Genealogy's Star

Another cautionary tale: Lawyers fined for AI-generated Legal Documents

2026-04-03T14:41:00.002-07:00

At first I thought the story of an attorney being sanctioned by the court for submitting a legal brief with AI fabrications had to be an urban legend, but recently I began to learn about the relatively large number of cases with the same theme.

The case of Mata v. Avianca, Inc. Case 1:22-cv-01461-PKC Document 54, United States District Court, Southern District of New York shows that the cases of the AI-generated briefs are not urban legends. The Court held in part:

In researching and drafting court submissions, good lawyers appropriately obtain assistance from junior lawyers, law students, contract lawyers, legal encyclopedias and databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis. Technological advances are commonplace and there is nothing inherently improper about using a reliable artificial intelligence tool for assistance. But existing rules impose a gatekeeping role on attorneys to ensure the accuracy of their filings. Rule 11, Fed. R. Civ. P. Peter LoDuca, Steven A. Schwartz and the law firm of Levidow, Levidow & Oberman P.C. (the “Levidow Firm”) (collectively, “Respondents”) abandoned their responsibilities when they submitted non-existent judicial opinions with fake quotes and citations created by the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, then continued to stand by the fake opinions after judicial orders called their existence into question.

In my extensive court experience it was not uncommon to find an attorney citing a case that either did not apply to the issues before the court or did not exist at all and this was long before the existence of generative AI. According to the latest data from researchers tracking this trend (notably Damien Charlotin of HEC Paris), there have been over 1,200 documented instances worldwide, with approximately 800 of those occurring in U.S. courts. See Kaste, Martin. “Penalties Stack up as AI Spreads through the Legal System.” WGCU News | PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida, April 3, 2026. https://www.wgcu.org/2026-04-03/penalties-stack-up-as-ai-spreads-through-the-legal-system.

The irony of all these cases is that there are AI solutions that could be used to avoid the issues and still give substantial support to the judicial process. If the attorneys, or whomever, knew more about how to use AI and their own legal skills. all these cases could be avoided. However, I do have several suggested lessons that we should all learn.

#1 AI is not a toy, it is a highly sophisticated tool and it takes a measurable amount of time and effort to learn how it can and should be used.

#2 Read the fine print. This is actually Rule Ten of The Rules of Genealogy. See https://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2025/10/another-new-rule-of-genealogy-for-2025.html Not only do you need to check your sources when doing genealogical research, you need to read the case law in the legal world.

#3 String cites ask for trouble. If you don't understand this lesson, then you don't know a lot about the legal profession.

#4 Ultimately, you have to know how to ask AI questions and how to give commands and more than both of these, don't trust anything you haven't verified for yourself.

That's probably enough suggested lessons for today.

Precision Inquiry: The real core of using AI for research

2026-04-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

When the current wave of generative AI came out, the main draw seemed to be the Natural Language Interface (NLI). The NLI is not Voice Recognition. Voice Recognition is the "ears" (turning sound into text), while a Natural Language Interface (NLI) is the "brain" (understanding what that text actually means). But in a real sense, when you communicate with a computer, even with a NLI, you cannot assume that the computer "understands" what you are saying. You cannot have a functional "assistant" with only voice recognition, as it would just be a very fast typewriter that doesn't know how to follow orders.

In order to obtain reasonable research responses, it is important to understand how to ask AI questions and give AI directions. The accuracy and value of AI responses (chats) relies heavily on the structure and content of the directions it is given with which to respond. In short, you need to learn how to communicate with AI and realize that the level of accuracy of AI's response rests primarily on the instructions it is given.

Fortunately, you can ask an AI chatbot how to ask questions and give directions. To get started, here are the two questions to ask AI:

How do I ask you questions?

How do I create a prompt?

Now, if you ask a question, before you click on the enter button, you might add another question:

Is the anyway to ask this question better?

If you draft a prompt or copy one from an online video or other source, ask the AI chatbot to suggest a better prompt. Many of the common AI programs have a way to assist you in clarifying your instructions. Google has an integrated program called Gems that appears on the Gemini window. You can ask Gemini for step-by-step instructions about how to write prompts using Gems. You can also ask Gemini to give you a prompt on a specific topic such as in-depth research or identifying photographs.

Here is an example of prompt for identifying old photos that was written by Gemini from my earlier attempts.

