The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT4, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta, CoPilot, GenSpark, DeepSeek, and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.
1) I wondered if the FREE AI tools could provide me with a summary and a proof argument for the birth year of my second great-grandfather Devier James Lamphier Smith (1839?-1894), based on the evidence at hand.
I created a PDF summary of Devier Smith's life from this blog post and uploaded it to the free AI tools.
2) Here is my first prompt for ChatGPT4: Please create a summary of the evidence that supports a birth date of 1839, or 1842, of Devier James Lamphier Smith from the attached document. Which evidence is the strongest, and tell me why.
The ChatGPT4 response to the request was:
Summary of Evidence for Devier James Lamphier Smith’s Birth Year
There are conflicting pieces of evidence for Devier James Lamphier Smith's birth year, with records supporting either 1839 or 1842.
Evidence Supporting 1842:
- Smith Family Bible Entry – The family Bible states his birth date as 7 May 1842.
- Gravestone Inscription – His headstone reads "D. J. Smith, 1842-1894".
- Obituary (McCook Times-Democrat, 1894) – States he was born in May 1842 in Dodge County, Wisconsin.
Evidence Supporting 1839:
- 1889 Wano, Kansas, Newspaper Biography – States he was born in 1839 in Jefferson County, New York.
- Census Records:
- 1850 Census – Lists Devier as 11 years old, suggesting a birth year of 1839.
- 1860 Census – Lists him as 21 years old, again pointing to 1839.
- 1870 Census – Lists him as 30 years old, aligning with 1839.
- 1880 Census – Lists him as 41 years old, further supporting 1839.
- 1885 Kansas Census – States he was 46 years old, supporting 1839.
- 1885 Nebraska Census – Lists him as 45 years old, aligning with 1839.
Strongest Evidence and Conclusion
The strongest evidence supports a birth year of 1839, primarily due to the consistency of census records over multiple decades. The 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1885 censuses all suggest he was born in or around 1839. Additionally, the 1889 newspaper biography specifically states 1839, which is a firsthand account of his life.
While the Smith Family Bible and gravestone indicate 1842, these sources may have been influenced by later family traditions rather than official records. The obituary also states 1842, but this could have been based on the family’s recollection rather than official documentation.
Given the weight of multiple government records spanning 35 years, 1839 is the most likely birth year for Devier James Lamphier Smith.
3) My second prompt was this: Please construct a proof argument that satisfies the Genealogical Proof Standard for the birth year of 1839 for Devier.
The ChatGPT4 response was:
Here's a proof argument for the birth year 1839 of Devier James Lamphier Smith, following the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS):
Genealogical Proof Argument: Birth Year of Devier James Lamphier Smith
1. Reasonably Exhaustive Research
A thorough search for records related to Devier James Lamphier Smith has been conducted, including:
- Census records (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1885 Kansas, and 1885 Nebraska)
- Family Bible records
- Gravestone inscription
- Newspaper accounts and obituaries
- Legal documents, including adoption and name change records
These records provide two competing birth years: 1839 and 1842.
2. Complete and Accurate Source Citations
The following sources provide direct or indirect evidence of Devier's birth year:
- 1850 U.S. Census (Burnett, Dodge County, Wisconsin) – Lists Devier as 11 years old, suggesting a birth year of 1839.
- 1860 U.S. Census (Oak Grove, Dodge County, Wisconsin) – Lists Devier as 21 years old, again aligning with 1839.
- 1870 U.S. Census (Benton Township, Taylor County, Iowa) – Lists Devier as 30 years old, continuing the pattern of 1839.
- 1880 U.S. Census (Shannon Township, Pottawatomie County, Kansas) – Lists him as 41 years old, confirming 1839.
- 1885 Kansas State Census (Clyde Township, Cloud County, Kansas) – Lists him as 46 years old, further supporting 1839.
- 1885 Nebraska State Census (McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska) – Lists him as 45 years old, in line with other records.
