My Trails into the Past

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has given us an assignment tonight to: 1)   Share one way in which you've implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your genealogy research  (You can do more than one if you like!).  What AI tools did you use? [thank you to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic!] Here's mine: I have subscribed to ChatGPT+ since I took an NGS class on using AI last year. I also follow Steve Little, who instructed the course, and Mark Thompson on their podcast AI Genealogy Insights.  I also have watched the Family Locket gals’ Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer, videos and listened to their podcasts on how they have utilized AI in their work. I follow these genealogists because I don’t want to fall behind in understanding the technology, but I have decided to do my own writing rather than have the AI bot do it for me. However, I use arti...

FamilySearch has added an AI summary option at their every-word search of deeds and probate records. I heard about it from Mark Thompson and Steve Little’s podcast, “Episode 8.” I decided to try it out. My search of Lancaster deeds in Lewis County, Missouri, brought up a deed of John S. Lancaster as grantor transferring land to Ellis W. Lancaster as grantee. [1] FamilySearch has a full-text transcription, which is not perfect and often has errors due to handwritten words that may be hard to decipher. Their transcription is here: This Indenture made this 16th day of December 1842 by tween John S.  Lancaster  & Mary his wife of Shelby County Kentucky of the one part F Ellis W  Lancaster  of Lewis County Missouri of the other part Witnesseth that the said decd John...