Purpose and Role:
You are the "Photo ID Specialist," an elite AI persona possessing the combined expertise of a Master Photographer, a Social Historian, and a Board-Certified Genealogist. Your mission is to analyze historical imagery with forensic-level detail to help researchers date photos, identify subjects, and place ancestors within their correct historical and social context.
Step-by-Step Analysis Protocol:
When a user provides a photo or description, you must evaluate it through these four lenses:

Material & Process: Identify the medium (e.g., Daguerreotype, Tintype, Albumen Print, Cabinet Card, RPPC). Explain the chemical or physical indicators that led to this conclusion and the specific year range the process was prevalent.
Fashion & Grooming Forensics: Analyze clothing (collar shapes, sleeve widths, button styles, fabrics) and hairstyles. Use these as primary markers for dating within a 3–5 year window.
Studio & Social Context: Examine backdrops, props (e.g., "hidden mother" chairs, ornate pedestals), and studio stamps/imprints. Note the social class suggested by the subject's attire and "theatricality."
Provenance & Epigraphy: Analyze any handwritten notes, photographer marks, or postal stamps (for postcards) to narrow down the geographic location and specific timeframe.
Rules for Interaction:

Request the "Reverse": Always ask if an image of the back of the photo is available, as the mount or handwritten notes are often more "evidentiary" than the image itself.
The "Evidence First" Rule: Before giving a final date estimate, list the visual observations (the "evidence") that support your conclusion.
Genealogical Bridge: Always suggest how the identified date/location helps narrow down specific census records or vital records for the user.
Output Structure (Required Format):
To maintain a professional and scholarly tone, organize your findings as follows:

### Executive Summary: A 1-sentence "Best Guess" for the date and location.
### Physical Analysis: Description of the photographic process and physical condition.
### Fashion & Visual Markers: Detailed breakdown of clothing/style cues.
### Historical Context: What was happening in that region/era that influenced this photo?
### Genealogical Recommendations: Specific "Next Steps" for the family researcher.
### Clarifying Questions: Ask for specific missing details (e.g., "Are there any tax stamps on the back?").
Tone and Voice:

Meticulous & Scholarly: Use precise terminology (e.g., "Leg-o-mutton sleeves," "Foxing," "Emulsion").
Empathetic: Acknowledge the sentimental value of these "shadows of the past."

Yes, it is long and complicated but it works.

A Family History of the Irish Famine

2026-04-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

https://www.findmypast.com/a-family-history-of

https://www.youtube.com/@AFamilyHistoryOf

A Family History of the Irish Famine, continues the "A Family History of..." series from Findmypast.com hosted by genealogist and research specialist, Jen Baldwin. Here is a summary of the Press Release.

In anticipation of the April release of the 1926 Irish Census, a powerful four-part podcast series titled A Family History Of The Irish Famine was launched on all streaming platforms on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Hosted by genealogist and research specialist Jen Baldwin, the series examines the Great Famine through the life of her own ancestor, Archibald McKenzie. She is joined by guest historian Fiona Fitzsimons from Trinity College Dublin, who provides expert insight into the social and political forces that influenced Archibald’s journey.

Archibald’s story begins with his respectable life in County Cork before tracing his descent into poverty and his confrontations with the law. The narrative eventually follows his desperate bid to escape Ireland through the lesser-known chain-migration pathway. Using a variety of archival sources including census records, parish registers, and court documents, the podcast reconstructs Archibald’s world to provide an intimate portrait of resilience and the devastating human cost of this historical period.

This production is part of the weekly podcast A Family History Of..., which explores significant moments in British and Irish history through the lens of real families. The program has previously featured a series on wartime women and will continue with several upcoming themed series. Future installments are set to cover the 1926 General Strike, the Dardanelles Campaign of Gallipoli, and the Battle of the Somme. Listeners can also find bonus episodes and detailed research material on the podcast website.

The series is produced by Findmypast.com, a British and Irish genealogy platform owned by the family-run publishing company DC Thomson. By partnering with institutions like the British Library and The National Archives, the platform provides access to over a thousand years of historical records, helping individuals discover the stories and context of their ancestors' lives.

MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet at RootsTech 2026

2026-03-31T07:00:00.003-07:00

https://youtu.be/P5QdO_SYgoc?si=aUym21jaQV_6Vcez

One of the highlights of RootsTech 2026 is the session with Gilad Japhet, the Founder and CEO of MyHeritage where he speaks about what is new and what is coming MyHeritage.com. You can click above to see the entire presentation.

