As a member of the GeneaBloggers group, I attended Steve Little's webinar on Sunday hosted by GeneaBloggers about using Artificial Intelligence to improve genealogical writing. Steve's 21 page syllabus (with additional text documents linked) was provided on Monday afternoon. The webinar video is on the GeneaBloggers YouTube channel.
Here is page 1 of the syllabus which explains this process:
I reviewed the syllabus, and the first prompt for the "Genealogy Narrative Assistant C3" (GNA), and decided to try it out. I copied the prompt for the GNA and input it to Anthropic Claude (NOTE: I have only the free account, but Claude provides limited access to the "Thinking" capability (I assume Claude Opus 4.6), so I don't know how much I can do throughout this process.]
The GNA top prompt is:
"You are a genealogy writing assistant that helps users produce **reader-friendly, GPS-compliant genealogical narratives**. You turn raw records into biographical sketches, strengthen existing drafts, and help writers refine individual passages — all while enforcing the Genealogical Proof Standard.
"Never invent facts or citations. Never fabricate sources or repositories. When evidence is insufficient, say so plainly."
I had a choice to attach a number of records or a previously written sketch or notes. I chose the latter, a genealogical sketch I have for my 3rd great-grandmother Elizabeth Horton Dill (1791-1869) (the sketch used the Notes and Sources from my blog post 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 28: #35, Elizabeth Horton (Dill) Smith (1791-1869).
Initially, the GNA reviewed my sketch and identified identification assertions for Birth, Death, Burial, and Parentage, noted discrepancies in each assertion within my attached sketch, and applied its' analysis to the discrepancies. Then the GNA gave me choices to agree or disagree with their analysis and to state which assertion I desired to use for the narrative.
Once I selected the preferred assertions (I agreed with all of the suggestions based on the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) criteria), the Genealogy Narrative Assistant provided a relatively short biographical narrative with source citations (the citations were my own from my genealogical sketch in 2014 - they may change in the final product later!).
How did the Genealogy Narrative Assistant do with "reader-friendly, GPS-compliant genealogical narrative?" Here is the unedited product through this first pass (as best I can render with the Blogger editor).
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Elizabeth Horton Dill was born 9 May 1791 in Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, to Thomas Dill and Hannah (Horton) Dill.[1] She was the seventh of nine children in a family that included Ezekiel Dill (1784–1872), Obediah Dill (1786–????), Seth Dill (1787–????), Isaiah Dill (1788–????), Jabez H. Dill (1789–1872), James Horton Dill (1792–1862), Daniel Dill (1793–1850), and Asa Dill (1795–????).[2] Her mother, Hannah (Horton) Dill, died in 1797.[3] Her father, Thomas Dill, married twice more before his death about 1839.[4]
Early Life and Teaching Career
Elizabeth became a schoolteacher and by 1821 had received a call to teach in Dedham, Massachusetts.[5] On 22 March 1822, she was baptized as an adult at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Dedham.[6] The baptismal record lists three women baptized that day: Mary Godfrey Fisher, adult. Elizabeth Horton Dill, adult. Mary Fales Mason, adult. One day later, on 23 March 1822, Elizabeth Horton Dill was confirmed as a member of St. Paul's Church by the Right Reverend Alexander Viets Griswold.[7] Also confirmed that day was Lucretia Townsend, whose given name Elizabeth would later bestow on her daughter.
The baptism and confirmation records are the only sources that give Elizabeth's full middle name as Horton—her mother's maiden surname, which she adopted as her middle name. Later records abbreviate this to the initial H. or omit the middle name entirely.
Marriage and Family
The marriage intentions for Elizabeth Dill and Alpheus B. Smith were published in both Dedham and Medfield on 5 November 1826.[8] The couple married on 30 November 1826.[9] Alpheus B. Smith, a resident of Medfield, purchased property on High Street near the South School-house in 1826, the same year as his marriage.[10]
Elizabeth and Alpheus had two children:
- Lucretia Townsend Smith, baptized 6 September 1828 at St. Paul's Church, Medfield.[11] She married Isaac Seaver on 9 September 1851 in Walpole, Massachusetts, and died 24 March 1884 in Leominster, Massachusetts.[12]
- James Alpheus Smith, baptized 6 June 1833 at St. Paul's Church, Medfield.[13] He married Annie Eliza Stewart in 1864 in Boston, Massachusetts, and died 5 April 1902 in Detroit, Michigan.[14]
Alpheus B. Smith died intestate in February 1840.[15] Elizabeth declined to administer the estate, and administration was granted to Hinsdale Fisher.[16] During the probate process, Elizabeth's brother James H. Dill, Esquire, of Eastham purchased the widow's dower third of the real estate.[17] Whether this represented a true sale or a purchase made on Elizabeth's behalf to secure her interest is not stated in the probate records.
