Showing posts with label Vital Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vital Records. Show all posts

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1701 Death of Thomas Reed (1627-1701) in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1701 death record for Thomas Reed in the Sudbury,  Massachusetts vital record book:
The death record for Thomas Read is the fourth entry in the Reed listings on page 322: 


The transcription of the death entry is:

"[REED] Thomas, Sept. 13, 1701"

The source citation for this record is:

Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the year 1850 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Deaths, page 322, Thomas Reed entry, 13 September 1701.
This is a Derivative Source record which was extracted from an earlier Sudbury record book (no longer extant or available), for the death of Thomas Read  in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the name of Thomas, the death date and death place.  
Thomas Read (1627-1701) was the son of Thomas and Rachel (--?--) Read of Colchester, Essex, England.  He married (1) Katherine (--?--) (1628-1677) in about 1650, and (2) Arabella (--?--) Thong (1646-1717). in 1689. Thomas and Katherine (--?--) Read are my 9th great-grandparents, through their son Thomas Read (1653-1733) who married Mary Goodrich (1650-1724) in 1677. 
Note that the deaths of the two wives of Thomas Read are also on this page of the Sudbury Vital Records book:
  • [READ] Katherin, w. Tho[mas], Sept. 2 [16]77.
  • [REED, see READ] Arabela, Mrs., Apr. 29, 1717.
                           =========================================== 

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/08/treasure-chest-thursday-1701-death-of.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. 

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1677 Marriage Record of Thomas Read (1653-1733) and Mary Goodridge (1650-1724) in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1677 marriage record for Thomas Read and Mary Goodridge in the Sudbury,  Massachusetts vital record book:
The marriage record for Thomas Read and Mary Goodridge is near the bottom of the Read listings on page 256: 


The transcription of the marriage entry is:

"[READ] Tho[mas] and Mary Goodridge, May 30, [16]77. M.R."

The source citation for this record is:

Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the year 1850 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Marriages, page 256, Thomas Read and Mary Goodridge entry, 30 May 1677.
This is a Derivative Source record which was extracted from an earlier Sudbury record book (no longer extant or available), for the marriage of Thomas Read and Mary Goodridge in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of Thomas and Mary the marriage date and marriage place.  
Thomas Read (1653--1733) was the only known child of Thomas and Katherine (--?--) Read of Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Mary Goodrich (1650-1724) was the third child of John and Elizabeth (--?--) Goodrich of Sudbury.  Thomas and Mary (Goodrich) Read are my 8th great-grandparents, through their daughter Mary Read (1679-????) who married Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) in 1701.
                           =========================================== 

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/08/treasure-chest-thursday-1677-marriage.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. 

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1679 Birth Record of Mary Read (1679-????) in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1679 birth record for Mary Read in the Sudbury,  Massachusetts vital record book:

The birth record for Mary Read is near them iddle of the Read listings on page 117: 


The transcription of the birth entry is:

"[READ] Mary, ch. Tho[mas] and Mary, Jan. 5, 1679"

The source citation for this record is:

Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the year 1850 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Births, page 117, Mary Read entry, 5 January 1679, child of Thomas and Mary Read.
This is a Derivative Source record which was extracted from an earlier Sudbury record book (no longer extant or available), for the birth of Mary Read in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of Mary and her parents married names, the birth date and birth place.  An earlier handwritten Sudbury town record for this event was not found on Ancestry.com or on FamilySearch. org. The birth date is most likely 5 January 1679/80, since she has siblings born in March 1677/8 and July 1683.
Mary Read (1679-????) was the second child of Thomas and Mary (Goodrich) Read of Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  She married Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) in 1701 in Sudbury  and had six children.  They are my 7th great-grandparents.  I am descended through their son Robert Seaver (1702-1752) who married Eunice Rayment (1707-1772) in 1726.
                           =========================================== 

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/08/treasure-chest-thursday-1679-birth.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. 