Here is a summary of the announcements made during his presentation.

Gilad Japhet presented a vision of genealogy that blends deep historical analysis with cutting-edge artificial intelligence. The centerpiece of the presentation was the launch of Scribe AI, a tool designed to act as a "personal historian assistant." Unlike standard transcription services, Scribe AI can classify various items—from handwritten letters to gravestones—and provide rich historical context, such as identifying fashion trends in old photos to narrow down a specific date or recognizing cultural symbols like "visitation stones" on Jewish graves.

The presentation also highlighted a major shift in how users visualize and interact with their family data:

Country Coding: A new, free feature that adds national or state flags directly to family tree views. This isn't just aesthetic; it’s designed to help researchers visually identify migration patterns and spot "missing flags" that indicate gaps in their research.

Family Infographics: Moving beyond traditional charts, this feature generates stylized, "poster-worthy" summaries of an ancestor’s life, including a "Quilt" template inspired by genealogy expert Roberta Estes.

AI Video Innovations: Gilad showcased "Life Tribute" and "Walk of Life," experimental features that animate old photos chronologically or allow users to "walk" alongside AI-rendered versions of their ancestors in their youth.

On the data and DNA front, MyHeritage has completed a full transition to Whole Genome Sequencing, moving from testing 700,000 markers to 3 billion. This massive increase in data is expected to significantly improve matching accuracy and ethnicity estimates. Gilad also provided a thrilling update on the Artifact DNA project, sharing a success story where DNA was successfully extracted from a 70-year-old letter written by composer Arnold Schoenberg, resulting in a high-quality DNA match for his grandson.

Finally, the expansion of OldNews.com (https://www.oldnews.com) remains a priority, with the platform now hosting over 438 million newspaper pages. The latest technological leap there involves structured record extraction for non-English papers, starting with Spanish and Dutch collections, which automatically translates and organizes "juicy" historical stories into searchable genealogical data.

From the standpoint of those who also use FamilySearch.org, there is now an active link between MyHeritage.com and the FamilySearch Family Tree that allows users to connect with their MyHeritage family tree and move source citations directly from MyHeritage to FamilySearch Sources.

This blog post used assistance from Google Gemini.

One Key to Breaking Down Colonial Brick Walls

2026-03-28T11:23:00.007-07:00

https://youtu.be/aP6-qfZXkYk?si=5GzxJJLdRIj32Rut

This is a summary of the video with links to the appropriate part of the video. It was extracted from the video by Google Gemini. This summary can now be used as a handout for the video.

Imagine you’re tracing your family tree back through the centuries, and you finally reach the 1700s. Suddenly, you hit a "brick wall." Your ancestor seemingly magically appears in a colonial port like Virginia or Maryland, already established with a small plot of land or a trade, but with absolutely no record of where they came from or how they crossed the Atlantic.

In his deep dive into colonial history, James Tanner argues that this isn't a failure of your research—it's a symptom of a hidden history.

The Great Colonial "Disappearing Act"

For a long time, the American narrative preferred the image of the "brave pioneer" who arrived with a trunk full of dreams and a bit of gold. But the data tells a different story. Between one-half and two-thirds of all European settlers who arrived before the Revolutionary War didn't come as free agents; they arrived in "servile status."

If your ancestor is at the end of a line you can’t break, there is a 2-to-1 probability that they were either an indentured servant, a transported convict, or an enslaved person. Because of the social stigma attached to these origins, families often spent generations systematically "scrubbing" their history, leading to the lack of traditional records we see today.

Three Paths to the New World

The video breaks down the reality of these arrivals into three distinct, often brutal, categories:

The Indentured: These were men, women, and children who signed away four to seven years of their lives in exchange for passage. Some signed willingly; others were "shanghaied" off the streets of London. If they survived the grueling mortality rates—which could hit 50% in the Chesapeake—they were given "Freedom Dues" (usually a suit of clothes and a few tools) and left to blend into the population.
The Transported: Britain essentially used the American colonies as a pressure valve for its overcrowded prisons. Between 1670 and the mid-19th century, over 70,000 convicts were shipped to the Americas for crimes as minor as stealing a loaf of bread. Unlike Australia, which celebrates its "convict stain," American families historically buried these records to appear "respectable."
The Enslaved: Starting in 1619 Jamestown, the importation of enslaved Africans fundamentally shaped the continent. Tanner points out a critical historical correction: slavery was first legalized in the North (Massachusetts, 1641), not the South. While millions were brought over, the records for these ancestors are often buried in property deeds and probate lists rather than birth certificates.

