SNGF -- Ask an Artificial Intelligence Agent To Create a Research Plan

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

It's Saturday Night again - 

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has an assignment for us tonight: 

1)   Form a research question and ask an Artificial Intelligence agent to create a genealogy research plan for you. 

2)  Share the plan. How well did AI do? Is the plan useful or too basic?

[thank you to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic!] 

Here's mine:
Since I have a paid subscription with ChatGPT, I used version 4o. This is my prompt:

You are a certified genealogist. Your research subject is Amos Gorrell, who was born 12 February 1837 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, married Catherine Shotts on 6 February 1866 in Ross County, Ohio, and died on 31 March 1928 in Cooper County, Missouri. I would like a research plan to locate his parents.

This is the bot’s reply (in blue) and my comments about the plan (in black):

Creating a solid research plan for Amos Gorrell’s parents involves analyzing records from Pennsylvania and Ohio in the early to mid-1800s. Here’s a step-by-step outline to help locate his parents:

1. Birth and Baptism Records in Beaver County, Pennsylvania

• Search Local Church Records: Since Amos was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in 1837, church records might include his baptism, which often lists parents' names.
• Local Churches to Check: Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist denominations were prevalent in that area during the 1830s. Identify churches active in Beaver County in 1837 and check repositories or contact local churches for baptismal records.
• Repository Suggestions: Beaver County Genealogy & History Center, or local historical societies.

This is not a bad suggestion since Pennsylvania did not have birth certificates yet and church baptisms would be a good substitute. I am familiar with the Beaver County Genealogy & History Center and had visited one time after a GRIP course. I don’t think they had any church records. Why not suggest looking at FamilySearch to see if any church records are there?

2. Beaver County Census Records and Tax Lists (1830–1850)

• Federal Census: Begin with the 1840 Census for Beaver County, PA, since Amos would likely be listed as a young child. Focus on Gorrell households with male children under 5 years old. Then, look at the 1850 census when Amos would be around 13 and likely listed by name.

Amos would not be listed as a child on an 1840 census but a tick mark as a male under 5. So, the bot got half of it correct.

• Tax Records: Check Beaver County tax records, which often list heads of households, property holdings, and could help identify land-owning Gorrells.

Beaver County does have tax records. The Genealogy Center above had photocopies of the tax records and I photographed the pages listing Gorrells. Since they are not available online, I wished I had photographed all the pages for each year.

3. Land and Probate Records in Beaver County

• Deeds and Land Ownership: Check if there are land transactions involving any Gorrells around Amos's birth. Land grants, deeds, and land sales can establish family relationships.
• Probate and Wills: Probate records from the mid-1830s to 1850s might include wills or estate records for Gorrells in Beaver County, potentially listing Amos as a minor heir.

These suggestions are general and should have also suggested probate & wills to be checked in Ross County, Ohio, as he might have moved there with his family.

4. Marriage Records for Amos and Catherine in Ross County, Ohio (1866)

• Marriage License Application: Review their marriage records for any parental information. Some marriage licenses from the 1860s include parents' names or witnesses, who could be relatives.
• Affiliations and Associates: Look for Gorrell or Shotts family members in Ross County records around the time of Amos and Catherine’s marriage, as relatives might have migrated with them.

Here, finally checking other family members in Ross Co.

5. Military Service Records

• Civil War Service: Given Amos's birth year, he might have served in the Civil War. Many Civil War service records include next of kin, and pension records sometimes list parents’ names.
• Pension Records: The pension application might also mention family members who vouched for his identity, including potential relatives.

Since he didn’t die young, I doubt a pension record would name his parents. It is more likely to name his children if they were still minors.

6. Additional Census Tracking (Ohio and Missouri)

• Follow Amos’s Trail: Since Amos moved to Missouri by his death in 1928, track Gorrells living in proximity to Amos in census records. This can reveal potential siblings or other family members who relocated with him.

Yes, this is a valid suggestion which should have been suggested earlier in the plan.