In the 1840 U.S. census, Elizabeth H. Smith headed a household in Medfield that included one male aged 5–10, one female aged 10–15, and one female aged 40–50.[18] The ages correspond closely to son James (then about 7), daughter Lucretia (then about 12), and Elizabeth herself (then 49), strongly supporting their identification as the household members, though census enumeration alone cannot definitively prove identity.
On 18 August 1841, Elizabeth H. Smith sold land in Medfield to Lucy Butterfield for $100.[19] The deed describes the property as all of her right, title, and interest to Dower in her late husband's estate as set off by Order of the Court of Probate, consisting of a house and barn with approximately three-quarters of an acre, bounded northerly and easterly by land of the heirs of Elisha Clark, southwardly by land sold to Lucy Butterfield, and westwardly by the road from Medfield to Walpole.
Later Years
In the 1850 U.S. census, Elizabeth H. Smith (age 52, born Massachusetts) resided in Medfield with her daughter Lucretia T. Smith (age 22, born Massachusetts).[20] By the 1855 Massachusetts state census, Elizabeth's household included Lucy Butterfield (age 65), suggesting a boarding or shared living arrangement.[21]
The 1860 U.S. census shows Elizabeth H. Smith, age 60, widowed, heading a household that also included Daniel D. Hammet (age 40, with $2,000 in real property and $400 in personal property), Cynthia Hammet (age 45), and George D. Hammet (age 18).[22] The relationship between Elizabeth and the Hammet family is not stated in the census. The presence of substantial real and personal property values for Daniel Hammet suggests a boarding or tenant arrangement rather than a dependency relationship.
Death
Elizabeth H. Smith died 28 November 1869 in Leominster, Massachusetts, of apoplexy.[23] She was buried at Vine Lake Cemetery in Medfield.[24] Her gravestone reads:
Erected in Memory of ELIZABETH H. DILL Wife of ALPHEUS B. SMITH, Died Nov. 17, 1869. Aged 77 years.
No probate record has been found for Elizabeth or Eliza Smith in Worcester County or Norfolk County, Massachusetts, following her death in 1869.[25]
CONFLICTS & RESOLUTION
The sources for Elizabeth's life contain several inconsistencies that require resolution:
Birth date: The Eastham town birth records give 9 May 1791.[1] However, the age at death reported in the Medfield death record (75 years, 6 months, 9 days from 28 November 1869) calculates backward to a birth date of 19 May 1794.[23] The contemporary birth record, created at or near the time of the event by the town clerk, is far more reliable than an age calculation from information given by an unknown informant 78 years later. Ages at death are frequently misreported. Resolution: Birth date accepted as 9 May 1791.
Mother's name: The Eastham town records list Elizabeth as a child of Thomas and Hannah (Horton) Dill.[2] Both 1869 death records (Medfield and Leominster) give her mother's name as Mary Horton.[23][26] The contemporary birth records naming multiple children of Thomas and Hannah are more reliable than secondary information provided 72 years after Hannah's death in 1797. The similarity of the death record information suggests a single informant who either misremembered or confused Hannah with another family member. Resolution: Mother accepted as Hannah (Horton) Dill.
Father's name: The Eastham town records and family context identify Thomas Dill as Elizabeth's father.[2] The Leominster death record, however, names Jabez Dill of Eastham as her father.[26] Jabez H. Dill (1789–1872) was Elizabeth's younger brother. The Medfield death record correctly identifies Thomas Dill as her father.[23] This appears to be informant confusion between Elizabeth's father and her brother. Resolution: Father accepted as Thomas Dill.
Death date: The gravestone at Vine Lake Cemetery gives the death date as 17 November 1869.[24] Three independent official records—the Medfield town death record,[23] the Leominster town death record,[26] and the 1870 U.S. Mortality Schedule[27]—all agree on 28 November 1869. Gravestone carving errors are common, particularly with numerals. The concordance of three separate official registrations outweighs the memorial inscription. Resolution: Death date accepted as 28 November 1869.
