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Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 1 to 7 May 2025

   Welcome to Genealogy Education Bytes, posted on Wednesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight some of the most important genealogy and family history education items that came across my desktop since the last issue.


1) Upcoming Conferences and  Institutes 

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for  and/or view conferences and institutes.

*  NGS 2025 Family History Conference "Tales & Trails" ($$) - 23 to 25 May 2025 - In-Person (Louisville, Ky.)

*  2025 International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference ($$) - 12 to 15 June 2025 - In-Person and Virtual (Columbus, Ohio)

2 ) Upcoming Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for and/or view webinars and classes.

*  FamilySearch Library Classes and Webinars (Free)

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Wednesday, 7 May, 11 a.m.:  Unscrambling Haplogroups: A Beginners Guide to DNA Haplogroups by Donna Rutherford.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 9 May, 11 a.m.:  Researching your Essex and East London Ancestors by Kelly Cornwell.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Tuesday, 13 May, 11 a.m.:  Finding and Fixing Tree Inconsistencies by Wayne Shepheard.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Wednesday, 14 May, 11 a.m.:  See How it Works: Shared DNA Matches Find Ancestors by Diahan Southard.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 15 May, 5 p.m.:  21 Million Reasons to Research at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania by Katy Bodenhorn Barnes.

3) Recent Podcasts:




*  Keepsake Chronicles:  Robins Documents



4) Recent YouTube Videos

*  Aimee Cross - Genealogy Hints:   Discovering Your Ancestor's Stories

*  Allen County Public Library:  Verifying Your Genealogical Tree with DNA Results
*  Allen County Public Library:  IGG: A DNA Tool Solving the Unsolvable


*  Be Smarter: Gen-AI, Genealogy, and Guidance:  Your Personal ChatGPT Assistant – Built in Under 2 Minutes


*  Carole McCullough Geneablogger:  Unlocking the Past: AI in Genealogy Masterclass
*  Carole McCullough Geneablogger:  Memorial: Cecil Henry Allery 1900-1985





*  Ellen Thompson-Jennings - Family History Hound:  Crista Cowan talks about Ancestry 1890 and A Tip on What Not To Do
*  Ellen Thompson-Jennings - Family History Hound:  Crista Cowan Talks About Ancestry Facial Recognition





*  Genealogy Assistant:  Supercharge the Ancestry image viewer!


*  GeneaVlogger:  Building YOUR Family Tree!

*  Int'l Institute of Genealogical Studies:  Analysis and Skills General Overview

*  Italian Roots and Genealogy:  What Really Happened in Naples During WWII?








*  Write Your Family History With Devon Noel Lee:  3 FREE AI Tools to Kickstart Your Family History Writing

5) Did you miss the last post in this series - Genealogy Education Bytes -  Week of 24 to 30 April 2025?   Read past Genealogy Education Bytes here.

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NOTE:  If  I missed something important in this time period, please let me know in a comment or an email. 

Copyright (c) 2025, 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 your comment on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at   randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. 

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ABC Biography of #15 Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952) of Ontario, Illinois, and California

The Claude (usually 3.7 Sonnet) artificial intelligence tool can be used to write family-friendly biographies of my ancestors that might be suitable for my relatives and descendants to help them understand their ancestry.  Using the ABC method described in Using Artificial Intelligence In the Ancestor Biography Creation (ABC) Process, here is one ancestor biography.

1)  I have written genealogical sketches for almost every known ancestor back 9 generations in blog posts based on 35 years of genealogical research in my 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies series. The genealogical sketch for my great-grandmother,  Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952) (#15 on my Ahnentafel List), including record abstracts and sources, is 52 Ancestors Friday: #15 Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952).

2)  For the Claude AI biography, I attach the PDF of the genealogical sketch for the specific ancestor, and then prompt the AI tool with:  "You are an expert genealogist. Please create a draft biography from the attached file, including parents, siblings, spouses and children (with birth and death dates and places), summarize life events, and add historical facts as appropriate, but do not add or embellish any extra genealogical details. Use section headings. Expand the information in each section to add more details. The tone should be casual and suitable for family members."