- 1889 Wano, Kansas, Newspaper Biography – Explicitly states that Devier was born in 1839 in Jefferson County, New York.
- Smith Family Bible – Provides a birth date of 7 May 1842, which conflicts with the above sources.
- Gravestone Inscription – Lists "1842-1894," potentially influenced by family tradition.
- Obituary (McCook Times-Democrat, 1894) – States he was born in May 1842.
3. Analysis and Correlation of Evidence
The census records consistently support a birth year of 1839, with Devier's reported age increasing consistently across decades. The 1889 newspaper biography independently confirms 1839 as his birth year.
Conversely, the Smith Family Bible and gravestone both list 1842, but these were likely recorded later and could have been influenced by family recollection rather than contemporary documentation. The obituary also states 1842, but it is a secondary source that may have relied on the gravestone inscription or family knowledge rather than direct records.
Given that census enumerations were recorded at the time they were taken, they carry significant contemporaneous weight. While censuses can contain errors, the repeated pattern across multiple decades suggests a high probability that Devier’s reported ages were accurate.
4. Resolution of Conflicting Evidence
The Bible record, gravestone, and obituary supporting 1842 were all created decades after Devier’s birth and are likely based on family memory rather than official records. Family Bibles, while valuable, are not always contemporaneous with the events they document.
In contrast, census records were recorded during Devier’s lifetime, and the 1889 biography presents direct evidence that he was born in 1839. The consistency of these independent sources outweighs the later-recorded family sources.
5. Soundly Written Conclusion
Based on the preponderance of primary and contemporary evidence, Devier James Lamphier Smith was most likely born in 1839 in Jefferson County, New York.
The census records (1850–1885) and the 1889 biography consistently support this conclusion. The conflicting evidence from the Bible, gravestone, and obituary is secondary and likely reflects a later-influenced date rather than an actual birth record.
Thus, the Genealogical Proof Standard is met, and Devier James Lamphier Smith’s birth year should be recorded as 1839 with a notation that some later sources incorrectly list 1842.
This proof argument systematically evaluates the evidence, resolves conflicts, and reaches a reasoned conclusion based on the best available sources. Would you like to refine any part of the argument further?
4) I realize I erred by requesting an argument for 1839 rather than just the birth year. Perhaps I should have followed up with a request for a proof argumnt for 1842 being the birth year, but I didn't.
Note that the ChatGPT4 summary cites "primary and contemporary" evidence rather than the standard "direct evidence" standard used in the Genealogical Proof Standard.
The 1839 conclusion is what I have always thought for the birth year because of the evidence. My reasoning was that the census records, especially the 1850 and 1860 records, were certainly given by one of Devier's adoptive parents, and they knew how old he was. The other census records, all provided by Devier or his wife, are all consistent with an 1839 birth year.
I know that Devier wrote the entry in the family Bible in 1889 that said 1842 was his birth year. I know that when Devier died in 1894 in McCook, Nebraska, that his son David D. Smith was the only family member there, and he very likely provided the information for the obituary and for the gravestone, based on what he, apparently, had been told and that he read in the Bible. David D. Smith came to San Diego after 1894, and brought the Bible with him, and I have the original vital record pages in my family papers collection.
There is one more piece of information that is not in the life sketch. Devier's wife, Abbey (Vaux) Smith wrote a list of names, dates of birth, and dates of death that was in the family papers that I have. The birth date for Devier J. Smith is May 7, 1839. I don't know when Abbey wrote that - it may have been after Devier's death in 1894, so it is a record that is an Original Source with Secondary Information and Direct Evidence.
While the Bible record is an Original Source with Primary Information and Direct Evidence, it may still be wrong. The census records are Original Sources with Secondary Information and Indirect Evidence of an age. The 1889 newspaper article is an Authored Work with Secondary Information and Indirect Evidence.
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My blog posts, and those of other genealogists, using Artificial Intelligence tools are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.
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