county of Lincolnshire.  These new additions cover the years 1837 to 1901, so may help to shed light on the lives of your 19th-century ancestors.

Leicestershire baptism, marriage and death records

There are also 9,595 Leicestershire parish records for you to discover.  These new additions span 100 years of England's history.

Rutland baptism, marriage and burial records

Rounding off this week's trio of updates we have new baptism, marriage and burial records from the ceremonial county of Rutland.  There are both images and transcriptions available for these 395 new records.

New pages from the Lancashire coast

A brand new Blackpool title - the West Lancashire Evening Gazette - has joined our newspaper archive this week.  We also updated 20 existing publications, with a total of 289,279 exciting new pages added.

Here's everything we added this Findmypast Friday:

New titles:

• West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 1983, 1985-1986, 1993-1998, 2001-2003

Updated titles: 

• Belper News, 1912, 1990, 1997-1998, 2000-2003
• Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 1936-1938, 1970-1971, 1996-1997, 1999
• Bicester Review, 1987, 1993
• Bridlington Free Press, 1997, 2002
• Buxton Advertiser, 1858, 1860, 1894, 1968, 1990, 1997-1998, 2000-2003
• Cycling, 1920
• Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, 1897
• Halifax Evening Courier, 1996
• Harrogate Advertiser and Weekly List of the Visitors, 1997
• Hucknall Dispatch, 2001
• Lancing Herald, 1993, 1998
• Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 1998
• Littlehampton Gazette, 1998-1999
• Melton Mowbray Times and Vale of Belvoir Gazette, 1897, 1966-1968, 1970
• Morecambe Visitor, 1896, 1899
• Newton and Earlestown Guardian, 1973-1978
• Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press, 1889, 1970-1971, 1974, 1992, 1999, 2002-2003
• South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, 1981
• Todmorden & District News, 1992-1994, 1996
• Whitby Gazette, 1993, 1997

Last week we added exciting new records from the Royal Society of Arts. Explore the release here.

Uncovering unsung heroes

Tune into The Family History Show on Friday at 4 pm. Ellie and Liam will be chatting about Who Do You Think You Are?, the forgotten heroes of the Second World War and more.

Watch now

Whether you're a seasoned expert or a total beginner, this fun and easygoing session is not to be missed.
More on this topic:

english records            parish records                    birth records

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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/findmypast-friday-discover-new-records.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Added and Updated MyHeritage Genealogy Research Collections - 30 August to 12 September 2024

  The following  Genealogy Research Collections (ADDED and Updated) were added to the MyHeritage catalog during the weeks of 30 August to 12 September 2024:

*  MyHeritage Family Sites (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 94,107,358 entries

*  MyHeritage members (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 75,858,883 entries

*  MyHeritage photos & docs (Images), Updated Sep 11 2024, 437,601,107 entries

*  Search Connect™ - Searches by MyHeritage Members (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024,   430,777,895 entries

*  MyHeritage Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 6,049,309,515 entries

*  Filae Family Trees (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 298,390,228 entries

*  Geni World Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 356,403,185 entries

*  FamilySearch Family Tree (Family Trees), Updated Sep 11 2024, 1,143,277,922 entries

There are 0 ADDED record collection this past fortnight, and MyHeritage has a total of 7,423 record collections (a decrease of 1 collection), with 20,930,897,835 entries.

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a paid subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/09/added-and-updated-myheritage-genealogy.html

Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.