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1701 Marriage of Joseph Severs and Mary Reed in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1701 marriage record for Joseph Severs and Mary Reed in the Sudbury,  Massachusetts town record book:


The marriage record for Joseph Severs and Mary Reed is the first entry on page 200 (penned) on the image: 


The transcription of the marriage entry is:

"Joseph Severs and Mary Reed were married October 13'th 1701"

The source citation for this record is:

Sudbury, Massachusetts Town Records, imaged,  "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988,"Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62997/images/i3817385-00270), Sudbury > Volume 1, 1676-1779, Births, Marriages and Deaths > page 270 (penned, image 271 of 364), Joseph Severs and Mary Reed entry, married 13 October 1701.
This is a Derivative Source record which is a copy of an earlier Sudbury record book (since the records are listed alphabeticall by surname first letter and then by year), for the marriage of Joseph Severs and Mary Reed in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of Joseph and Mary and their marriage date and place. 
Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) and Mary Read (1679-????) are my 7th great-grandparents, who married in 1701 in Sudbury  and had six children.  I am descended through their son Robert Seaver (1702-1752) who married Eunice Rayment (1707-1772) in 1726.
                           =========================================== 

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/treasure-chest-thursday-1701-marriage.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. 

Thursday, July 23, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1672 Birth of Joseph Seaver In Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1672 birth record for Joseph Seaver in the Roxbury, Massachusetts town record book:


The birth record for Joseph Seaver is the third entry in the 1672 section on the right-hand page of the image: 

The transcription of the Joseph Seaver entry is:

"[1672] Joseph sonn to Shuball Seauer borne June 1"

The source citation for this record is:

Roxbury, Massachusetts Town Records, imaged,  "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988,"Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2495/images/40400_274764-00014), Roxbury > Records, Births, Marriages and Deaths 1630-1785 > page 15 (penned, image 9 of 114), Joseph Seaver, entry, born 1 June 1672 son of Shuball Seaver.
This is an Original Source record for the birth of Joseph Seaver, son of Shuball Seaver,  in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony. This record is likely in the first Roxbury town record book, or an early copy of the original record.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of Joseph and his father, his birth date and place. 
Shubael and Hannah (Wilson) Seaver are my 8th great-grandparents, who married in 1668 in Roxbury  and had six children.  I am descended from this Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) who married Mary Read (1679-????) in 1700. 
                               =========================================== 

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/treasure-chest-thursday-1672-birth-of.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday - Children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver Born in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the birth records of the children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Sever in the Shrewsbury, Massachusetts town record book:


The children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver are listed in the family near the bottom of the image:

The transcription of the Norman Sever children is:

Joseph Seaver } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born May 13,1761
Isaac Sever      } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born February 18'th 1763
Ethan Seaver  } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born Septemb'r y'e 24'th day 1765
Daniel Seaver } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born June y'e 28 1767
Heman Seaver } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born May y'e 6'th 1769
Luther Seaver } Son of Norman Seaver & Sarah his wife was Born April y'e 13 1771

The source citation for this record is:

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts Town Records, imaged,  "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988,"Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2495/images/40143_267992__0003-00089), Shrewsbury > Births, Marriages and Death > page 86 (penned, Image 89 of 1,764), Family of Norman and Sarah Seaver.
This is a Derivative Source record for the births of four of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver's children in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Three other children were born in Sudbury before the family moved to Shrewsbury, and four were born in Westminster after the family moved to Shrewsbury. This record is a transcription of an earlier Shrewsbury town record that was more or less in chronological order, and this record placed children into families. The original record is not currently available.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of the parents, the names of the children, the birth dates and place. 
Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver are my 5th great-grandparents, who married in 1755 and had 13 children.  I am descended from their oldest son, Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816) who married Martha Whitney in 1783.
                               =========================================== 

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/treasure-chest-thursday-children-of_01008064473.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Thursday, July 9, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday - Children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver Born in Westminster, Massachusetts Bay Colony

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the birth records of the children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Sever in the Westminster, Massachusetts town record book:


The children of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver are listed in the family at the top of the left-hand page of the image:


The transcription of the Norman Sever children is (courtesy of MyHeritage's Scribe AI tool):

