Friday, December 29, 2023

52 Relatives: Ellen Maria "Nellie" Seaver (1861-1933) of Leominster, Massachusetts

I have posted over 500 genealogical sketches of  my ancestors back through the 7th great-grandparents - see the list in 52 Ancestors Biographies.  

I am starting a new weekly series called "52 Relatives" to document the lives of siblings of my ancestors with relatively short sketches with events and source citations.  They deserve a sketch also - they were part of the lives of my ancestors.  I will post the sketches on my Ancestry Member Tree and in the FamilySearch Family Tree. 

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Ellen Maria “Nellie” Seaver was born 16 October 1861 in Westminster, Massachusetts, the fourth child and second daughter of Isaac and Lucretia Townsend (Smith) Seaver[1]. She grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts with her parents and siblings, Frank Walton Seaver, Benjamin Seaver, and Elizabeth Lucinda Seaver.

She did not marry.

Her grandniece, Geraldine Seaver, wrote this about Nellie:
“Aunt Nellie was a viable member of the Seaver family. She was one of the few who had been educated, I can't tell you where, probably a teacher's college, a normal school as it was called then. She was a school teacher and became principal of [Bennett] elementary school there in Leominster and was very well thought of. The Seaver family was very proud of her. If they had any legal troubles, or whatever, they would always turn to Aunt Nellie.”
In the 1900 U.S. Census, Nellie Seaver (indexed as Searer, white, female, born 1862, age 38, single, born MA, parents born MA, a school teacher) was a boarder residing at 101 Pleasant Street in the Walter Morse household in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[2].

In the 1910 U.S. Census, Nellie Seaver (roomer, female, white, age 48, single, born MA, parents born MA, teacher, works in public school) resided at 104 Walnut Street in the Walter Morse household in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[3].

In the 1920 U.S. Census, Nellie M. Seaver (indexed as Searls, a boarder, female, white, age 58, single, born MA, parents born MA, a teacher, works in a public school) resided at 180 Pleasant Street in the 3rd Ward of Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts in the Etta A. Blodgett household[4].

In the 1930 US Census, Nellie M. Seaver (boarder, female, white, age 68, single, born MA, parents born MA) resided at 225 West Street in the Nellie M. Emerton household in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts[5].

Ellen Maria “Nellie” Seaver died 26 June 1933, at age 71, in Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[6]. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts with her parents and her brother Benjamin[6].

SOURCES:

1. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed database and digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Births: Volume 143, Page 291, Ellen Maria Seaver entry.

2. 1900 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: Enumeration District 1647, Sheet 2, Line 10, Nellie Seaver entry in Walter Morse household; online image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 693.

3. 1910 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: ED 1769, Sheet 22A, page 22, dwelling #467, family #679, Nellie Seaver entry in Walter Morse household; online image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing NARA Microfilm Publication T624, Roll 629.

4. 1920 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: ED 103, Sheet 4, Line 58, Nellie M. Seaver entry in Etta A. Blodgett household; online image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747.

5. 1930 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: ED 225, Sheet 8B, dwelling #139, family #187, Nellie M. Seaver entry in Nellie M. Emerton household; online image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, Roll 964.

6. Find A Grave, indexed database and digital image, (http://www.findagrave.com), Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, Mass., Nellie M. Seaver memorial #44596454.

NOTE:  Ellen Maria "Nellie" Seaver (1861-1933) is my great-grandaunt.

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Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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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.   

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Thursday, December 28, 2023

Top 37 Most Viewed Posts in 2023 on Genea-Musings

A) Here are the Top 37 Genea-Musings blog posts written in 2023 that had the most page views in 2023 (from View Count statistics on the Google Blogger Posts page as of 28 December 2023):


1)  1792 views:  The New Ancestry.com Member Tree Fan Chart  (posted 1 September 2023)
2)  1005 views:  RootsTech 2023 Schedule, Speakers and Sessions Announced (posted 19 January 2023)
3)  904 views:  Ancestry.com Introduces ProTools for an Additional Fee (posted 14 December 2023)
4)  826 views:  Guest Post: What Happened at AncestryDNA This Week? (25 August 2023)
5)  644 views:  NEW: RootsMagic 9 Family Tree Software Released (posted 27 February 2023)

6)  470 views:  Family Tree Maker 2019 Version 24.1 - Free Update (posted 9 February 2023)
7)  421 views:  RootsTech 2023 Schedule, Speakers and Sessions Announced (posted 19 January 2023)
10)  335 views:  Beware of the A.I. Chatbots for Genealogy (posted 22 June 2023)