3)  The expanded biography of Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952) created by the AI tool Claude 3.7 Sonnet, lightly edited, is:

Georgianna Kemp was born on August 4, 1868, in Middleton, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, the fourth of five children. She was often called "Georgia" throughout her life. Her parents were James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902) and Mary Jane Sovereen (1840-1874).

Growing up in rural Ontario in the late 19th century, Georgianna was part of a large family. Her siblings included:

  • Sarah Elizabeth Kemp (1862-1946), married 1889 Andrew John Cropp (1863-1918), resided in Illinois.
  • Seymour Kemp (1864-1877)
  • Melvina Marylis "Minnie" Kemp (1866-1929), married 1885 James Henry Trembley (1865-1918), resided in Ontario. 
  • James Alexander Kemp (1872-1934), married 1892 Bertha Annice Fuller (1874-1951), resided in California.

The 1871 Canadian census shows the family living in Windham township, Norfolk County, Ontario, where her father James worked as a carpenter. The family practiced various Protestant faiths, with Georgianna and her siblings being recorded as Baptists, while her father was Wesleyan Methodist.

Tragedy struck when Georgianna was only about six years old - her mother Mary Jane died in 1874. Two years later, in 1876, her father James remarried to Melissa Wilson. The blended family grew with the addition of a half-sibling:

  • Alfred Edward Francis "Frank" Kemp (1880-1953), married 1909 Ellen Elliott (1882-1956), resided in California.

By the 1881 Canadian census, the family resided in Middleton township in Norfolk County, where Georgianna, then 12 years old, continued to grow up in a busy household led by her carpenter father.

Immigration and Marriage

Following in her sister Elizabeth's footsteps, Georgianna moved to Chicago, Illinois around 1889-1890 when she was about 21 years old. This was during a period of significant Canadian migration to the United States, as many Canadians sought new opportunities in America's growing cities.

On June 19, 1898, at the age of 29, Georgianna married Charles Auble (1849-1916) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Charles, who was about 19 years her senior, was born in Newark, New Jersey, and worked as a house painter and decorator. This was the first marriage for both of them.

(Georgianna Kemp in about 1898) 

The couple settled in Chicago, living at 515 West Adams Street. Chicago in the late 1890s was a bustling metropolis recovering from the Great Fire of 1871 and expanding rapidly with new immigration and industrialization.

Motherhood and Family Life

About a year after their marriage, Georgianna gave birth to her only child:

  • Emily Kemp Auble, born 19 August 1899 in Chicago, Illinois.  

The 1900 census shows the young family living in Chicago with Georgianna's brother, Franklin Kemp, who was 20 years old at the time. By 1910, they had moved to 611 West 70th Street in Chicago's 32nd Ward, where they rented a home. Charles continued his work as a house decorator, while Georgianna kept their household and raised Emily, who was attending school.

Move to California and Widowhood

Around 1911, Georgianna, Charles, and Emily relocated to San Diego, California. They first lived at 767 14th Street in the growing city. San Diego was experiencing a boom period following the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park, which attracted many new residents to the area.

Tragedy struck in 1916 when Charles died on 23 March 1916 after falling down the stairs in their home. At approximately 48 years old, Georgianna found herself widowed with a teenage daughter to support. After Charles's death, Georgianna moved to 2140 J Street in San Diego with Emily.

Later Years

In 1918, Georgianna's daughter Emily married Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976). The couple had one daughter, Betty Virginia Carringer, born in 1919. Betty would be Georgianna's only grandchild, who affectionately called her "Nana."

The 1920 census shows Georgianna living with Emily, Lyle, and baby Betty. By 1930, they resided at 2130 Fern Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of San Diego, where they owned a home valued at $10,000 (a substantial sum for that era). The 1930 census records indicate that Georgianna had become a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1898, the same year she married Charles.


(Georgianna Auble, Betty Carringer, and Emily Carringer in 1920)

Georgianna's brothers James and Frank resided in the Los Angeles area, and they visited San Diego on occasion, and Lyle drove his family and Georgianna to Los Angeles to visit them all through the 1920s.  

During the Great Depression and World War II years, Georgianna continued living with her daughter's family. The 1940 census indicates she had completed four years of high school education and was described as a housewife. The census also notes that she had "other income" of over $50 in 1939, suggesting she may have had some modest savings or investments despite the economic challenges of the era.


