One of my favorite tasks each day is to review the Feedly app that I use to read website and blog posts by selected writers. I have almost 1,000 feeds in my Feedly account, and I read them every day, and the daily output from Feedly efficiently provides information for my Best Of the Genea-Blogs and other curation posts).
I am impressed by the family stories generated and published by other genealogists and family historians, and I wish that I was a better writer. I want to be able to write interesting, meaningful and good stories about my own ancestors to help me and my relatives (brothers, children, grandchildren, cousins) understand their ancestors lives. At my age, I'm not going to significantly improve my writing, so I've relied on Artificial Intelligence to help me.
Like me, several genealogists and family historians are using Artificial Intelligence to generate story ideas and to write the stories, which are then edited for accuracy and content, and then published.
Carole McCulloch in Australia is one of those writers, and her website is NextGenGenealogy and her YouTube channel is Carole McCulloch Geneablogger. If you are fascinated by stories of ancestors, read and watch Carole's websites. One of Carole's story-telling prompts is to have an Artificial Intelligence tool create a list of ideas or questions about key events in an ancestor's life, based on a factual genealogical sketch or biography. Then, she has the AI tool write stories for each idea or question. That is a great idea!
I have started to use this type of prompt to help me tell stories about my ancestors (THANK YOU CAROLE!!).
Here is the AI prompt that I'm using for free AI tools like OpenAI ChatGPT4, Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4, Google Gemini 2.5 Flash and X.ai Grok 3: "Please provide ten unique interview questions to ask [David Jackson Carringer] about [his or her] life experiences based on the attached report." I then attach my genealogical sketch for the AI tool to use to provide the questions or ideas, and eventually ask the AI tool to provide the answers to the questions based on the information in my genealogical sketch, historical events, cultural background, etc.
The Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4 response to my prompt for David Jackson Carringer (1828-1902) was:
Interview Questions for David Jackson "D.J." Carringer (1828-1902)
1. The Great Migration West
Mr. Carringer, you moved your family from Pennsylvania to Iowa, then to Colorado, and finally to California over the course of your lifetime. What drove these decisions to keep moving west, and which transition was the most challenging for your family?
2. From Carpenter to Farmer to Fruit Grower
Your occupations evolved dramatically throughout your life—from carpenter in Pennsylvania to farmer in Iowa to fruit grower in Colorado. How did you learn these different trades, and which work brought you the most satisfaction?
3. The Failed Farm Sale of 1872
The public notice for your farm sale in Jackson township, Iowa, suggests financial difficulties forced you to sell everything—even your furniture. Can you tell us about that difficult period and how you found the strength to start over in Colorado?
4. Life in a Mining Boomtown
You signed the petition to incorporate Caribou, Colorado, in 1874, helping establish this mining town. What was it like living in such a remote, newly formed community? How did the mining boom affect daily life for families like yours?
5. The Loss of Your Daughter Effie
Losing your 15-year-old daughter Effie in 1874, so soon after arriving in Colorado, must have been devastating. How did this tragedy affect your family, and what helped you and Rebecca find the strength to continue?
6. Teaching Your Sons the Trades
Both of your sons, Harvey and Henry, learned skilled trades—Harvey in farming and later as a clerk, and Henry as a millwright and carpenter. How important was it to you to pass on practical skills to your boys, and what advice did you give them about making their way in the world?
7. The Colorado Agricultural Experiment
You transitioned from general farming in Iowa to fruit growing in Colorado. What drew you to fruit cultivation, and what were the unique challenges of farming in Colorado's climate and terrain compared to the Midwest?
8. Building a Home in San Diego
At age 70, you obtained a permit to build an $800 cottage in San Diego—quite an investment for someone your age. What made you decide to put down such permanent roots in California, and how did you envision spending your final years there?
9. Watching the Country Change
You lived through enormous changes in America—from the antebellum period through the Civil War, westward expansion, and into the new century. What changes in the country surprised you most, and what aspects of the "old ways" did you miss?
10. Your Golden Wedding Anniversary
Despite all the hardships—failed farms, the loss of a child, multiple relocations—you and Rebecca celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1901. What do you believe was the secret to maintaining your partnership through such challenging times, and what memories from your marriage brought you the most joy?
The OpenAI ChatGPT4 response to my prompt for David Jackson Carringer (1828-1902) was:
Here are sample questions and answers from David Jackson “D.J.” Carringer, as if he's reflecting in the final years of his life—perhaps in San Diego in 1901—sharing wisdom and memories with his children and grandchildren:
1. "What motivated you to leave Pennsylvania and move your young family to Iowa in the 1850s?"
“After my mother passed in ’48, Pa seemed lost. He talked often of going west, and I felt the same pull. Land was cheaper in Iowa, and there was a chance to build something of our own—not just for me and Rebecca, but for our children. So we packed our hopes and tools and headed west in a wagon caravan. It wasn’t easy, but it was ours.”