11)  333 views:  New MyHeritage Feature -- Artificial Intelligence AI Record Finder(tm) (posted 26 December 2023)
12)   332 views:  Test Driving the MyHeritage Reimagine Mobile App (posted 1 June 2023)
15)  303 views:  Goldie May is Launching Five Exciting New Features for RootsTech 2023 (posted 28 February 2023)

16)  299 views:  Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Memories of the Decade of Your Choice (posted 25 November 2023)
18)  287 views:  Free Access To All Death Records on MyHeritage for Halloween (posted 26 October 2023)

21) 263 views:  Randy's Day 3 (Saturday, 4 March) #NotAtRootsTech2023 (posted 4 March 2023)
22) 261 views:  New Book: Essential Guide to Kentucky Family Research (posted 10 March 2023)
23) 247 views:  MyHeritage at RootsTech 2023 (posted 23 February 2023)
24) 244 views:  FamilySearch: What to Expect in 2023 (posted 3 January 2023)

27)  237 views:  Website Searches for Historical German Place Names (posted 8 October 2023)
28)  227 views:  Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- What Are Your 2023 Genealogy Goals (posted 7 January 2023)
29)  223 views:  Dear Randy - Who Are Your Favorite Genealogy Bloggers? (posted 15 June 2023)
30)  223 views:  MyHeritage CEO Gilad Japhet's Address at RootsTech 2023 (posted 13 March 2023)

33) 214 views:  Randy's Day 1 (Thursday, 2 March) #NotAtRootsTech2023 (posted 2 March 2023)
35)  208 views:  Happy Presidents Day 2023! 20 Are My Cousins (posted 20 February 2023)

36)  207 views:  Rabbit Holes With Randy - New AncestryDNA ThruLines (posted 21 September 2023)
37)  203 views:  Rabbit Holes With Randy -- Sketches for Relatives in my Family Tree (posted 23 November 2023)

Why 37?   Because I knew my blog posts views were down this year because of a general falloff in number of blog posts, stale weekly topics, plus my health problems.  So I listed 200 or more views and cut it back to 37, which happened at 203 views.  I did not include some of the regular weekly posts, like Best of the Genea-Blogs which occasionally had more than 200 views.

Genea-Musings had about 1.48 million page views according to Google during 2023, and about 14.1 million views since 2007.  In 2022, Genea-Musings had about 0.975 million page views, so the effect of all my efforts was about a 52% increase in page views for 2023.  

B)  The ten most popular Genea-Musings posts since 2007 (per Google Blogger) are:

1)  1940 Census Enumeration District Maps Online at NARA Website (posted 18 July 2011) - 77,300 views.
2)  Microfilm Scanning at the FHL and FHC (posted 22 July 2009) - 76,900 views.
3)  Genealogy Presentations on Slideshare.net (posted 28 January 2010) - 25,940 views.
4)  Amanuensis Monday -- 1772 Deed of Norman Sever Selling Land in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts to Abel Osgood (posted 8 November 2021) - 25,500 views
5)  Dear Ancestry.com: Are You Fixing These Problems? (17 January 2019) - 17,000 views
 
6)  World records for number of children (posted 21 July 2006) - 16,100 views.
7)  Merry Christmas to All! (posted 25 December 2011) - 14,900 views.
8)  Randy's NGS 2010 Photos - Post 1 (posted 4 May 2010) - 9,350 views
9)  RootsTech 2017 Blog Compendium -- UPDATED (posted 1 March 2017) - 8212 views
10)  Ancestry.com Says They Will Work on Technical Problems (posted 11 May 2018) - 7910 views

#4 is new this year - for some reason that post was easily the most viewed in 2023! The other 9 haven't changed in the past year, except for #2 becoming #1.

C)  Of course, all of my blog posts are viewed by more readers than those that go to the specific web page for the post, which is what Google counts - those who read them on a Genea-Musings archive page, those that read them in an RSS reader, or on a mobile device.  In July 2022, Feedburner stopped their daily email service to subscribers, and I have not found an acceptable substitute yet.

Another measure of popularity or readership might be in the number of comments generated by each post.  I don't think that is a reliable measure of popularity because of the proliferation of RSS reader usage, email usage, and mobile device usage, each of which require one or more click throughs to get to the comment box.  In addition, there are thousands of spam comments in the list (now Google doesn't block them and I'm too lazy to review them and delete them every day).