(Georgianna (Kemp) Auble in about 1940 in San Diego)

 In May 1948, at nearly 80 years old, Georgianna applied for Old Age Security from the State of California. She was granted $60 per month beginning August 1, 1948. Around 1947, she had moved with Emily and Lyle to 2115 30th Street, with Betty and her family living upstairs at 2119 30th Street. In 1951, Lyle and Emily built a home at 825 Harbor View Place overlooking San Diego Bay in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego, and Georgianna lived there.

Final Days

On October 28, 1952, at the age of 84, Georgianna fell on a rug at home and fractured her right hip. About ten days later, on November 8, 1952, she passed away at San Diego County Hospital from acute myocardial failure and generalized arteriosclerosis. While the hip fracture was noted on her death certificate, it was listed as "non-contributory" to her death.

Georgianna was cremated on November 12, 1952, at Cypress View Crematory. Her remains were inurned at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego (Bronze Corridor, niche 61), where she would later be joined by her daughter Emily and son-in-law Lyle Carringer.

Legacy

Georgianna's legacy lives on through her descendants. Her line continues through:

  • Her daughter Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977), who married Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
  • Her granddaughter Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), who married 1942 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
  • Her grandsons Randall J. Seaver (born 1943), Stanley R. Seaver (born 1946), and Scott F. Seaver (born 1955).

Having lived through remarkable changes in the world -- from the horse-and-buggy era to the atomic age, through two World Wars and countless technological advancements - Georgianna's 84-year life spanned a transformative period in North American history. From her beginnings in rural Ontario to her final days in sunny San Diego, she experienced the dramatic shifts of life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including immigration to a new country, urban living in booming Chicago, widowhood, the Great Depression, and the joys of seeing her family grow with a granddaughter and great-grandsons.

4)  A poem and song lyrics to commemorate the life of Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952) can be found in "Georgianna's Journey" -- A Genealogy Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence.   The song created from the song lyrics can be heard in that blog post. 

5)  An audio overview (essentially a podcast created by the Google ContentLM AI tool) discussing the life of  Georgianna (Kemp) Auble can be heard at   https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/7fff7036-bea3-4890-8dd6-af7ae66fe3a3/audio

6)  I lightly edited the Claude biography text to add more family detail and correct minor errors.  Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write.  I was an aerospace engineer in my former life, and my research reports and genealogical sketches reflect "just the facts."  The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and create readable text in seconds, including applicable local and national historical detail.  

7)  An ABC Biography of Georgianna's husband, Charles Auble (1849-1916), is in ABC Biography of #14 Charles Auble (1849-1916) of New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and California.

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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


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

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Elvis Presley's Gravestone in Memphis, Tennessee -- (Not So) Wordless Wednesday #869

 I found another priceless (to me) photograph in my computer file folders:


In September 2009, Linda and I went on vacation and visited Topeka, Kansas (friends Diane and Jim), Kansas City, Missouri (the Arabia steamship museum), Little Rock, Arkansas (the FGS conference), Springfield, Missouri (friend Patti), Memphis, Tennessee (friends Jim, Sheila and Candi), and Branson, Missouri (sightseeing).  We flew in and out of Kansas City, and rented a car for our travels.  It was a fun trip.

Linda had to see Graceland, Elvis Presley's home in Memphis.  Sheila and Candi took us there and we marveled at the house, displays, history and the graveyard.  Unfortunately, most of my photos inside the house did not turn out well.   But my photograph of the grave of Elvis Presley  turned out great, as seen above.  I also have photos of his father and mother for some reason, and the statuary nearby.

This photograph is a part of my family history.  

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Copyright (c) 2025, 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.    I moderate all comments and they may not appear immediately - please write only one comment.

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Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 30 April to 6 May 2025

 Welcome to Genealogy News Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news  items that came across our desktop since the last issue.    


1)  Genealogy and Family History News Articles:








2)  DNA/IGG-Related News Articles



4)  New or Updated Genealogy Digital Record Collections:
















5)  Did you miss the last post in this series?  See Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 23 to 29 April 2025.   Read all recent Genealogy News Bytes here.  

                          =========================================


Copyright (c) 2025, 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.  Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com. 

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Ask AI: "What Did Baptist Religious Practices in Connecticut Entail In the 1840 Time Frame?" And a "Temperance" Sermon

The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT4, 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.

