AI, my Genealogy Research Assistant
So was my 3rd great grandfather really Washington Clark who was a confederate soldier in the Civil War and died as a prisoner of War? (I was pretty confident of this discovery and wrote about it in my blog of June 12, 2021 Bridge – Week 23 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks | Journeying with Jacque.) Or was my 3rd great grandfather really George Washington Clark or perhaps William Washington Clark as my 2nd cousin once removed suggested? She said that my grandaunt Winifred had told her brother that it was George Washington Clark but that my cousin’s research indicated that it may actually have been William Washington Clark.
Lavina Burchett is my 3rd great grandmother. There is no doubt there; her life has been well documented, and we know she was born in Virginia and died in Kansas at almost 72. The question becomes, who did she actually marry? Through hints on Ancestry.com, I found Lavina’s obituary that states that she was a widow but had married Washington Clark on January 28, 1847 and that they had five children, one who was William Franklin Clark, my 2nd great grandfather.
I also have Robert T. Clark and Rebecca Harris as Washington’s parents, but I didn’t include any supporting documentation. In my blog, I focused on Washington Clark’s wartime activities and the fact that he was a confederate soldier and was sent to Camp Douglas as a prisoner of war after he was captured. He died at Camp Douglas in Illinois.
Find a Grave provides a good record of his Civil War time, but states that his parents were James Handley and Cinderella Clark. While I think having an ancestor named Cinderella would be really cool, alas, my research showed that it wasn’t logical. I also discovered a William Clark who was the father of a George Washington Clark who was born in South Carolina, but the dates and location don’t seem to work.
So…I decided to try AI to see if I could get some answers. AI is really good at analyzing patterns, providing insights and suggesting relevant information, connecting clues, and generating hints. It’s also pretty good at handwriting recognition and facial recognition from pictures. Furthermore, it creates stories or narratives from all of this information. One of the pluses is that it uses natural language so you can ask a question just like you normally would.
Ancestry.com has actually used AI for about 10 years. This is how they provide hints (the discovery of Lavina’s obituary was generated from hints on Ancestry that I accessed in 2021). Now one of the negative things that AI is known for is making up answers if it doesn’t know an answer, so it really is buyer beware. While many of the hints are right on target some have absolutely nothing to do with your branch of the family. Remember, it’s just analyzing databases and historical records, etc. AI is constantly improving as it learns and as it is exposed to more information. For example, Ancestry.com has added about 65 billion records since Ancestry started in 1997 and actually continues to add about five million new records per day.
FamilySearch.com has recently added a new AI component – a full text search. This is interesting because it searches unindexed records (which were already there but very difficult and time consuming to search) and it uses handwriting recognition.
I actually started my new Washington Clark search using FamilySearch Full Text. I found a record of a deed between Washington Clark and Lavina and Samuel A. Burchett, Lavina’s brother, on May 2, 1853 in Lee, Virginia. Then I found a record of Virginia births. The first line on p. 55 was that William F. Clark (my 2nd great grandfather) was born to Washington and Lavina on January 16, 1855 in Lee, Virginia. I also found a marriage license between William F. Clark and Rebecca F. Parsons (my 2nd great grandparents). It states his parents as Lavina and Washington Clark and Rebecca’s parents as Lucinda and J. M. Parsons. The marriage took place on January 1, 1873 in Lee, Virginia.
Next, it was time to try my new AI research assistant at Gemini.Google.com. (There are several AI platforms with ChatGPT being the most recognized; I chose Gemini because I already had Google open, it’s free, and I didn’t need a password.)
The first thing you have to do is write a prompt. I wrote, “I am researching Washington Clark. Was the Washington Clark who was born in 1828 and died in 1864 and who married Lavina Burchett, a confederate soldier in the American Civil War?” Gemini wrote, “Based on genealogical records and historical databases Washington Clark was indeed a soldier in the Confederated Army during the American Civil War.” It then went on to give me detailed information under the categories: Biographical Details, Military Service, and Family Connection.
Under family connection, Gemini stated that Washington’s parents were Robert Clark and Rebecca Harris. My next prompt then was, “Washington Clark (1828-1864) may have been the son of Robert Clark and Rebecca Harris. What resources are available that show this information?” It then gave me information under the following categories: FamilySearch and Ancestry Databases, Lee County Virginia Vital Records, Civil War Military Records, Regional Genealogical Publications, and Cemetery and Memorial Records. Besides some specific information, it also just pointed me to resources.
Another interesting component of Gemini is that it will suggest other avenues to pursue if you want. For example, after providing data on Robert Clark and Rebecca Harris, Gemini asked me, “Would you like me to check for details on Washington Clark’s siblings to further confirm the Robert and Rebecca connection?” It went on to check Washington’s siblings and discovered records (such as death records, census accounts, and household records) from various siblings where the parents are listed. It also identified family names such as Samuel, Robert, and Rebecca in different families and accounted for geographic clusters in the 1850 and 1860 censuses where various family members lived. I would never have thought of including naming patterns and sibling investigation in my research so this is something I am now aware of.
After my research with help from Gemini, my AI Research Assistant, I feel confident that I have the right ancestors, Washington Clark and Lavina Burchett, as my 3rd great grandparents.
So…how did George Washington Clark enter the family historical story? My cousin’s brother visited my aunt Winifred when he was in elementary school to get help with a school project. She may have told him something like, “My grandfather was Washington Clark, like George Washington” and he just heard George Washington. She certainly would have known who her great grandfather was. My dad was a bit in awe of her and told us she had a photographic memory (whether that was true or she was just messing with a little boy, I don’t know), but I’m sure that there is a logical explanation.
I will definitely continue to utilize AI in my ancestry research. I really see the potential benefits. However, it is essential to see it as another tool in the genealogist’s arsenal. It will be interesting to see how schools implement this into the curriculum while encouraging students to use this tool to advance their skills while at the same time acknowledging the pitfalls. AI can’t take the place of critical thinking and creativity that we encourage in our students. While this technology has amazing possibilities, it requires the human touch to be effective. I certainly won’t rely on this exclusively because while I work on family genealogy to further our family connection and tell the stories, I also want to exercise my brain.