Steve Little continues to work on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve genealogy and family history research, analysis and writing. I haven't tried to work with all of the new Large Language Models (LLMs like Claude CoWork, Claude Fable, etc.) because I don't have a paid subscription to any AI tool, but I've been watching and learning.
Steve's latest blog post on his Vibe Genealogy website is Fun Prompt Friday: Assigning Subagent Swarms with Claude Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 (posted 3 July 2026). The AI tool Genealogical Research Assistant (GRA V. 8.5.1c) and methodology used for the blog post are described in his earlier blog post The Genealogical Research Assistant (GRA): Free for Every AI Platform (posted 4 April 2026).
I wanted to use the GRA AI tool to analyze a death certificate from my own research collections. - I chose the death certificate for my 2nd great-grandmother Abigail A. "Abbie" (Vaux) Smith (1844-1931).
The free OpenAI ChatGPT5 response was:
Below is a genealogical analysis of the submitted California death certificate following the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) analytical framework. This is a draft requiring independent human verification before being incorporated into a genealogical conclusion.
Document Identification
Document Type: Vital Record — Death Certificate
Jurisdiction: State of California, Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
Certificate Number: State No. 31-050190; Local Registrar No. 1541
Registration District: San Diego, California
Image Quality
The certificate is complete and highly legible. Minor handwritten portions require interpretation but do not materially affect the genealogically significant information.
Document Type: Vital Record — Death Certificate
Jurisdiction: State of California, Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
Certificate Number: State No. 31-050190; Local Registrar No. 1541
Registration District: San Diego, California
Image Quality
The certificate is complete and highly legible. Minor handwritten portions require interpretation but do not materially affect the genealogically significant information.
Source Analysis (GPS Element 3)
Source Classification
Source Type: Original Source
This certificate is the contemporaneously created government record documenting the death.
Source Type: Original Source
This certificate is the contemporaneously created government record documenting the death.
Date Taxonomy
Date Type
11 Sept 1931 Event Date (death)
15 Sept 1931 Filing/Registration Date
18 Nov 1996 Certification copy issued
The 1996 certification date is not evidence of the death event.
Date Type
11 Sept 1931 Event Date (death)
15 Sept 1931 Filing/Registration Date
18 Nov 1996 Certification copy issued
The 1996 certification date is not evidence of the death event.
Information Analysis
A death certificate contains multiple kinds of information, each evaluated independently.
Assertion Information Type Reason
Death date Primary Information Physician attended the death.
Place of death Primary Information Recorded contemporaneously.
Cause of death Primary Information Physician's professional determination.
Time of death Primary Information Physician present.
Physician attendance Primary Information Physician's own knowledge.
dates
Burial information Primary Information Funeral director contemporaneous.
Birth date Secondary Information Informant likely not present at birth.
Birthplace Secondary Information Reported by informant.
Parents' names Secondary Information Reported from family knowledge.
Parents' birthplaces Secondary Information Informant reported.
Marital status Secondary Information Family supplied.
Husband's name Secondary Information Family supplied.
Occupation Indeterminate Information Informant not identified for this field.
Extracted Genealogical Assertions
A death certificate contains multiple kinds of information, each evaluated independently.
Assertion Information Type Reason
Death date Primary Information Physician attended the death.
Place of death Primary Information Recorded contemporaneously.
Cause of death Primary Information Physician's professional determination.
Time of death Primary Information Physician present.
Physician attendance Primary Information Physician's own knowledge.
dates
Burial information Primary Information Funeral director contemporaneous.
Birth date Secondary Information Informant likely not present at birth.
Birthplace Secondary Information Reported by informant.
Parents' names Secondary Information Reported from family knowledge.
Parents' birthplaces Secondary Information Informant reported.
Marital status Secondary Information Family supplied.
Husband's name Secondary Information Family supplied.
Occupation Indeterminate Information Informant not identified for this field.
Extracted Genealogical Assertions
Identity
- Abigail A. Smith
- Female
- White
- Widowed
- Died 11 September 1931
- Approximately 10:10 a.m.
- San Diego, San Diego County, California
- date of death
- place of death
Birth
Reported birth:
Reported birth:
- 2 October 1844
- New York
Age
- 86 years
- 10 months
- 14 days
Parents
Father:
Father:
- Samuel Vary
- Born England
- Mary A. Underhill
- Born New York
Marital Information
Widow of:
- Devere J. Smith
Occupation
- "At home."
Residence
Length of residence:
Length of residence:
- 45 years in place of death
- 45 years in California
Cause of Death
Immediate cause:
- Carcinoma of breast with general metastasis
- Four years
- Acute dilatation of heart (approximately two days)
Undertaker:
- Benbough Funeral Parlors
- 711 Date Street
- Cremation
- Greenwood Cremator
- 13 September 1931
Research Question Evidence
When did Abigail die? Direct Evidence
Where did she die? Direct Evidence
What caused death? Direct Evidence
What was her reported birth date? Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)
Where was she reportedly born? Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)
Who were her reported parents? Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)
Was she the widow of Devere J. Smith? Direct Evidence for what was reported;
independent corroboration still required.
Reliability Assessment
Reliability Assessment
Strongest Evidence
- Date of death
- Place of death
- Cause of death
- Physician attendance
- Burial details
Moderate Reliability
- Birth date
- Birthplace
- Parents
- Husband's identity
Weaker Elements
Occupation and years of residence likely came from family and should be corroborated with census, city directory, or other residence records.