It certainly seems like readers search for Ancestry.com, Findmypast, DNA, Dear Randy, Rabbit Holes, and genealogy software topics, and find my blog posts.  In recent years, few of my research posts - Amanuensis Monday, 52 Ancestors, Treasure Chest Thursday, etc. -- have made the Top 40 list.

D)  Previous "most popular" posts on Genea-Musings are:


E)  Readership of Genea-Musings went down significantly over the past year.  For example, the 10th most viewed post in 2023 had 335 views, the 20th most viewed post had 264 views, the 30th had 233 views, and the 40th had 203 views. In 2022, the 10th most viewed post had 646 views, the 20th had 544 views, the 30th had 441 views and the 40th had 401 views.  

Google says that there were 1,47 million page views for Genea-Musings in 2023, and 15.6 million page views all time (since 2007).  These numbers include views of "Pages" on Genea-Musings - the "Pages" link is at the top of the page.

I wrote about 820 blog posts in 2023, compared to over 825 for 2022, and over 900 for most years since 2007.

F)  I wondered what the least viewed Genea-Musings post was in 2023.  I know that Treasure Chest Thursday, Wordless Wednesday, Census Sunday, 52 Ancestors and Seavers in the News posts are not that popular, but they are the most useful to my research.  The least viewed blog post in 2023 (to date) had 48 views.

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Copyright (c) 2022, 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.
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Randy's Cousins -- 7th Cousin 1x Removed Leroy Gordon Cooper (1927-2004) - a NASA Astronaut

 This week's famous cousin is Leroy Gordon Cooper (1927-2004). the NASA Astronaut.  Here is the FamilySearch Family Tree Brief Life History biography:

"When LeRoy Gordon Cooper Jr. was born on 6 March 1927, in Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, United States, his father, LeRoy Gordon Cooper Sr., was 24 and his mother, Hattie Lee Herd, was 26. He married Gertrude Bernice Olson in 1947. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He lived in Tecumseh, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, United States in 1930. He died on 4 October 2004, in Ventura, Ventura, California, United States, at the age of 77, and was buried in Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States. 'Gordo' piloted the Mercury 9 and Gemini 5 space capsules."

The FamilySearch Family Tree indicates that I am his 7th cousin once removed. Here is the relationship path:

My most recent common ancestors with cousin Leroy Gordon Cooper are my 8th great-grandparents George Stearns (1688-1760) and Hannah Sanderson (1689-1770).

My grandkids will be thrilled, I think.  I am - the NASA astronauts were my heroes.

Are you related to Leroy Gordon Cooper?  Check it out on FamilySearch Family Tree by clicking the "View Relationship" link at the top of the page.  Note that you have to be connected to the FamilySearch Family Tree in order for this to work.

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Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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

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.
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Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1856 Burial Record for Ann Richman (1784-1856) in Hilperton, Wiltshire

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

The treasure today is the 1856 burial entry for Ann Richman in the Hilperton, Wiltshire parish records:

The burial entry for Ann Richman is the 5th entry down the page:


The transcription of this record is:

"No.: 741
Name:  Ann Richman
Abode:  Hilperton Marsh
Burial date:  August the 5th [1856]
Age:  80
By Whom the Ceremony was Performed:  Henry W. Long."

The source citation for this record is:

"Wiltshire, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1922," indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Hilperton > Parish Registers > 1813-1861, page 93, image 99 of 110, Burials, 1856, Ann Richman burial entry, 5 August 1856. Original data: Wiltshire Church of England Parish Registers, Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England.

This is an entry in the Hilperton, Wiltshire parish register.  It is an Original Source with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the burial of Ann Richman on 5 August 1856 in the Hilperton churchyard.  The grave is no longer extant.

Ann Marshman was born in about 1784 in Devizes, Wiltshire, the daughter of John and Ann (Angel) Marshman.  She married John Richman (1789-1867) on 28 February 1811 in Hilperton, Wiltshire.  She died 31 July 1856 in Hilperton Marsh.
   
John and Ann (Marshman) Richman are my 3rd great-grandparents; they had 8 children, including my 2nd great-grandfather James Richman (1821-1912) who married Hannah Rich (1824-1911) in 1844 in Hilperton, Wiltshire. 

