The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta, CoPilot, GenSpark and Perplexity) 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.
Nearly all of these AI tools now have a deep research/search/mind/reasoning tool, and some of them are free to use on a limited scale. I wondered about the types of genealogy and family history problems might be answered by a Deep Research model.
1) My prompt for the free Google Gemini 2.0 Flash, OpenAI ChatGP T4o, and X Grok 3 AI tools today was: "You are a professional genealogist. What sort of genealogy research and family history writing projects can be performed with AI Deep Research? Please provide examples of situations that could be researched and prompts that could be used."
2) The ChatGPT4o AI tool responded with:
Absolutely! AI Deep Research can significantly enhance genealogical research and family history writing, especially when guided by a knowledgeable genealogist. Below is a categorized list of projects, research situations, and AI prompt examples that demonstrate how AI can be a powerful partner in your genealogical work.
Genealogy Research Projects with AI Deep Research
1. Brick Wall Analysis
AI can analyze known data points and suggest logical next steps, location-based sources, and migration patterns.
Situation Example: You’re stuck on an ancestor born in the 1790s in Virginia, with no parent names known.
AI Prompts:
- “Analyze census, tax, and land records from 1790–1830 in Augusta County, Virginia for potential parents of John Smith born c.1795.”
- “What are typical naming patterns for Scots-Irish families in early Virginia?”
2. Document Transcription & Analysis
Use AI to transcribe, interpret, and extract insights from handwritten documents.
Situation Example: You found an 1857 probate record in cursive script from Ohio.
AI Prompts:
- “Transcribe and summarize this 1857 probate record from Trumbull County, Ohio.”
- “Identify all family relationships and property details in this document.”
3. Family History Narratives
Turn dry data into compelling stories with historical context, emotional tone, and rich language.
Situation Example: You want to write a biographical sketch of your great-grandmother who lived through the Great Depression.
AI Prompts:
- “Write a 500-word life story of Clara Mae Thompson (1905–1987) of Kansas, incorporating context about the Dust Bowl and Depression.”
- “Create a first-person diary entry for Clara during the 1930s based on her known life events.”
4. Locality-Based Research Plans
AI can develop a targeted research plan based on geography and time period.
Situation Example: You’re researching a family who lived in Onondaga County, New York in the early 1800s.
AI Prompts:
- “What records are available for Onondaga County, NY from 1800 to 1850, and where can they be accessed?”
- “Develop a step-by-step research plan to trace a German immigrant family in Onondaga County between 1830–1860.”
5. Surname and Migration Studies
Trace surname origins, variants, and likely migration paths.
Situation Example: You’re researching the Feather family from Pennsylvania and suspect German origins.
AI Prompts:
- “Provide a surname study for ‘Feather,’ including origin, meanings, and variants in German.”
- “What were common migration routes for German immigrants from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the early 1800s?”
6. DNA Match Clustering and Analysis
AI can assist in clustering matches, evaluating relationship hypotheses, and finding common ancestors.
Situation Example: You have 300 matches connected to a mystery 3rd great-grandparent.
AI Prompts:
- “Cluster these DNA matches by shared segments and suggest possible MRCA lines.”
- “Evaluate how a match with 98 cM shared could fit into my family tree if I’m descended from Isaac Lanfear (1777–1851).”
7. Timeline Reconstruction
Build chronological, location-specific life timelines for individuals or families.
Situation Example: You want a migration map and timeline for a family that moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Kansas.
AI Prompts:
- “Create a detailed timeline for Henry Carringer (1800–1879), including all known residences and major U.S. historical events that impacted migration.”
- “Map this family’s westward migration with place names and years.”
8. Historical Context Enhancement
Add historical color and realism to family stories.
Situation Example: You're writing about an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War.
AI Prompts:
- “What was life like for a Massachusetts militia member during the winter of 1777?”
- “Describe the likely experience of a farmer in Worcester County, MA in 1780.”