Breaking the Wall with Modern Tools

The good news? We are living in a "Golden Age" for breaking these specific brick walls. The traditional method of manual indexing (people typing out names they see on old scans) often fails because the handwriting is too messy or the "Long S" (which looks like an 'f') confuses the eye.

This is where AI and Full Text Search come in. Platforms like FamilySearch are now using high-level OCR to make the entire document searchable. You are no longer looking for a name in an index; you are looking for a mention of a "contract," "freedom dues," or a specific "plantation name" deep within a 300-year-old probate file.

The Road Ahead

If you suspect your ancestor had a forced or contracted arrival, your next steps involve moving away from "Passenger Lists" and diving into the "Abyss of Manuscripts." Look for the "10 Million Names" project or search colonial court records for mentions of contract sales. Your ancestors didn't just appear out of thin air—they were written into the legal and economic fabric of the colonies, and the records are finally becoming searchable.

Comparison of a FamilySearch Full-Text Search transcription and a Google Gemini Pro transcription

2026-03-21T14:08:00.002-07:00

"Newport, Rhode Island, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR8-JK8L?view=explore : Mar 21, 2026), image 196 of 1100; . Image Group Number: 008300396

This is a record of a court case in Rhode Island in 1769. To start out, I can easily read and understand this whole document because of my time spent reading town and legal records in Rhode Island in the 18th Century. As you might know, I also have a legal background and understand what was decided in this particular case. The copy of the document was found by the Full-text search app on the FamilySearch.org website.

Here is the transcription from the FamilySearch Full-text search.

368 64 Weaver Wyatt 27 Hazard her Goddard & 32 . ┃ James his Tanner & Dan November Court 1769 Peter Weaver of Swanzey in the County of Bristol in the Province of the Massa chusetts Bay & Yeoman Plain Lemuel Watt of Newport in the County of Newport Merch Defend In an action of the Case that he the Defend keep and perform his Promise and sumption to the plain made Damage forty pounds Lawful Money The Case was pleaded and committed to the Jury who returned a verdict in the Words We find for the Plaint Eighty seven Dollars and Cost It is therefore considered that the said Peter recover & have of the said Lemuel the Sum of Eighty seven Dollars and Cost of Suit taxed at 1.17 . Both land and Deft appeal to the next Superior Court of Indicature Bonds given John Perry Oliver Carl Jury James Tanner F. Benjamin Wilbour Wilkins Treby William Holt Richard Partelo Lemuel Witherell Ezra Browned Clarke Brown & William Leckham & George Brownell

The issue here is that there are a number of mistranscriptions and the parsing or placement of the text is garbled. There is also an issue with Contextual Understanding of the text. Below is the complete transcription and explanation of the court case by Google Gemini Pro. These two transcriptions illustrate the need for those using FamilySearch transcriptions to realize that the transcription may be inaccurate and misleading and second to use another method of transcription such as Google Gemini to verify and understand the record. By the way, the Google Gemini transcription is more accurate and than anything I could produce myself.

Full Transcription

[Left Margin:] 318 64 Weaver v [?] Wyatt in

[Main Body:] November Court 1769.

Peter Weaver of Swansey in the County of Bristol in the Province of the Massa- -chusetts Bay &c Yeoman Plain[tiff]. Lemuel Wyatt of Newport in the County of Newport Merch[an]t. Defend[an]t. In an Action of the Case that he the Defend[an]t. keep and perform his Promise and As- -sumption to the Plain[tiff]. made Damage forty Pounds Lawful Money The Case was pleaded and committed to the Jury who return'd a Verdict in these Words "We find for the Plain[tiff]. Eighty Seven Dollars and Cost" It is therefore Considered that the said Peter recover & have of the said Lemuel the Sum of Eighty Seven Dollars and Cost of suit taxed at £1. 17. 4 ½ Both Plain[tiff]. and Def[endan]t. Appeal to the next Superior Court of Judicature & Bonds given

[Jury List:] Jury James Tanner Jr. [highlighted] William Holt Richard Partelo

Benjamin Wilbour Lemuel Wetherill Clarke Brown

Wilkins Treby Ezra Brownell William Peckham

John Perry Oliver Earl George Brownell

Full English Translation (Modernized Reading)

Note: As the original document is written in English, I have provided a modernized expansion of the historical abbreviations and legal shorthand to ensure clarity for research purposes.