Occupation and years of residence likely came from family and should be corroborated with census, city directory, or other residence records.
Notable Absences (Negative Evidence)
The certificate does not identify:
- the informant
- the exact residence address of the deceased
- cemetery plot (cremation only)
- maiden surname confirmation beyond the parents' section
- surviving children or other heirs
Suggested Corroborating Records
To strengthen the proof regarding Abigail's identity and parentage, consult:
Original Record
To strengthen the proof regarding Abigail's identity and parentage, consult:
- New York birth or baptism records (fee [VERIFY], online or written request depending on locality).
- Marriage record for Abigail Vary and Devere J. Smith (fee [VERIFY], online or written request).
- Federal census records (1850–1930) (free/subscription, online).
- California city directories for San Diego (free/subscription, online or library).
- Obituary and funeral notices from San Diego newspapers (free/subscription, online or library).
Original Record
California Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death, no. 31-050190 (local registrar no. 1541), Abbie A. Smith, died 11 September 1931, San Diego, San Diego County, California; filed 15 September 1931; certified copy issued 18 November 1996.Note: This citation is based solely on the certified copy provided. Repository information should be expanded as appropriate if the record was obtained from a specific archive or online provider.
Draft Proof Summary
Subject: Abigail A. Smith
The California death certificate for Abigail A. Smith is an Original Source created contemporaneously with her death in San Diego, California. It provides Primary Information regarding her death, including that she died on 11 September 1931 at approximately 10:10 a.m. in San Diego from carcinoma of the breast with general metastasis, with acute dilatation of the heart as a contributing condition. The attending physician certified these facts shortly after the death, making them highly reliable.
The certificate also reports that Abigail was born on 2 October 1844 in New York, was the daughter of Samuel Vary, born in England, and Mary A. Underhill, born in New York, and was the widow of Devere J. Smith. These statements constitute Secondary Information, because the unidentified informant was almost certainly reporting family knowledge rather than firsthand knowledge of Abigail's birth and parentage. Nevertheless, they provide valuable research leads and Direct Evidence for the reported identity of her parents and spouse. These assertions should be corroborated with independent records such as a birth or baptism record, marriage record, census records, or probate records.
At present, this certificate provides Proved evidence for Abigail's death details (date, place, and cause of death), but only Probable support for her birth details, parentage, and marital relationship until those facts are confirmed through additional independent sources. The absence of the informant's identity slightly reduces confidence in the biographical information while not materially affecting the reliability of the death-related facts.
Subject: Abigail A. Smith
The California death certificate for Abigail A. Smith is an Original Source created contemporaneously with her death in San Diego, California. It provides Primary Information regarding her death, including that she died on 11 September 1931 at approximately 10:10 a.m. in San Diego from carcinoma of the breast with general metastasis, with acute dilatation of the heart as a contributing condition. The attending physician certified these facts shortly after the death, making them highly reliable.
The certificate also reports that Abigail was born on 2 October 1844 in New York, was the daughter of Samuel Vary, born in England, and Mary A. Underhill, born in New York, and was the widow of Devere J. Smith. These statements constitute Secondary Information, because the unidentified informant was almost certainly reporting family knowledge rather than firsthand knowledge of Abigail's birth and parentage. Nevertheless, they provide valuable research leads and Direct Evidence for the reported identity of her parents and spouse. These assertions should be corroborated with independent records such as a birth or baptism record, marriage record, census records, or probate records.
At present, this certificate provides Proved evidence for Abigail's death details (date, place, and cause of death), but only Probable support for her birth details, parentage, and marital relationship until those facts are confirmed through additional independent sources. The absence of the informant's identity slightly reduces confidence in the biographical information while not materially affecting the reliability of the death-related facts.
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One of the major tenets of using Artificial Intelligence to transcribe and analyze a document or image is to verify every assertion made by systematically comparing the information in the record to the information in the AI transcription and analysis.
Here are the discrepancies I found between the AI transcription and the record image above:
- Name: The death certficate names her as "Abbie A. Smith" [not "Abigail A. Smith"]
- Birth date: The certificate clearly notes it as "Oct. 28th, 1844" [not "October 8, 1844"]
- Father's Name: The certificate clearly notes it is "Samuel Vaux" [not "Vary"]
- Husband's Name: The certificate clearly notes "Devier J. Smith" [not "Devere J. Smith"]
- Cremation Provider: The certificate clearly notes "Clover Lawn Crematory" [not "Greenwood Cremator"]
- Date of Cremation: The certificate notes "Sept. 15, 1931 [not "September 13, 1931"]
- Informant: The certificate names the informant as "Ada G. Kelley" at "711 Date St." [not no informant as stated above]
- Residence: The certificate provides "2115 30th St." [not provided in AI Summary]
- Attending physician: The certaificate provides the name as "Chas. R. Langsworth" and his address as "3115 University" [not included in the AI summary]
- Physician's period of attendance: The certificate provides "Jan 4th 1928 to Sept 11 1931" [not included in AI Summary]
I agree with the classification details of the information into the GPS categories for Source, Information and Evidence. However, I consider that the Death Certificate (shown above) created in 1996 is a "Derivative Source" rather than an "Original Source" created in 1931, although it is a Certified True Copy. The original record was likely filled out by the signatories on the document on or about September 15, 1931, then was digitized at some time and issued upon request in 1996.
The EE-style source citation is sufficient.
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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) 2026, Randall J. Seaver
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