9. Descendant Research & Report Writing
Create reports or descendancy narratives to track lineage.
Situation Example: You want to track all descendants of Martin Carringer (1758–1835) for a family reunion.
AI Prompts:
- “Write a narrative descendancy report from Martin Carringer to the 4th generation.”
- “Suggest formatting styles and content sections for a family reunion booklet.”
10. Research Hypothesis Testing
Use logic and probability to evaluate relationships, migration patterns, or alternate identity hypotheses.
Situation Example: Two men named John Reed lived in the same county; you’re unsure which one is your ancestor.
AI Prompts:
- “Compare these two John Reeds using tax, land, and census records from 1800–1830 and assess which is more likely the father of William Reed born 1810.”
- “Create a research hypothesis evaluating whether Devier Lamphier Smith (1839–1894) was the biological son of Isaac Lanfear of Jefferson County, NY.”
Bonus: Creative Writing Prompts for Family History
These enhance storytelling, even when records are sparse.
- “Write a letter from Mary Feather to her sister in 1830 Ohio, describing daily farm life.”
- “Create a dialogue between a grandmother and granddaughter in 1900, as they explore the family Bible.”
- “Imagine a day in the life of a millwright in Boulder, Colorado, in 1880.”
Would you like a custom prompt set for a specific ancestor or family line you’re working on?
3) I couldn't resist asking: "yes, please, the family of Isaac Lanfear (1777-1851) and Rosina Lown (1781-1881) of Lorraine, NY, had at least 10 children born between 1807-1828), 8 girls, 2 boys. According to a name change record and his adopted father's will, one of them had Devier Lanfear out of wedlock in 1839 and gave him up to the Ranslow Smith family in 1839-1840. How can I determine which child of Isaac Lanfear is Devier's parent? What records might exist in Jefferson County NY for that time period? How can I use the autosomal DNA matches I have with descendants of Isaac Lanfear and his wife?"
And ChatGPT4o responded with two scenarios - I picked the second one:
That's a fascinating and complex case—just the kind that AI + DNA + locality research can really help unravel. Since you're already working with a name change record, adoption context, and DNA connections to Isaac and Rosina (Lown) Lanfear, we can craft a targeted research strategy using AI, historical records, and genetic genealogy.
Here’s a plan broken into three main categories:
- Documentary research in Jefferson County, NY
- DNA analysis techniques using autosomal matches
- AI prompts to deepen your research and writing
PART 1: Jefferson County, NY — Records to Investigate
Your Goal: Identify which of Isaac and Rosina’s daughters could have been Devier’s biological mother (circa 1839).
Local Records to Seek:
- Church Records: Baptisms, confirmations, illegitimate births noted in church books (especially Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran). Search church registers in Lorraine, Adams, Ellisburg, Worth, and surrounding areas.
- Court Records: Bastardy Bonds / Paternity Cases (often at the county level—might name the mother and possibly the father). Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas or Overseers of the Poor records.
- Poorhouse or Overseer of the Poor Records: If the birth mother was indigent or the child was “bound out” as an apprentice or fostered, these records may exist. Check for orphanage or guardianship mentions between 1839–1845.
- Probate & Guardianship: Look for guardianship petitions or any Lanfear wills mentioning a “Devier” or hints of an unnamed child given up.
- Newspapers (1839–1845): Search for birth announcements, court notices, guardianships, or scandal pieces. Papers from Watertown, Adams, or Lowville may include mentions.
- School or Apprenticeship Records: Devier may have been bound as an apprentice if not formally adopted—check town meeting records for mentions.
PART 2: DNA Strategies to Identify Devier's Parent
🎯 Your Goal: Determine which child of Isaac & Rosina is the likely parent using autosomal DNA.
DNA Analysis Tactics:
- Build out DNA trees for ALL 10 Lanfear children: Identify descendants of each child (especially daughters). Tag your matches by which Lanfear child they descend from.