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Copyright (c) 2023, 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.
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Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 21 to 27 December 2023

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


1) Upcoming Conferences, Institutes and Seminars

* Conference Keeper Calendar




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

* Conference Keeper Calendar

*  FamilySearch Library Classes and Webinars 

*  Family Tree Webinars - Friday, 22 December, 11 a.m.:  

3) Recent Podcasts/Radio Shows:


4) Recent YouTube Videos:

*  Aimee Cross - Genealogy Hints: Why Does Ancestry.com Cost So Much? (How to Save $$)



*  Chris Paton:  Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors



*  Genealogy Quick Start:  Tick Marks & DNA Tuning (JaKobi Burton)






*  Lisa  Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems:  Find and Honor Your Ancestors at Ellis Island


*  Storied_Social:  Newspaper Matches

*  The Formidable Genealogist:  Finding Bio Family with DNA | Formidable Genealogy
*  The Formidable Genealogist:  GPS on Findagrave | Formidable Genealogy  

5) Did you miss the last post in this series - Genealogy Education Bytes -  14 to 20 December 2023?

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/12/genealogy-education-bytes-week-of-21-to.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. 

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 Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at   randy.seaver@gmail.com.
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MyHeritage AI Biographer Feature Is Only on Family View

 I wrote New MyHeritage Feature -- Artificial Intelligence AI Biographer(tm) yesterday and complained that I couldn't find the link to "View AI Biography" on my family tree page.  

I usually use the Fan View to navigate my MyHeritage family tree.  The link to"View AI Biography" was not on the Fan View page, nor on the Pedigree View page or List View page, but it is on the Family View page.  

Here is a Family View page with David Auble (1817-1894) selected:

As you can see, it is in the bottom left corner of the David Auble summary below the "Biography" (which are my Notes about the person).

I clicked the "View AI Biography" button and selected the "Enhanced" option (which provides the "Standard" information and adds more detailed information, including historical context and inconsistencies;  the other option is "Standard" which provides only information from the tree profile).  Here is the first part of the AI Biography created:

NOTE:  I haven't shown the rest of this "Enhanced" biography - the list of relatives, the historical context, the inconsistencies, or the sources.

I wanted to see the differences between the "Standard" biography and the "Enhanced" biography, but the site would not let me choose "Standard" after I had created the "Enhanced" biography. I Xed out of MyHeritage and came back in, and it still did not let me choose the biography type.  Perhaps if I log out of MyHeritage and log back in it will work?.    

So I chose David's wife, Sarah Knapp (1818-1904) and then chose the "Standard" biography option.  Here is the result:

NOTE:  I'm showing only the Biography, Consistency Issues, and Citations on the page. 

The detail that I immediately noticed was that there are complete birth and death years for all of the relatives!  They did not show up on David Auble's "Enhanced" Biography.  

Of course, I want that capability on the "Enhanced" biography also!  Please make it happen, MyHeritage!

So I learned three more things about the MyHeritage AI Biographer (it feels like it is training me!):

1)  It only works from the Family View, and not from the Fan View, Pedigree View or List View.  I wonder why this is?

2)  The "Standard" biography has more information about the relatives than the "Enhanced" biography, but less information about the records for the person.

3)  The user can choose between the "Standard" and "Enhanced" biography, but cannot choose to see both biographies in one session.

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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. I am a subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it. I am a paid subscriber to the Reimagine mobile app. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/12/myheritage-ai-biographer-feature-is.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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.

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Paternal Grandmother Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (1882-1962) in About 1960 -- Post 800 of (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

  I can't help it, I can't do a wordless post! This is one of my favorite photographs: 


This photograph is of my paternal grandmother, Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (1882-1962), taken in about 1960, probably in Leominster, Massachusetts.  My father, Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) was her son.

I met this grandmother only once - when she came, via car, from Massachusetts to San Diego to visit relatives in California in the summer of 1959.  She came with Walter and Evelyn (Seaver) Wood and their granddaughter, Diana Soule.  

I colorized a black and white photo using the MyHeritage tools.  I'm not sure that the colors are true.  Here is the black and white photo:

This photograph is all part of my family history.  

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Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

I moderate all comments and they may not appear immediately - please write only one comment.

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.   

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Tuesday, December 26, 2023

New MyHeritage Feature -- Artificial Intelligence AI Biographer(tm)

  My Heritage announced another new artificial intelligence feature today - an AI Biographer(tm) - for creating a biography of a person based on historical records from your MyHeritage family tree or from a record search.  It is described as:

AI Biographers allow users, with a click of a button, to generate a biography on deceased individuals.  From the AI Record Finder, the user can open a record he found relevant for him and he will be presented with a button to generate an AI Biography for this person.  We are fetching all Smart Matches, Record Matches and Record To Record matches which exist for this record, take out all the relevant information we can from these, and with the help of OpenAI generate a rich biography for this person which will include:

  • Infobox:   Show the main life events of the person and mention his immediate family members (parents, spouse(s), children).
  • Biography:  A short story telling the person's main life events and interesting details if we have them.
  • Historical Context:  A little bit of the time and places in which the person lived at, migrated, etc.
  • Surname Origins:  The meaning behind the person's surname.
  • Consistency Issues:  If there are contradictions in the data between the sources used.
  • Citations:  Mention and links to the sources used.