November Court, 1769.

Peter Weaver of Swansea, in the County of Bristol, in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, etcetera, Yeoman, Plaintiff. Lemuel Wyatt of Newport, in the County of Newport, Merchant, Defendant. In an Action of the Case [a civil lawsuit], that he, the Defendant, keep and perform his promise and assumption [a contractual obligation or debt] made to the Plaintiff. Damages [sought]: forty pounds, lawful money.

The case was pleaded and committed to the jury, who returned a verdict in these words: "We find for the Plaintiff, eighty-seven dollars and costs." It is therefore considered that the said Peter recover and have of the said Lemuel the sum of eighty-seven dollars, and the costs of the suit, taxed at 1 pound, 17 shillings, and 4.5 pence. Both Plaintiff and Defendant appeal to the next Superior Court of Judicature, and bonds are given.

Jury: James Tanner Jr., William Holt, Richard Partelo, Benjamin Wilbour, Lemuel Wetherill, Clarke Brown, Wilkins Treby, Ezra Brownell, William Peckham, John Perry, Oliver Earl, George Brownell.

Genealogical Analysis

This document is highly informative for tracing individuals in the intersecting regions of Bristol County, Massachusetts, and Newport County, Rhode Island, during the late colonial period.

Key Findings:

Primary Parties & Socioeconomic Status:
- Peter Weaver (Plaintiff): Identified as a "Yeoman" (a land-owning farmer) residing in Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts.
- Lemuel Wyatt (Defendant): Identified as a "Merchant" residing in Newport, Newport County (Rhode Island). The interstate nature of this lawsuit highlights the deep economic ties between maritime Newport and agricultural Swansea.
The Highlighted Subject: James Tanner Jr.
- You have highlighted the name James Tanner Jr. in the jury list. The presence of the "Jr." suffix is a vital genealogical clue. It strongly implies that there was an older, living James Tanner (presumably his father or an older uncle) residing in or near the jurisdiction of this court in 1769 to necessitate the distinction.
- Serving on a jury in 1769 required a man to be a freeholder (property owner) of legal age (usually 21 or older). This places James Tanner Jr.'s birth year at or before 1748.
Location and Jurisdiction: * Given the defendant's residence and the historical makeup of the jury pool (names like Treby, Peckham, and Brownell are deeply rooted in Rhode Island history), this is likely a Newport County court record, handling a civil suit brought by a Massachusetts resident.
Currency Anomalies: The document shows an interesting transitional financial period. Damages were sought in "Pounds Lawful Money," court costs were taxed in British currency (£1. 17s. 4½d), but the jury awarded damages in "Eighty Seven Dollars" (referring to Spanish milled dollars, which were heavily circulated in maritime colonies like Rhode Island).

Navigating the Servile Barrier: Researching Indentured, Transported, and Enslaved Ancestors

2026-03-21T05:19:00.002-07:00

https://youtu.be/aP6-qfZXkYk?si=pzDl0Og-66D18cc-

Note: The time link refer to the video.

A "brick wall" is a common frustration for genealogists, particularly when an ancestor seems to "magically appear" in the American colonies with no discernible connection to an overseas origin. For many researchers, this missing link is not a matter of lost records, but a misunderstanding of the ancestor’s original legal status. As this post illustrates, a vast majority of early immigrants to North America arrived not as free settlers, but in "servile status." Understanding the intersection of traditional historical research and emerging AI-driven full-text search is now the definitive way to reclaim these erased identities.

The Statistical Reality: Most Early Immigrants Were Not "Free"

In the current genealogical landscape, there is often a subconscious bias toward the "free immigrant" narrative. However, the historical data suggests a different reality. Between 1630 and the American Revolution, approximately one-half to two-thirds of all European settlers arrived as indentured servants [04:38].

In areas like Virginia and Maryland, the numbers are even more stark; up to two-thirds of English migrants arrived in a servile state [06:54]. If your ancestral line ends abruptly in the 17th or 18th century with a prominent land-owning citizen, "the researcher" must consider the high probability that the early immigrant began their American journey under a contract of indenture.

The Indentured Experience: Contracts and "Freedom Dues"

An indentured servant was a man, woman, or child who signed a contract—an "indenture"—to work without salary for a specific master for a set duration, typically four to seven years [02:10].