(38) Mr Norman Sever and Wif Sarah Severs Family Recorded

DateBirthsDeaths
Sept mber ye 25: 1774Leafe Sever Borneand Deceasd Aug ye 20th 1795 of Consumption
October ye 22: 1775Asell Reed Sever Borne
Aug 22 1777Fatha Sever Born
May 23: 1780Lucinda Sever Born

The source citation for this record is:
Westminster, Massachusetts Town Records, imaged,  "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988,"Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2495/images/40143_270902__0007-00065), Westminster > Births, Marriages and Death > page 38 (penned, Image 116 of 1,195), Family of Norman and Sarah Sever.
This is a Derivative Source record for the births of four of Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver's children in Westminster, Massachusetts. Nine other children were born in Sudbury and Sheewsbury before the family moved to Westminster. This record is a transcription of an earlier Westminster town record that was more or less in chronological order, and this record placed children into famlies. The original record is not currently available.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the names of the parents, the names of the children, the birth dates and place. 
Norman and Sarah (Read) Seaver are my 5th great-grandparents, who married in 1755 and had 13 children.  I am descended from their oldest son, Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816) who married Martha Whitney in 1783.
                               =========================================== 

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/treasure-chest-thursday-children-of.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Using Steve Little's Genealogical Research Assistant (V. 8.5.1c) To Evaluate a Death Certificate

 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).  

I chose to run the Genealogical Research Assistant in OpenAI ChatGPT5 because it is free and Steve has created a Custom Prompt for it in https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69701d25d61c819192c2db4589b366d9-genealogical-research-assistant.  I attached the document image and asked the custom prompt to "Please evaluate the attached death certificate, summarize all of the evidence as it pertains to the genealogical proof standard, create an Evidence Explained source citation, and provide a written proof summary."

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.

Source Analysis (GPS Element 3)

Source Classification

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.

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

Identity
  • Abigail A. Smith
  • Female
  • White
  • Widowed
Death
  • Died 11 September 1931
  • Approximately 10:10 a.m.
  • San Diego, San Diego County, California
Direct evidence for:
  • date of death
  • place of death
Birth

Reported birth:
  • 2 October 1844
  • New York
Secondary Information.

Age
  • 86 years
  • 10 months
  • 14 days
This agrees closely with the reported birth date.

Parents

Father:
  • Samuel Vary
  • Born England
Mother:
  • Mary A. Underhill
  • Born New York
These constitute Direct Evidence for the research question "Who were the parents reported at Abigail's death?" but only Secondary Information because the informant was not present at Abigail's birth.

Marital Information

Widow of:
  • Devere J. Smith
This implies a marital relationship but does not prove it independently. Confirmation should come from a marriage record or another record explicitly documenting the marriage.

Occupation
  • "At home."
This indicates no occupation outside the home was reported.

Residence

Length of residence:
  • 45 years in place of death
  • 45 years in California
This suggests residence in California since approximately 1886, but that year is an inference, not a stated fact.

Cause of Death

Immediate cause:
  • Carcinoma of breast with general metastasis
Duration:
  • Four years
Contributory:
  • Acute dilatation of heart (approximately two days)
Burial

Undertaker:
  • Benbough Funeral Parlors
  • 711 Date Street
Disposition:
  • Cremation
  • Greenwood Cremator
  • 13 September 1931
Evidence Classification

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

Strongest Evidence
  • Date of death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Physician attendance
  • Burial details
These are contemporaneous and recorded by officials directly involved.

Moderate Reliability
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace
  • Parents
  • Husband's identity
These depend entirely upon the unidentified informant's knowledge.

Weaker Elements

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
The absence of an informant limits evaluation of the reliability of the biographical information.

Suggested Corroborating Records

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).
Evidence Explained–Style Citation (Draft)

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.

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

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. 

UPDATE:  I ran the GRA as an Anthropic Claude 5 Skill (free!) and the result was different (logical, it's a different LLM) -- and it did not have all of the nit-picky problems noted above. 

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

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


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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Thursday, July 2, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1684 Death Record of Martha (Russell) Gleason in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1684 death record of Martha Gleason in the Sudbury, Massachusetts vital record book:

The Martha Gleason death record is the 3rd record down the page: 


The transcription of this record is:

"[GLEASON] Martha, w. Joseph, Mar. 2 [16]83-4. M.R."