The AI Biographer will be accessible both from the AI Record Finder upon opening a record and also from the Family Tree left panel in the family tree.

Basic users will be able to create a few AI Biographies for free and then will need to purchase a Complete subscription to generate more.

I wrote a blog post about using the MyHeritage AI Record Finder in  New MyHeritage Feature -- Artificial Intelligence Record Finder using Theodore Alexander Leland (1883-1964) as the example.  

When I clicked on my own MyHeritage family tree in the Record Matches, I was presented with a link to "Save Record" or "Create AI Biography," with the indexed information about Theodore Alexander Leland:

I clicked on the "Create AI Biography" button and three pages appeared:



It's really just that simple (well, unless you have to input all of the information)!

I can download the AI Biography to my computer as a PDF from the Chat window, and MyHeritage sent it as a PDF attachment to my email within a minute.

Here is the text created in this particular Biography (copy/pasted/edited from the PDF file):

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Theodore Leland 1883 - 1964

Birth February 10, 1883 ● London, Dane, Wisconsin, United States
Death February 24, 1964 ● Seattle, King, Washington, United States

Parents

Torger Sjursen Leland 1850 - Deceased
Anna Ellingsdatter Leland (born Natvig) 1853 - Deceased

Siblings 

Edwin Mathias Leland Deceased 
Severt Oliver Leland Deceased 
Bertina Leland Deceased 
Anna Amanda Leland Deceased 
Herman Olaus Leland Deceased 
Mabelle Emelia Leland (born MacKenzie) Deceased 
Lewis Franklin Leland Deceased 
Arthur Henry Leland Deceased 
Anna Ruth Leland (born Krall) Deceased 

Spouse 

Alice Gertrude Leland (born Walker) 1891 - Deceased

Children

Theodore Hampton Leland Deceased
Wallace Ford Leland Deceased
George Hoffman Leland Deceased
Edwin Norris Leland Deceased

Biography 

Theodore Alexander Leland was born on February 10, 1883, in London, Dane, Wisconsin, United States, to Torger Sjursen Leland and Anna Ellingsdatter Leland (born Natvig) [1][2][3] . His father, Torger Sjursen, was born on March 26, 1850, in Mølster, Voss, Hordaland, Norway [1][2][3] , and his mother, Anna Ellingsdatter, was born on May 16, 1853, in Øvretun, Sogndal, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway [1][2][3] . Theodore had nine siblings: Edwin Mathias, Severt Oliver, Bertina, Anna Amanda, Herman Olaus, Mabelle Emelia, Lewis Franklin, Arthur Henry, and Anna Ruth [2][3][4] . 

He married Alice Gertrude Walker, who was born on May 26, 1891, in Hill City, Pennington, South Dakota, United States [1][2][4] . They were united in matrimony on May 28, 1912, in Livingston, Park, Montana, United States [1][2][4] . Together, they had four sons: Theodore Hampton, Wallace Ford (also known as Bud), George Hoffman, and Edwin Norris [1][2][4] . 

Throughout his life, Theodore lived in various places. In 1900, he resided in Deerfield town Deerfield village, Dane, Wisconsin [1] . By 1920, he had moved to Park, Montana [1][2] . He continued to live there in 1930, specifically in School District 53 Wilsall [1] . Records from 1935 indicate that he remained in the same place [1] . By 1940, he relocated to Election Precinct 17 Belgrade, Gallatin, Montana [1] . Later records show him living in Seattle, King, Washington, with addresses recorded for April 13, 1950, and February 25, 1964 [1] . Theodore served in the military around 1918 in Park, Montana, and again in 1942 in Seattle, Washington [1] . 

Theodore Alexander Leland passed away on February 24, 1964, at the age of 81 in Seattle, King, Washington, United States [1][2][3] . He was laid to rest in Seattle, King, Washington, United States [1][2][3] . 