- Create DNA Clusters: Use tools like DNA Painter, Genetic Affairs, or MyHeritage’s AutoClusters. Group clusters that descend from Isaac and Rosina and look for ones you share only with descendants of one daughter.
- Search for Matches With Strong Segment Data: Look for matches with 90–300 cM range (1C1R–2C). Use shared segment triangulation to confirm lines.
- Evaluate “Removed Cousin” Placements: If you’re 3C to someone descending from Isaac and Rosina, that suggests you’re a great-grandchild of one of their children. Match trees + segment data can suggest which child of theirs is the direct parent of Devier.
- Target “Missing Daughters:” One or more daughters might have “disappeared” from records—unmarried, died young, or had a child out of wedlock. Focus your research on the daughters aged 14–30 in 1839 (i.e., born between ~1809–1825).
PART 3: AI Prompt Ideas to Power Your Research
Here are custom prompt examples you can run in ChatGPT to investigate and synthesize your findings:
AI Prompts: Record-Focused Research
1. “List all record types available in Jefferson County, New York, in 1839–1840 that could document the birth or adoption of a child born out of wedlock, especially church, court, and poorhouse records.”
2. “Analyze the names, birthdates, and marital status of the children of Isaac Lanfear and Rosina Lown, and suggest which daughters were most likely to have given birth to Devier Lanfear in 1839.”
3. “What churches existed in Lorraine and Adams, NY, in 1839, and where would baptism records for illegitimate children be stored?”
AI Prompts: DNA Interpretation
4. “I share 155 cM with a match who descends from Matilda Lanfear, daughter of Isaac and Rosina. What possible relationships could we have, and how can this help identify Devier’s biological parent?”
5. “Given a DNA cluster of matches descending from both Isaac Lanfear and Rosina Lown, but only from one daughter’s line, what is the likelihood that daughter was the biological mother of Devier born in 1839?”
AI Prompts: Storytelling & Hypothesis Writing
6. “Write a genealogical hypothesis evaluating the possibility that [Name], daughter of Isaac and Rosina Lanfear, was the mother of Devier Lanfear born in 1839. Include historical context, potential evidence sources, and how DNA supports this hypothesis.”
7. “Draft a narrative biography of Devier Lanfear (1839–1894), incorporating his possible origins in Lorraine, New York, his adoption by Ranslow Smith, and the name change in 1866.”
Next Steps and Ideas
Would you like help with:
- Mapping out a DNA cousin chart for the Lanfear lines?
- Building an evidence table for each potential Lanfear daughter?
- Creating a working hypothesis report with AI-generated content?
You’ve already done the hardest part: identifying the right family and narrowing the timeframe. Now it’s about combining AI-assisted clustering, locality-specific records, and timeline logic to make a confident conclusion.
Let me know which daughter names you already have or suspect—we can create a comparison matrix and get to work!
4) All of the above seem to be reasonable suggestions. The answers to the first prompt are general. The responses seem to assume that there is reference material available online (??) or in pre-trained material to answer the prompt. Some material may be online already that Deep Research can search for and find, but Deep Research may not be able to access books, periodicals, record databases, etc. that hold it, especially behind a paywall. One way to provide that material that is not online or in pre-rained material, but perhaps is in a private family tree or an online tree, is to copy and paste the events (with names, dates, places, etc.) or notes (with discussion or interpretation) into a document and upload the document with the prompt.
For the second problem - the Devier Smith adoption problem - I have completed several of the suggested research tasks, and found that Jefferson County, New York records are very limited for the 1840 time frame. I have a list of the known Lanfear children, and several of the daughters are in the age 14-30 range. I have traced descendants of all of the Lanfear children into the mid-1950s. Unfortunately, I don't have any DNA matches that have a Lanfear ancestry with more than 25 cM let alone 90 cM.
The Google Gemini response used the Deep Research AI tool and merits a separate blog post. The X Grok 3 response is somewhat different from the ChatGP T4o response and also merits a separate blog post. Neither of these were asked to address the Devier Smith adoption problem, but can be!
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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver
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