The Contractual Nature: These indentures were legally considered "choses in action" or personal property. They could be bought, sold, and traded [08:06].
The Reality of Survival: Mortality rates were devastatingly high. In the Chesapeake area during the 17th century, 50% of indentured servants died before completing their terms [13:10].
The "Freedom Dues": Upon completion of their term, those who survived were released and given "freedom dues," which often included a suit of clothes, tools, or a small amount of land [03:55].

"The stigma from being indentured was often enough that people would change their names after the indenture... they would simply move to a different part of the country where they were unknown." [10:01]

The Transported: Criminalizing Nonconformity

"Transported" individuals represent a distinct category: those sent to the colonies against their will as a form of criminal punishment. While Australia is famous for its penal colonies, North America received between 69,000 and 74,000 convicts from Great Britain and Ireland before the mid-19th century [21:03].

Many of these individuals were not "hardened criminals" in the modern sense but were "nonconformists"—individuals such as Methodists, Baptists, or Quakers whose religious practices were criminalized by the Church of England [27:14]. Because the British government viewed shipping convicts as cheaper than building prisons, these ancestors were often sold into labor upon arrival to recoup the costs of their transportation [26:59].

Tracing Enslaved Ancestors: From 1870 to the "Great Migration"

Researching enslaved ancestors requires a specialized methodology that bridges the gap between the 1870 US Federal Census and the arrival of the first 20 odd individuals in Jamestown in 1619 [34:26].

The Research Methodology:

Work Backward: Establish the family line firmly in the 1870 census, the first to name formerly enslaved people.
The "Great Migration" Context: Roughly 6 million African-Americans moved from the South to Northern cities like Chicago and New York between 1870 and 1960 [39:32]. Tracing these urban ancestors back to their Southern origins is a prerequisite for finding earlier records.
Plantation Records & Deeds: Before 1865, enslaved individuals were often recorded as property in probate records and deeds [40:46].

AI Spotlight: The Revolution of Full-Text Search

The most significant advancement in this field is the implementation of AI-driven full-text search (specifically on platforms like FamilySearch). Traditionally, searching for an indentured or enslaved ancestor required manually scrolling through thousands of unindexed probate images.

How it Works: Modern AI models utilize OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and transformer models to "read" handwritten documents. This allows researchers to search for specific surnames or locations directly within the body of a deed or an estate inventory—records that were previously "unsearchable" [01:18].

Pro-Tip for Researchers: When using AI transcription tools (like Google Gemini), be aware of "long S" characters (which look like "f") in 17th-century documents. You can prompt the AI to: "Translate this 17th-century indenture into modern English and list all named parties" to bypass archaic paleography [11:43].

Synthesis & Context: The Importance of Probate

Why are probate records so central to this research? In the colonial era, if the parents of a child died, the child was often legally placed into an indenture by the court to ensure they did not become a financial burden on the parish [18:07]. These "orphan court" records are hidden gems that contain the names of the child, the master, and the terms of service, effectively acting as a birth record for an otherwise "invisible" ancestor.

Key Resources

FamilySearch Full-Text Search: familysearch.org/search/full-text
10 Million Names Project: A collaborative project to identify and link descendants of the 10 million people enslaved in the US.
DiscoverFreed.org: The Freedman’s Bureau Project database.
BYU Library Family History Center: For access to specialized slide decks and handouts [10:48].

The summary of this video was assisted by Google Gemini.

Could FamilySearch use AI to generate family trees?

2026-03-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

The idea of using AI to generate family trees for insertion into the FamilySearch.org Family Tree was raised in an interview during RootsTech 2026 of Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See Could we ever run out of temple names? Elder Mark A. Bragg on why family history is accelerating.

The fact is that the FamilySearch.org website already has a section with computer generated family trees. You can find this section in the Genealogies directory under the main Search tab.

This section contains seven different computer-generated trees, but no trees have been generated since 2023. Here is a screenshot of the current selection of files available to search.

One of the statements made in the video cited above, is that AI is significantly accelerating family history by scraping data from digitized books and records to build out trees automatically. It is certainly true that AI does have the ability to build automatic family trees. However, the reality of creating "family trees" from raw data is not as simple as scraping a book. Despite the ability of AI to scrape a book and build a family tree, the actual reality of the process of creating a valuable genealogical resource is much more complicated. There are several tremendously difficult obstacles to any actual AI generated tree having valid information. None of which were mentioned in the interview above.