7. Check Published Genealogies and Historical Books

• Genealogical Society Publications: Local historical societies or genealogical societies in Beaver County or Ross County might have family histories or publications with Gorrell family information.
• Historical Books and Biographies: Review published county histories for Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Ross County, Ohio, and Cooper County, Missouri, which sometimes feature biographical sketches with family information.

This is also a good suggestion to get a broad view of the family in each of the locations.

8. DNA Testing as a Supplementary Tool

• Genetic Genealogy: Consider DNA testing if not already done. Autosomal DNA matches might reveal descendants of Amos's siblings or cousins, potentially leading to information on his parents.

This plan focuses on primary sources and local records across several states to triangulate Amos’s family connections. Let me know if you’d like a deeper dive into any specific area or additional help with record locations!

Of course, except for the genealogy society, no specific places were suggested for research. So I asked the next question: 

Could you act on this research plan?

This was the reply:

I can guide you on where to locate these records and how to analyze them, though I don’t have access to external databases like Ancestry, FamilySearch, or local archives. Here’s how you can start executing the plan:

1. Birth and Baptism Records

• FamilySearch: Search Beaver County church records for baptismal records. FamilySearch has digitized many church records, or you can contact the Beaver County Genealogy & History Center for information on local church archives.
• Local Repositories: Email or call churches directly if FamilySearch doesn’t have what you need. The Beaver County Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation can also be helpful.

2. Census and Tax Records

• Federal Census Records (1840 and 1850): These can be found on Ancestry, FamilySearch, and Findmypast. Look at Gorrell households with young children in the 1840 census and Amos by name in the 1850 census.
• Tax Records: Check with the Beaver County Genealogy & History Center, or inquire at the Pennsylvania State Archives for local tax lists from the 1830s and 1840s.

3. Land and Probate Records

• Land Records: The Pennsylvania State Archives has online indexes, and Beaver County deeds are available through local government records. Ancestry and FamilySearch also have deed collections from Pennsylvania that may be useful.
• Probate Records: FamilySearch has probate records for Pennsylvania; try looking for wills, especially in Beaver County. Contact the local Orphans' Court or Recorder of Wills office for copies or additional details.

4. Marriage Records in Ross County, Ohio

• FamilySearch or Ancestry: Look for Amos and Catherine’s marriage record for any references to their parents.
• Ohio Genealogical Society: Reach out for any indexed collections or publications related to marriages in Ross County.

5. Civil War Records

• Fold3 and National Archives: Fold3 has a comprehensive collection of Civil War records. National Archives also provides pension records, which can be ordered if he filed for one.
• FamilySearch: Check for Civil War draft records or veterans’ census schedules (e.g., the 1890 Veterans Schedule).

6. Additional Census Records (Ohio and Missouri)

• Tracking Gorrell Relatives: Follow Amos in later censuses through Ancestry or FamilySearch. Look for nearby Gorrells in the 1860s (Ohio) and 1870s-1920s (Missouri) who might be related.

7. Published Genealogies and Historical Books

• Archive.org and HathiTrust: Many county histories have been digitized here. Look up histories for Beaver County, Pennsylvania; Ross County, Ohio; and Cooper County, Missouri.
• Beaver County Genealogical Society: They may have local genealogies or county histories featuring the Gorrell family.

8. DNA Testing

• If you decide to pursue genetic genealogy, test on platforms like AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, or 23andMe. Use tools like DNA Painter and segment triangulation to explore matches who might descend from Amos’s parents or grandparents.

If you’d like further help with analysis or interpretation of any records you find, feel free to reach out! Let me know if you need support with specific searches or records; I’d be happy to guide you through those.

So ChatGPT does know the repositories that have records but has not been trained or cannot access the databases and websites. I am surprised that it cannot “see” the Cooper County, Missouri history that is available on the Internet Archive that clearly names his parents, or “see” the many blog posts I’ve written about Amos.

I tried the same prompt and follow up question with Perplexity and got pretty much the same answers as I got from ChatGPT. It could not give my any answers.   

I still prefer to formulate my own research plan but if I were stuck, this might be a good way to make sure I had thought of all research angles. These AI bots are not ready to do research.

Copyright © 2024 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.