1)  Several of my ancestors were Christian ministers and I have always wondered what the church services were like in their time and place. 

My prompt to several of the free AI Tools was:  "My 3rd great-grandfather, Jonathan Oatley (1790-1872) was a Baptist minister in the 1830s and 1840s in South Kingstown RI and East Killingly CT.  What did Baptist religious practices and services in RI and this time frame entail?  What types of sermons did Jonathan likely preach?"




The ChatGPT4 response was:
Jonathan Oatley’s role as a Baptist minister in the 1830s–1840s in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and East Killingly, Connecticut, placed him within a vibrant and evolving religious landscape. During this time, Baptist religious practices and preaching were deeply shaped by both local tradition and the national context of the Second Great Awakening (circa 1790–1840).

Baptist Practices in Rhode Island and Connecticut (1830s–1840s) 
1. Core Beliefs and Worship:
  • Biblical Authority: Baptists emphasized sola scriptura—the Bible as the ultimate authority.
  • Believer’s Baptism by Immersion: A hallmark of the denomination, baptism was reserved for those old enough to profess their faith consciously.
  • Congregational Autonomy: Each church governed itself without a central authority, making local preachers like Jonathan Oatley highly influential in shaping their congregation’s tone and focus.
  • Communion: Often practiced monthly or quarterly, with a strong focus on introspection and the gathered community of believers.
2. Worship Services:
  • Services were simple and scripture-centered, often held in plain meetinghouses.
  • Hymn singing, often from Isaac Watts or other early hymnals, was important.
  • Exhortation—a passionate, urgent sermon with emotional appeals—was common, particularly under revivalist influences.
3. Revival Influence:
  • The Second Great Awakening influenced New England Baptists to become more evangelical and emotionally expressive.
  • Camp meetings and protracted meetings (extended revival services) were sometimes embraced, especially in Connecticut.
  • Ministers encouraged conversion experiences and personal commitment to Christ, often calling people forward to profess faith.
Sermons Jonathan Oatley Likely Preached 
Though we don’t have his actual sermons, we can infer their themes based on the era, geography, and denominational doctrine:

1. Evangelistic and Conversion-Focused Messages:
  • Emphasizing personal sin, repentance, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
  • Likely included calls to be “born again,” reflecting revivalist themes.
  • Use of testimonies and illustrations to move hearts toward conversion.
2. Moral and Social Themes:
  • Baptist ministers often preached on temperance, Sabbath observance, honesty, and humility.
  • Given the rise of the temperance movement, he may have spoken out against alcohol use.
  • He might also have touched on anti-slavery, depending on his views; Rhode Island Baptists were divided on this issue, but by the 1830s, anti-slavery sentiment was growing.
3. Biblical Exposition:
  • Verse-by-verse preaching from the New Testament (especially the Gospels and Paul’s letters).
  • Emphasis on sanctification—growing in grace and holiness after salvation.
4. Warnings and Exhortation:
  • Sermons could include warnings of divine judgment for the unrepentant.
  • Strong exhortations to walk in obedience and participate in the life of the church.
Contextual Notes:

  •  South Kingstown, RI, was part of a long Baptist tradition—Rhode Island was founded as a haven for religious dissenters.
  • East Killingly, CT, was more rural and revivalist-friendly. It may have hosted camp meetings or extended revival services.

Would you like help locating church records, minutes, or potential published sermons or references to Jonathan Oatley’s ministry in local Baptist associations or state convention proceedings?

2)  I couldn't resist asking for a typical sermon that Jonathan might have preached in his church.  My prompt was:  "Please create a typical sermon that Jonathan might have preached about temperance in this time and place?" 

ChatGPT4 provided this answer after being asked to expand the content:

Below is an expanded version of the temperance sermon your 3rd great-grandfather, Rev. Jonathan Oatley (1790–1872), might have preached in South Kingstown, Rhode Island or East Killingly, Connecticut, in the 1830s–1840s. It includes more biblical exposition, moral reflection, revivalist urgency, and historical resonance with the temperance movement and Baptist traditions of the time.

“Be Not Drunk with Wine”

A Sermon on Temperance by Rev. Jonathan Oatley

Text: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” – Ephesians 5:18

[Opening Prayer]

Almighty God, grant us Thy light and Thy truth this hour. May Thy Word pierce our hearts as a two-edged sword. Let the Holy Spirit convict, comfort, and change us. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Amen.