The source citation for this record is:

Sudbury, Massachusetts Town Records, Martha Gleason death entry, 2 March 1683/4; imaged, "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2495/images/41254_265613-00297), "Sudbury > Vital Record Transcripts," page 305, image 297 of 324.

This is a Derivative Source record for the death of Martha Gleason, since it is a compilation by surname of an earlier town record.  It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the death date and place. The original source records are probably Sudbury town records for the time period that are either lost or unavailable to digitize, but were transcribed at a later time.

Martha (Russell) Gleason (1647-1684) is the daughter of William and Martha (--?--) Russell of Cambridge, who married Joseph Gleason (1640-1715) in 1667.  They are my 8th great-grandparents, through their daughter Susannah Gleason (1675-1756) who married Samuel Willis (1675-1758) in 1703 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/07/treasure-chest-thursday-1684-death.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1715 Death Record of Joseph Gleason of Wayland, Massachusetts Bay Colony

 It's Treasure Chest Tuesday - a chance to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1715 death record of Joseph Gleason in the Sudbury, Massachusetts town  record book:


The Joseph Gleason death record is the 9th record down the right-hand page: 


The transcription of this record is:

"Sargent Joseph Gleason dyed Nov 20'th 1715"

The source citation for this record is:

Wayland, Massachusetts Town Records, Joseph Gleason death entry, 20 November 1715; imaged, "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/4771173), "Wayland > Births, Marriages, and Deaths," page 303, image 164 of 1060.

This is a Derivative Source record for the death of Joseph Gleason, since it appears to be a transcription of an earlier town record.  
It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the death date and place. The original source records are probably Wayland town records for the time period that are either lost or unavailable to digitize, but were transcribed at a later time.

Joseph Gleason (1640-1715) is the son of Thomas and Susannah (Page) Gleason, who married Martha Russell in 1667.  
They are my 8th great-grandparents, through their daughter Susannah Gleason (1675-1756) who married Samuel Willis (1675-1758) in 1703 in Sudbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/06/treasure-chest-thursday-1715-death.html


Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Trying Out the MyHeritage Scribe AI Tool To Transcribe, Translate, Interpret and Describe An Italian Birth Record

 MyHeritage introduced Scribe AI today in Introducing Scribe AI: Transcribe, Interpret, and Receive Fascinating Insights About Your Family’s Historical Documents and Photos, and MyHeritage Records and I was impressed.

So I tried it.  I didn't think too long about it - I wanted a handwritten record in a foriegn language to demonstrate all of the features.  Ah, how about the birth record of the 2nd great-grandfather of two of my grandsons, Leone Morandi in 1894 in Bagni di Lucca, Lucca, Italy?  Here is the image I have:


Leone Morandi's birth record is the second of three records on this image starting on the bottom of the left-hand page and finishing at the top of the right-hand page.  

I input it into Scribe AI, and it took a minute or two but look at whsat it produced (after I expanded all of the categories:

MyHeritage Scribe AI Results – Leone Morandi 1894 Birth Record

Historical context:

The document you uploaded is a page from the Italian Civil Registration (Stato Civile) birth registers (Atti di Nascita) from the municipality of Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, dated October 1894.

These records were created by the local civil registrar to officially document the births of citizens, which was a strict legal requirement in post-unification Italy. You will notice a specific historical clause in these records: the fathers were exempted from physically presenting the infants at the town hall due to 'lontananza' (distance). This reveals the rural and mountainous geography of Bagni di Lucca, where traveling from outlying villages like Limano or Casabasciana with a newborn was impractical.

Additionally, you can see handwritten marginal notes next to the records. These are highly significant for your research, as Italian registrars later annotated birth records with marriage dates and spouses' names, providing you with a direct link to the individuals' adult lives.

Details Mentioned:

Based on the document you provided, here are the detailed profiles of the individuals mentioned:

Record 311 (Primary Subject):

  • Leone Giovanni Morandi

    • Role in Document: Principal Subject (Newborn)

    • Birth: October 8, 1894, at 15:00 (3:00 PM) in Limano (sulla rocca), Bagni di Lucca, Italy.