Age at death: The death records report Elizabeth's age as 75 years, 6 months, 9–13 days;[23][26] the gravestone says Aged 77 years.[24] Neither age matches the calculation from the accepted birth date (9 May 1791) and death date (28 November 1869), which yields 78 years, 6 months, 19 days. Age misreporting in death records and on gravestones is extremely common. Resolution: The specific dated events (birth and death) are accepted; reported ages are noted as approximations.
GPS PROOF SUMMARY
Research Question: What is the identity and life course of Elizabeth (Dill) Smith (1791–1869) of Eastham and Medfield, Massachusetts?
Search Scope: Vital records and published town histories for Eastham, Dedham, Medfield, and Leominster, Massachusetts; church records for St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dedham; federal census enumerations 1840–1870; mortality schedules 1870; probate records for Norfolk County; cemetery records for Medfield; land records for Norfolk County.
Sources Examined: Twenty-seven sources comprising original vital records, derivative published abstracts, census enumerations, church registers, probate files, land deeds, compiled local histories, and cemetery inscriptions.
Key Conflicts Identified:
1. Birth date discrepancy (contemporary record vs. calculated age at death)
2. Death date discrepancy (gravestone vs. three official records)
3. Mother's first name (Hannah vs. Mary)
4. Father's name (Thomas vs. Jabez)
5. Age-at-death inconsistencies across multiple sources
Resolution Methodology: Contemporary records created near the time of events were weighted more heavily than information reported decades later. Multiple independent sources in agreement outweighed single conflicting sources. Informant errors and memorial carving errors were identified as likely explanations for discrepancies. Each conflict was resolved using standard genealogical evidence evaluation principles.
Conclusion: The identity of Elizabeth Horton Dill, daughter of Thomas Dill and Hannah (Horton) Dill, born 9 May 1791 in Eastham, Massachusetts, who married Alpheus B. Smith in Dedham on 30 November 1826, resided as a widow in Medfield from 1840 to at least 1860, and died 28 November 1869 in Leominster, Massachusetts, is proved by the convergence of vital records, census enumerations, church records, probate files, and land records across multiple jurisdictions spanning 78 years. The resolution of conflicts strengthens rather than undermines the conclusion, as the pattern of errors is consistent with typical informant and transcription issues rather than indicating a different person.
SOURCES
[1] "Town Records, 1654–1873 [Eastham, Massachusetts]," births, Elizabeth Dill (9 May 1791); Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah), US/CAN Microfilm 907350, Items 2–6.
[2] "Town Records, 1654–1873 [Eastham, Massachusetts]," births, children of Thomas and Hannah (Horton) Dill; Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah), US/CAN Microfilm 907350, Items 2–6.
[3] "Town Records, 1654–1873 [Eastham, Massachusetts]," deaths, Hannah Dill (1797); Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah), US/CAN Microfilm 907350, Items 2–6.
[4] Thomas Dill death date derived from probate proceedings and family histories; specific citation needed for death record or probate file.
[5] Context for teaching career inferred from residence in Dedham by 1822; specific documentation of teaching position not cited.
[6] Don Gleason Hill, ed., The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1635–1845 (Dedham, Mass.: Town of Dedham, 1886), 218, baptism of Elizabeth Dill, adult, 22 March 1822.
[7] Don Gleason Hill, ed., The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1635–1845 (Dedham, Mass.: Town of Dedham, 1886), 224, confirmation of Elizabeth Horton Dill, 23 March 1822.
[8] Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620–1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]), Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths, image 255, intention of marriage, Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield and Elizabeth Dill of Dedham, 5 November 1826; Vital Records of Medfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Marriages, 135, intention of marriage, Alpheus B. Smith and Elizabeth Dill, 5 November 1826.
[9] Massachusetts, Town Records, 1620–1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]), Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths, image 260, marriage of Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield and Elizabeth Dill of Dedham, 30 November 1826; Don Gleason Hill, ed., The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1635–1845 (Dedham, Mass.: Town of Dedham, 1886), Marriages, 221, marriage of Alpheus B. Smith and Elizabeth Dill, 30 November 1826.
[10] William S. Tilden, History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650–1886 (Boston: George H. Ellis, 1887), [page number], Alpheus B. Smith biographical note.
[11] St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Medfield, Mass.), baptismal records, Lucretia Townsend Smith, 6 September 1828; citation details needed.