[Introduction: A Time for Soberness]

Beloved brethren and sisters, we live in perilous times—not from invading armies or deadly plagues, but from something far more insidious. The greatest threat to our homes, our churches, and the very soul of this nation comes not from without, but from within—from the bottle, the cask, the distillery. It is the slow, silent destroyer: strong drink.

I have witnessed, with my own eyes, godly men fall into shame; I have heard the weeping of wives at midnight; I have seen children hungry, not for bread alone, but for a sober, righteous father. This plague of intemperance is no small evil—it is a mighty flood sweeping away decency, virtue, and faith.

What shall we do? Shall we preach moderation? Shall we whisper when we ought to cry aloud? God forbid. We must proclaim from the housetops what the Word of God declares: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

[I. The Scriptural Witness Against Strong Drink]

The Scriptures are not silent on this matter. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word warns against the folly and ruin of drunkenness:

Noah, the righteous preacher, became the object of shame when he drank of the wine he had made (Genesis 9:20–21).

Solomon, the wisest of men, wrote: “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red... at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:31–32).

The prophet Isaiah warned: “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink.” (Isaiah 5:11).

And here in the New Testament, the apostle Paul gives the clearest charge: Do not be drunk with wine. It is not a suggestion. It is not advice. It is a divine command.

Drunkenness is listed among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:21—alongside fornication, idolatry, and murder—and Paul warns that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let no man deceive himself. To be ruled by drink is to be ruled by sin, and the wages of sin is death.

[II. The Moral and Social Destruction of Intemperance]

Let us consider what drunkenness produces. It is not a private sin, confined to the drinker alone. It spreads like leaven through a home, a community, a nation.

The family suffers. How many wives must bear the burden of a husband’s absence at the tavern? How many mothers must stretch a meager loaf because the earnings were spent on rum? How many children grow up hard and bitter, having known only a drunken father’s anger?

The soul suffers. The drunkard dulls his conscience. He shuts out the still, small voice of the Spirit. He chooses the fleeting pleasure of the flesh over the everlasting joy of God.

The community suffers. Disorder, crime, poverty—how many of these stem from the bottle? Ask the magistrate how many men are brought before him for offenses committed in drunkenness. Ask the physician how many ailments stem from long abuse of drink.

Is it not time we say, “Enough”? Shall we continue to bless what God has cursed?

[III. The False Hope of “Moderation”]

Some among us say, “But pastor, is not wine a gift of God? Did not our Lord turn water into wine at Cana?” And I answer: yes, but not for drunkenness.

Moderation is often the enemy of righteousness, for it breeds complacency. The man who drinks a little today may drink much tomorrow. The fire that smolders in secret may soon burst into flame.

I have buried men who once boasted they could “hold their drink.” They held it, until it held them—and it dragged them to ruin.

Therefore, I say, as many in the churches now say: let us commit to total abstinence. Not out of fear, but out of faithfulness. Not because we must, but because we may—for the sake of others, and for the glory of God.

[IV. A Higher Calling: Filled with the Spirit]

The apostle does not merely warn against wine—he offers us something better: “Be filled with the Spirit.”

What joy is there in drink compared to the joy of the Lord? What power is there in liquor compared to the power of the Spirit?

The drunkard stumbles in the street, but the Spirit-filled man walks upright in holiness. The drunkard’s heart is full of riot, but the Spirit-filled heart overflows with love, joy, peace, and self-control.

Do you seek comfort in a bottle? I tell you: there is no comfort like the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Do you seek escape from sorrow? I tell you: there is no refuge like the mercy of Christ.

O that men would stop filling their cups and start filling their hearts—with Scripture, with prayer, with the Spirit of God!

[V. A Charge to the Church and the Nation]

Brothers and sisters, it is not enough to lament. We must act.

Let the church take a stand. Let no drink be sold or served at our gatherings. Let our members pledge themselves to sobriety, and let our pulpits proclaim the truth boldly.

Let fathers be examples. Do not teach your sons to drink, but to pray. Do not raise your cup at the table, but raise your voice in family worship.