    • Marriage: A marginal note indicates he married Maria Rosa Angeli on September 15, 1926, in Bagni di Lucca.

  • Lorenzo Morandi

    • Role in Document: Declarant / Father

    • Biographical Details: Age 48, carpenter (falegname), residing in Limano.

  • Domenica Angeli

    • Role in Document: Mother

    • Biographical Details: Housewife, residing with her husband. She is listed as the daughter of the late Giovanni.

Record 310:

  • Pellegrina Argentina Filomena Trullani

    • Role in Document: Principal Subject (Newborn)

    • Birth: October 2, 1894, at 15:05 (3:05 PM) in Casoli (in Cornia), Bagni di Lucca.

    • Marriage: Married Francesco Petrucci on January 23, 1921, in Bagni di Lucca.

  • Luigi Trullani (Father, age 43, farmer) and Maria Bernardi (Mother, housewife).

Record 312:

  • Assunta Gaspera Maria Marigliani

    • Role in Document: Principal Subject (Newborn)

    • Birth: October 8, 1894, at 19:30 (7:30 PM) in Casabasciana, Bagni di Lucca.

  • Fortunato Marigliani (Father, age 31, farmer) and Amelia Pacini (Mother, housewife).

Associated Officials and Witnesses:

  • Pietro Corrado Ambrogi: Civil Status Official (Secretary delegated by the Mayor).

  • Lino Morandi: Witness for Record 311 (Age 27, landowner).

  • Michele Barsotti: Witness for Record 311 (Age 60, landowner).

  • Achille Benedetti & Antonio Michelini: Witnesses for Record 310.

  • Annibale Ciannelli & Torquato Borgantini: Witnesses for Record 312.

Key Findings:

Your document contains three civil birth records from Bagni di Lucca, Italy, recorded in October 1894.

  • The primary record (Number 311) documents the birth of Leone Giovanni Morandi on October 8, 1894, to Lorenzo Morandi and Domenica Angeli in the village of Limano.

  • A crucial marginal note on Leone's record reveals that he married Maria Rosa Angeli on September 15, 1926.

  • You can also find the birth records for Pellegrina Trullani and Assunta Marigliani on the same page, complete with their parents' details and marginal marriage annotations.

Suggested Next Steps:

You should search for the marriage record of Leone Morandi and Maria Rosa Angeli dated September 15, 1926, in Bagni di Lucca. The marginal note specifically references register number 169, which will help you locate the exact document.

  • You should look for the birth records of Lorenzo Morandi (born around 1846) and Domenica Angeli to identify Leone's grandparents and extend your family tree.

  • You should explore the Antenati portal (Il Portale Antenati), the free Italian State Archives website, to find digitized civil registration records for Bagni di Lucca.

  • You should check MyHeritage for existing family trees or indexed Italian vital records that might connect to the Morandi or Angeli families in the Lucca province.

Full Text Transcription:

Numero 310. Trecentodieci Trullani Pellegrina [Margin note: 23. 1. 21 ha celebrato matrimonio con Petrucci Francesco nel Comune di B. Lucca come da atto inserito sul relativo registro al N 70 dell'anno [blank] Lucca, Il Cancelliere [Signature]] L'anno milleottocentonovantaquattro, addì quattro di Ottobre a ore dieci meridiane e minuti cinquanta, nella Casa Comunale. Avanti di me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi Segretario delegato dal Sindaco con atto primo marzo mille 887. Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Bagni di Lucca è comparso Trullani Luigi, di anni quarantatre, colono, domiciliato in Cutigliano, il quale mi ha dichiarato che alle ore meridiane tre e minuti cinque, del dì due del corrente mese, nella casa posta in Casoli (in Cornia) al numero [blank], da Bernardi Maria, attendente a casa, di lui moglie, seco lui convivente, è nato un bambino di sesso femminile che non mi presenta, e a cui dà i nomi di Pellegrina Argentina Filomena. A quanto sopra e a quest'atto sono stati presenti quali testimoni Benedetti Achille, di anni ventinove, possidente, e Michelini Antonio, di anni trentuno, calzolaio, entrambi residenti in questo comune. A causa della lontananza il comparente è stato da me dispensato dal presentarmi la bambina suddetta, dopo essermi altrimenti reso certo della verità di questa nascita. Letto il presente atto agl'intervenuti, lo hanno essi con me sottoscritto. Trullani Luigi Benedetti Achille Antonio Michelini L'Uffiziale: P. Ambrogi