2. "Can you describe the day you lost your daughter Effie in Caribou, Colorado, and how your family coped with such a tragedy?"
“June 8th, 1874... I’ll never forget it. Effie had such spirit—sharp mind, gentle heart. She fell ill quickly. We tried all we could, but there was no saving her. Burying her in Boulder was the hardest day of my life. Rebecca never fully recovered. Harvey and Austin helped keep us strong. We leaned on each other—and on faith—even when faith felt far away.”
3. "You were a carpenter, farmer, and later a fruit grower—how did your skills evolve with each new home you built across three states?"
“I followed the tools in my hands. In Pennsylvania, I built with wood. In Iowa, I worked the land. When the farm failed, I went back to carpentry in Colorado. Later, I tried my hand at fruit growing—grapes and apples mostly. Each trade taught me something: patience, precision, and how to start again when the world shifts beneath you.”
4. "What do you remember most about your 50th wedding anniversary celebration in San Diego?"
“The laughter. The warmth. Even though Rebecca and I were in poor health, the house felt alive that night. Neighbors and kin came with gifts, songs, and hugs. Someone even brought gold coins. But it was the look in Rebecca’s eyes—still full of love after 50 years—that meant the most to me.”
5. "How did it feel to start over in Boulder, Colorado after your Iowa farm was sold at auction?"
“Humbling. That sale in ’72 was hard—I’d put everything into that land. Losing it was like watching your dreams wither in the field. But we had our sons, and we still had each other. Caribou was raw and wild, but there was opportunity there. I picked up my tools again and carved out a new life plank by plank.”
6. "What inspired you to sign the petition to incorporate the town of Caribou in 1874?"
“We needed order. Folks were arriving fast—miners, merchants, dreamers. The petition meant roads, a post office, and law. It meant turning wilderness into a town. I believed then—and still do—that we’re meant to leave the land better than we found it.”
7. "Which of your children surprised you the most in the choices they made as adults?"
“Austin, surely. As a boy, he was quiet but always watching—steady with his hands, clever with tools. I thought he’d stay near the farm or follow me in carpentry. But he struck out on his own, working in mills and helping build machinery and structures I’d never dreamed of. When he married that bright Kansas girl and moved clear out to San Diego, I knew he was chasing something bigger. I never expected one of my sons to settle beside the Pacific Ocean, but I’m glad he did. He built a good life there, and we followed him west one last time.”
8. "Looking back, what was the most difficult decision you ever made for your family’s future?"
“Selling the Jackson Township farm. It meant admitting defeat. But I chose to protect my family’s dignity and future over my pride. If I hadn’t made that call, we might’ve been swallowed by debt. Instead, we found our way to Colorado, and then to California. Sometimes, starting over is the only way forward.”
9. "What lessons did you learn from moving so many times—from Pennsylvania to Iowa, to Colorado, and finally to California?"
“The soil changes, but the soul stays steady. Wherever you go, you bring yourself—your work ethic, your hopes, your family. I learned that home isn’t a place—it’s the people who sit at your table each night, no matter the roof above.”
10. "What legacy or memory do you hope your grandchildren and great-grandchildren carry forward?"
“I hope they remember that I never gave up. That through hardship, illness, and loss, I kept working, kept loving, kept building. I hope they plant roots where they land, and grow strong like trees. And that they know their story didn’t begin with them—it began with a man who carved a path westward, not just with wagons, but with faith.”
Would you like these turned into a family keepsake narrative or a “fireside storytelling” version for sharing with others?
Oh my, I am so tempted to say YES to turn all of those ideas and questions into family keepsake narratives. So watch for future blog posts, but I doubt that I will do every ancestor and every question as a blog post!
One option is to do just one question a day and have a ten chapter book that could be given to my relatives as an eBook and put into my FOREVER account for a number of close ancestors (perhaps doing the ancestral couple makes more sense). The eBook could include my AI-assisted ABC Biography, my genealogical sketch, the poem/song/podcast about the person, plus any historical fiction accounts I might write about "a day in the life" or "how did they do that" or "what was life like."
Of course, all of this AI material is historical fiction since I don't have details of every day or year in the lives of my ancestors. I don't know about the education, thoughts, wisdom, decision-making skills, temperaments, emotions, figures of speech or sound of the voice of any of my ancestors older than my parents and maternal grandparents. My ancestors were human, imperfect, had to support themselves and their family, had health and economic challenges, and did the best they could with their life situations. But does it matter if I am presenting these as seemingly real answers or conversations? I don't think so - because my purpose is to enable my relatives to better understand the lives of their ancestors. The AI-generated responses are much better than any response I have in my memory bank or could dream up.
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