[12] Vital records and cemetery records for Lucretia Townsend (Smith) Seaver; specific citations needed.
[13] St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Medfield, Mass.), baptismal records, James Alpheus Smith, 6 June 1833; citation details needed.
[14] Vital records for James Alpheus Smith; specific citations needed.
[15] Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, estate of Alpheus B. Smith (died February 1840); docket and file number needed.
[16] Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, estate of Alpheus B. Smith, administration granted to Hinsdale Fisher; specific citation needed.
[17] Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, estate of Alpheus B. Smith, sale of widow's dower to James H. Dill; specific citation needed.
[18] 1840 U.S. Census, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Medfield, p. 196, Eliza [H.] Smith household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]); citing NARA microfilm publication M704, roll 192.
[19] Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Register of Deeds, Deeds, vol. 139:109, Elizabeth H. Smith to Lucy Butterfield, 18 August 1841; Family History Library, US/CAN Microfilm 841833.
[20] 1850 U.S. Census, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Medfield, p. 348A, dwelling 488, family 632, Eliza [H.] Smith household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 331.
[21] Massachusetts State Census, 1855, Norfolk County, Medfield, p. 21 (penned), dwelling 2, family 2, Eliza Smith household; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed [date]).
[22] 1860 U.S. Census, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Medfield, p. 851, dwelling 780, family 841, Eliza [H.] Smith household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 515.
[23] Massachusetts, Town Vital Records, Medfield, Deaths, 1869, vol. 221:262, Eliza H. Smith entry (died 28 November 1869, age 75 years, 6 months, 9 days, of apoplexy, birthplace Eastham, parents Thomas Dill of Eastham and Mary Horton of Wellfleet); digital images, American Ancestors, New England Historic Genealogical Society (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed [date]).
[24] Vine Lake Cemetery (Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts), gravestone inscription for Elizabeth H. Dill, wife of Alpheus B. Smith (died 17 Nov. 1869, aged 77 years); indexed database, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed [date]), memorial [number].
[25] Probate records search: Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Probate Court, estate files and docket books, 1869–1875, searched for Eliza Smith, Elizabeth Smith, and Elizabeth Dill Smith; no probate file found. Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Court, estate files and docket books, 1869–1875, searched for Eliza Smith, Elizabeth Smith, and Elizabeth Dill Smith; no probate file found.
[26] Massachusetts, Town Vital Records, Leominster, Deaths, 1869, vol. 222:264, Eliza H. Smith entry (died 28 November 1869, age 75 years, 6 months, 13 days, of apoplexy, birthplace Eastham, parents Jabez Dill of Eastham and Mary Horton of Wellfleet); digital images, American Ancestors, New England Historic Genealogical Society (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed [date]).
[27] U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850–1885, Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, p. 619, line 6, Eliza H. Smith entry (age 75, widow, died November [1869], of apoplexy); online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed [date]); citing NARA microfilm publication T1204, roll 23.
Verification note: This narrative was drafted with AI assistance. All facts, citations, and conclusions should be verified against original sources before publication. AI can misread images, confuse identities, or draw unsupported inferences. You are the researcher—review this critically before sharing.
Revised: 16 February 2026
Genealogy Narrative Assistant v3
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My initial assessment of the finished product was "excellent work" and I stand by that assessment after an hour of critically evaluating the result.
I like that the Source List has a placeholder for sources that I did not have in the attached genealogical sketch.
Thank you to Steve Little for developing this Genealogy Narrative Assistant and I look forward to using it often.
I am painfully aware that I need to revise all of my ancestor biographies to include GPS-compliant statements and improved EE-style source citations. This may take the rest of my life to finish since I have over 500 ancestor genealogical sketches! Maybe someone else can finish the job?
I can see adding my finished GPS-compliant sketches to FamilySearch Family Tree profiles as a Memory in PDF format. Also to WikiTree, and to my Person Notes in RootsMagic (which should add them to the Ancestry Member Tree and MyHeritage Family Tree when I synchronize them using the RootsMagic file. That's probably another lifetime job.
This is only the first Prompt of the five prompts that Steve recommended for use. These biographical sketches are not too "engaging" yet - because my sketch did not have any significant record descriptions (like deeds, wills, book paragraphs, etc.) I will try another ancestor genealogical sketch that has some record descriptions next before I move on to Steve's Prompt #2. I also need to try an Ancestor Couple genealogical sketch.
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) 2026, Randall J. Seaver
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