Numero 311. Trecentoundici Morandi Leone [Margin note: 15-9-926 ha celebrato matrimonio con Angeli Maria Rosa nel Comune di B. Lucca come da atto inserito sul relativo registro al N 169 dell'anno [blank] Lucca, Il Cancelliere [Signature]] L'anno milleottocentonovantaquattro, addì nove di Ottobre a ore nove meridiane e minuti trenta, nella Casa Comunale. Avanti di me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi Segretario delegato dal Sindaco con atto primo marzo mille 887. Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Bagni di Lucca è comparso Morandi Lorenzo, di anni quarantotto, falegname, domiciliato in Limano, il quale mi ha dichiarato che alle ore meridiane quindici e minuti nessuno, del dì otto del corrente mese, nella casa posta in Limano (sulla rocca) al numero [blank], da Angeli Domenica fu Giovanni, attendente a casa, di lui moglie, seco lui convivente, è nato un bambino di sesso maschile che non mi presenta, e a cui dà i nomi di Leone Giovanni. A quanto sopra e a quest'atto sono stati presenti quali testimoni Morandi Lino, di anni ventisette, possidente, e Barsotti Michele, di anni sessanta, possidente, entrambi residenti in questo Comune. A causa della lontananza il comparente è stato da me dispensato dal presentarmi il bambino suddetto, dopo essermi altrimenti reso certo della verità di questa nascita. Letto il presente atto agl'intervenuti, lo hanno con me sottoscritto. Morandi Lorenzo Lino Morandi Michele Barsotti L'Uffiziale: P. Ambrogi

Numero 312. Trecentododici Marigliani Assunta L'anno milleottocentonovantaquattro, addì nove di Ottobre a ore undici meridiane e minuti quindici, nella Casa Comunale. Avanti di me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi Segretario delegato dal Sindaco con atto primo marzo mille 887. Uffiziale dello Stato Civile del Comune di Bagni di Lucca è comparso Marigliani Fortunato, di anni trentuno, agricoltore, domiciliato in Casabasciana, il quale mi ha dichiarato che alle ore meridiane diciannove e minuti trenta, del dì otto del corrente mese, nella casa posta in detto luogo (sussamanca) al numero [blank], da Pacini Amelia, donna di casa, di lui moglie, seco lui convivente, è nato un bambino di sesso femminile che non mi presenta, e a cui dà i nomi di Assunta Gaspera Maria. A quanto sopra e a quest'atto sono stati presenti quali testimoni Ciannelli Annibale, di anni trentasei, impiegato, e Borgantini Torquato, di anni quarantatre, impiegato, entrambi residenti in questo comune. Il dichiarante per ragione della lontananza, è stato da me dispensato dal presentarmi il bambino suddetto, dopo essermi in altro modo reso certo della verità di questa nascita. Previa lettura, tutti meno il dichiarante illetterato, lo hanno con me firmato. Ciannelli Annibale Torquato Borgantini L'Uffiziale di Stato Civile: P. Ambrogi

Translation:

Number 310. Three hundred ten. Trullani Pellegrina. [Margin note: On January 23, 1921, she celebrated marriage with Petrucci Francesco in the Municipality of Bagni di Lucca as per the act inserted in the relative register at No. 70 of the year [blank] Lucca, The Chancellor [Signature]] The year one thousand eight hundred ninety-four, on the fourth day of October at ten hours and fifty minutes a.m., in the Town Hall. Before me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi, Secretary delegated by the Mayor with act of March first, 1887. Civil Status Official of the Municipality of Bagni di Lucca appeared Trullani Luigi, aged forty-three, farmer, residing in Cutigliano, who declared to me that at three hours and five minutes p.m., on the second day of the current month, in the house located in Casoli (in Cornia) at number [blank], from Bernardi Maria, housewife, his wife, living with him, was born a child of female sex whom he does not present to me, and to whom he gives the names of Pellegrina Argentina Filomena. To the above and to this act were present as witnesses Benedetti Achille, aged twenty-nine, landowner, and Michelini Antonio, aged thirty-one, shoemaker, both residing in this municipality. Due to the distance, the declarant was exempted by me from presenting the aforementioned child, after I had otherwise made myself certain of the truth of this birth. The present act having been read to the participants, they have signed it with me. Trullani Luigi Benedetti Achille Antonio Michelini The Official: P. Ambrogi

Number 311. Three hundred eleven. Morandi Leone. [Margin note: On September 15, 1926, he celebrated marriage with Angeli Maria Rosa in the Municipality of Bagni di Lucca as per the act inserted in the relative register at No. 169 of the year [blank] Lucca, The Chancellor [Signature]] The year one thousand eight hundred ninety-four, on the ninth day of October at nine hours and thirty minutes a.m., in the Town Hall. Before me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi, Secretary delegated by the Mayor with act of March first, 1887. Civil Status Official of the Municipality of Bagni di Lucca appeared Morandi Lorenzo, aged forty-eight, carpenter, residing in Limano, who declared to me that at fifteen hours [3:00 p.m.] and zero minutes, on the eighth day of the current month, in the house located in Limano (on the fortress) at number [blank], from Angeli Domenica, daughter of the late Giovanni, housewife, his wife, living with him, was born a child of male sex whom he does not present to me, and to whom he gives the names of Leone Giovanni. To the above and to this act were present as witnesses Morandi Lino, aged twenty-seven, landowner, and Barsotti Michele, aged sixty, landowner, both residing in this Municipality. Due to the distance, the declarant was exempted by me from presenting the aforementioned child, after I had otherwise made myself certain of the truth of this birth. The present act having been read to the participants, they have signed it with me. Morandi Lorenzo Lino Morandi Michele Barsotti The Official: P. Ambrogi

Number 312. Three hundred twelve. Marigliani Assunta. The year one thousand eight hundred ninety-four, on the ninth day of October at eleven hours and fifteen minutes a.m., in the Town Hall. Before me Pietro Corrado Ambrogi, Secretary delegated by the Mayor with act of March first, 1887. Civil Status Official of the Municipality of Bagni di Lucca appeared Marigliani Fortunato, aged thirty-one, farmer, residing in Casabasciana, who declared to me that at nineteen hours and thirty minutes [7:30 p.m.], on the eighth day of the current month, in the house located in said place (sussamanca) at number [blank], from Pacini Amelia, housewife, his wife, living with him, was born a child of female sex whom he does not present to me, and to whom he gives the names of Assunta Gaspera Maria. To the above and to this act were present as witnesses Ciannelli Annibale, aged thirty-six, clerk, and Borgantini Torquato, aged forty-three, clerk, both residing in this municipality. The declarant, by reason of the distance, was exempted by me from presenting the aforementioned child, after I had otherwise made myself certain of the truth of this birth. Following a reading, everyone except the illiterate declarant signed it with me. Ciannelli Annibale Torquato Borgantini The Civil Status Official: P. Ambrogi

Here is an image of the screen with the English translation of the image:

I have no ability to transcribe the record - it would take me hours to do that, and I  probabvly would misspell 5% of the letters.  I have no ability to translate the record and have not had the chance to translate the transcription using a tool like Google Translate.  The names, dates and place names in the translation match what I have in my family tree program based on what a translator on the Facebook Italian Research group told me about Leone Morandi's birth record.

This took no more than two minutes for MyHeritage's Scribe AI to perform this task.  Amazing!  This will, I think, greatly improve the transcription, translation and analysis of many foreign language records, documents and photographs.  

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a paid subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2026/03/trying-out-myheritage-scribe-ai-tool-to.html

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 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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