Historical Context 

Theodore Alexander Leland's birth in London, Dane, Wisconsin on February 10, 1883, came at a time when the United States was experiencing significant growth due to immigration from Europe. His parents, Torger Sjursen Leland and Anna Ellingsdatter Leland, were part of a wave of Norwegian immigrants who settled in the Midwest, seeking opportunities in farming and other industries that were rapidly developing during this period. The Homestead Act of 1862 had encouraged such settlement by offering land to those willing to cultivate it. 

Marrying Alice Gertrude Walker in Livingston, Park, Montana on May 28, 1912, Theodore became part of America's westward expansion narrative. This era saw many Americans moving west in search of new opportunities, spurred by the development of railroads and the allure of mining prospects, particularly in states like Montana. Their marriage coincided with the Progressive Era, which focused on modernization, social reform, and improving the quality of life for families like the Lelands. 

Theodore's military service records from around 1918 in Park, Montana, suggest his involvement in World War I, a conflict that drew over four million American men into military service following the U.S. entry into the war in 1917. Later, in 1942, he served again in Seattle, Washington, amidst World War II. This second enlistment occurred during a time when millions of Americans were mobilized for the war effort, reflecting the nation's commitment to defeating Axis powers. 

Throughout his life, Theodore's various residences reflected broader migration patterns within the United States. From rural Wisconsin to Montana, and eventually to urban Seattle, Washington, his movements mirrored the demographic shifts of the early-to-mid-20th century as Americans sought economic opportunities in different regions. By the time of his death on February 24, 1964, Theodore had witnessed profound changes in American society, including the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the post-war boom that transformed the country's economic landscape. 

Last Name Origins 

The surname Leland is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is composed of the Old English elements 'leah', meaning 'wood' or 'clearing', and 'land', which refers to land or territory. The name would have originally been used for someone who lived by a clearing or glade within woodland or perhaps owned such a piece of land. Over time, as families moved or land ownership changed, the name became associated with individuals rather than a specific location, evolving into a hereditary family surname. 

Consistency Issues 

1. There is a discrepancy in the number of siblings reported; sources [1] and [4] mention eight siblings while sources [2] and [3] report nine siblings. 

2. Sources are inconsistent about whether Theodore's wife Alice Gertrude Walker was an ex-wife or current spouse at the time of certain events. Source [4] refers to her as 'ex-wife' indicating a divorce before 1930, which is not mentioned in other sources. 

3. The name of one son is given differently across sources: as 'Wallace Ford' in [1] and 'Bud Wallace Ford' in [2] . It is unclear if 'Bud' is a middle name, nickname, or error. 

Citations 





This AI Biography™ was created by MyHeritage using AI and includes data from MyHeritage and content generated by OpenAI.

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See the MyHeritage blog post -- Introducing AI Biographer™: Create a Wikipedia-like biography for any ancestor using AI, enriched with historical context -- for more information and a demonstration of how the AI Biographer works from a card in a MyHeritage family tree.

Note - I don't have the link from the MyHeritage family tree cards yet as of 1:30 p.m. PST.  Therefore, I can't see the difference between the "Standard" and "Enhanced" AI Biography.  My guess is the "Standard" is the first paragraph above and the "Enhanced" is all of the above.

I like this feature - and it will be very useful for many researches to create short biographies.  The MyHeritage blog post identifies some improvements that they hope to add:
"In the near future, we plan to enhance the AI Biography™ to also consider all the information you add as Biography Notes. This will give you a simple way to add any information you would like to include in the biography, such as the person’s hobbies, unique personality traits, special life anecdotes, and so on. This information will be included the next time you generate an AI Biography™ for that individual."

That will help, as long as the user understands that they will have to provide the Biography Notes to their MyHeritage family tree, or use someone else's MyHeritage family tree that has Biography Notes.  I don't know if the "Life Story" in a FamilySearch Family Tree profile or if a Note in the Geni.com tree profile will be transferred if the user selects those Record Matches to create the AI Biography.  

I would like to see the birth and death years for the siblings and children of the person with the Biographer - both in the list of close relatives and in the Biography text.

If a user has desktop genealogy software (like RootsMagic, Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, etc.) then the Biography created by that program will have all of the information that the user has included - all events, names, dates, places, relationships, sources, notes and media.

Both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch have short biographies for profiles in their family trees, but don't include bigraphical Notes and commentary like this MyHeritage AI Biographer. 

The genealogy community has been exploring ways to use OpenAI and other online artificial intelligence  programs to create biographies - see one of my attempts in Writing an AI Narrative Report in ChatGPT for David Auble (1817-1894).  That doesn't have Notes for a biography, but it could!  

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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. I am a subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it. I am a paid subscriber to the Reimagine mobile app. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products.

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