Let mothers guard the home. Teach your daughters to prize sobriety in a husband. Protect your households from every influence that would entice toward excess.

Let us support the cause of temperance in the land. We must not be silent in town meetings or indifferent at the ballot box. The future of our communities depends upon the righteousness of our citizens.

Let the church lead the way, not follow. Let us be light in a dark generation.

[Conclusion: Come, All Who Labor]

I know that some hearing this today struggle with the very chains I have described. And to you I say: there is hope. There is forgiveness. There is freedom.

Jesus Christ came to set the captives free. No chain is so strong that His blood cannot break it. No past is so stained that His grace cannot cleanse it.

Come to the mercy seat. Come to the Savior who died for the drunkard as well as the deacon. Let Him make you whole.

And to all, I ask: will you stand with me? Will you stand with Christ? Will you raise a standard in your life, your home, and this church for temperance and holiness?

Let us rise now and sing hymn number 178, “Yield Not to Temptation.” May it be our prayer and our resolve.

May God give us strength to flee sin and be filled with His Spirit. Amen.

3)  The ChatGPT4 response to the prompts was interesting and rings true to my ears.  As a 20th century parishioner, I heard similar sermons in the 1950s in my local Presbyterian church by a "fire and brimstone" preacher, and I think Jonathan Oatley was that type of preacher.  I asked the same questions of ChatGPT4, Claude, and Gemini and received similar responses, and different sermon examples.  

4)  This church still exists as The Old Union Baptist Church in East Killingly.  It is located at 1369 Hartford Pike, an east-west road, at the foot of North Road and to the west of Bailey Hill Road. Here is an image of the church from Google Maps:


My Jonathan Oatley was one of the first pastors of this church in this location.   I know that Jonathan Oatley resided on Bear Hill Road south of the church.  

The history of this church, the story of the near-death of this church in 1997 and its rebirth are told in   https://historicunionbaptistchurch.org/union-baptist-church-history/section-2/.  Impressive.  I wish I had stopped there in the mid-1990s when I visited the nearby cemetery and did research in the Killingly library. 

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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

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/05/ask-ai-what-did-baptist-religious.html

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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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Seavers in the News -- 1980 Obituary of James W. Seaver of Rockford, Illinois

 Here is this week's edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the Register Star [Rockford, Ill.] newspaper dated Tuesday, 16 December 1980, Page B2, Column 6:


The transcription of the article is:

"SEAVER -- James W. Seaver, 22, 4331 Tallwood Drive, was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, 1980, in Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, Calif., as the result of an accident.  Born Sept. 4, 1958, in Madison, Wis., son of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Seaver.  Lived all his life in Rockford.  He was a college student.  Graduate of Guilford High School.  Survivors include his parents, Attorney and Mrs. Claude Seaver, Rockford; two brothers, Steven Seaver, South Miami, Fla., and William Seaver, Rockford; a sister, Julie Seaver, Chicago; his grandfather, Elmo Piper, Elkhorn, Wis.; and paternal grandmother, Mrs. Evelyn Hintz, Palmetto, Fla.

"Services at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, in WILBUR CHRISTENSON FUNERAL HOME, 925 3rd Ave., with the Rev. David Biebighauser, pastor of United Church of Christ, Elkhorn, Wis. officiating.  Burial in Elkhorn (Wis.) Cemetery.  No visitation.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to Rosecrance Homes for Children."

The source citation is:

"Seaver," Register Star [Rockford, Ill.] newspaper, Tuesday, 16 December 1980, page B2, column 6, James W. Seaver obituary; imaged,  GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com : accessed 6 May 2025).

This obituary provides the name, age, residence, death date and place, relatives names,  associations, funeral service and burial information.

James William Seaver was born 4 September 1958 in Madison, Wisconsin, the son of Claude Everett and Mary Ann Dodge (Piper) Seaver.  He died 13 December 1980 in Hawthorne, California of an accident (probably an automobile accident).

I am a tenth cousin of James William Seaver (1958-1980).  Our common Seaver ancestor is our 9th great-grandfather Robert Seaver (1608-1683) who settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

There are over 10,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - and this is one of them.   Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person died young of an accident.   I am glad that  I can honor James W. Seaver (1958-1980) today.  

You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.

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Disclosure:  I have a paid subscription to GenealogyBank and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.

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