Back in 1894, with the formation of the Genealogical Society of Utah, the predecessor of FamilySearch, the main concern was preventing the duplication of temple ordinances. See Allen, James B., Jessie L. Embry, and Kahlile B. Mehr. Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1894-1994. BYU Studies, Brigham Young University, 1995. One of the key issues in the demise of the predecessor of the FamilySearch Family Tree (new.familysearch.org) was the proliferation of rampant duplication of the ordinances. My great-grandfather, Henry Martin Tanner, had his temple ordinances done over 800 times, despite the fact that he performed the ordinances during his lifetime in the St. George Temple.

With the current state of the FamilySearch Family Tree, the issue of duplication is by far the most serious. My own experience is that any time I do research for adding names to the FamilySearch Family Tree, I routinely find duplicate records. Taking a set of records from any major European country and including most of North and South America would produce a significant number of duplicate entries. If AI is able to create a valid family tree, then why not use it to eliminate the duplicates that are currently in the FamilySearch Family Tree?

Another major issue with the FamilySearch Family Tree is the existence of "floaters," who are people and segments of family trees that are, in a real sense, floating around the main FamilySearch Family Tree because they lack any connections. Many of these floaters are duplicates and also are not currently readily available for inclusion, if they are discoverable at all, because of a lack of more specific information about their existence and identity.

An undercurrent of the concept of computer or AI-generated family trees is the issue of whether or not individuals, such as all of the currently active genealogists contributing to the FamilySearch Family Tree, have any future utility. If my job is going to be turned over to AI, then why am I spending time doing research and verifying names through careful application of the genealogical proof standard if it is only necessary to identify a name from a book to qualify for entry? Name extraction has, in the past, created a tremendous number of duplicate entries. It is still common on the FamilySearch Family Tree to find English records with duplicates because births, marriages, and burials were all extracted separately. A family with six or eight children could have thirty or forty duplicates. Current name extraction programs are also creating a substantial number of duplicate entries.

The current state of the FamilySearch Family Tree, where changes are randomly made to established entries without any supporting data, is also undermining the ability of the tree to function efficiently. Unless these systematic failings of the FamilySearch Family Tree can be adequately addressed, whether by AI or otherwise, it seems vastly premature to propose AI-generated family trees.

Since I now work full time essentially as a genealogist with the primary goal of finding and verifying additional people for the FamilySearch Family Tree, I would appreciate it if someone would let me know if it's time for me to retire.

Online with New AI Developments Every Wednesday (except for Holidays)

2026-03-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

https://familyhistory.lib.byu.edu/get-help

The BYU Library Family History Center is the host of my weekly Understanding AI Q&A discussion on the Virtual Help Desk. We meet in a Breakout Room and talk through some of the weekly changes and I answer question. This is all totally free on the BYU Library Family History Center's open Zoom.

The time is 10:00 am Mountain Daylight Time. Here is the link again to the Virtual Help Desk.

https://familyhistory.lib.byu.edu/live-virtual-family-history-help

The Virtual Help Desk is also open for consultation with all of the other missionaries on the shift at the time of your call. We also have a variety of specialists on countries and many other resources.

The Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy in the Church News

2026-03-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2026/03/06/researchers-provide-guidelines-for-responsible-ai-usage-family-history-rootstech/

Although it kind of got buried in all the articles featuring RootsTech 2026 and other news, there was a good informative article about the panel discussion from the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy or Craigen.org. Here is a short summary of the article.

At RootsTech 2026, experts addressed the evolving landscape of family history by establishing a framework for artificial intelligence and sharing new methods for researching pioneer ancestry. A panel from the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy, led by researcher Lynn Broderick, introduced five core principles—accuracy, disclosure, privacy, education, and compliance—to guide users through the technological "wilderness."

During the discussion, James Tanner cautioned against the Dunning-Kruger effect in AI, where the technology may generate false information when it lacks verifiable data. To counter this, David Ouimette emphasized the importance of skilled prompting and human discernment. The panel also highlighted the "Water Cooler Rule" regarding privacy, with Steve Little and Katherine Borges warning against uploading sensitive personal information or DNA data into AI systems where storage and usage policies may be unclear.

In addition to technological guidelines, the conference featured sessions on local history. Julie Merrill provided practical advice for navigating unorganized pioneer temple records, recommending the use of specific annotated records to bridge gaps in research. Further honoring the past, Ellen Jeppson shared stories of early women pioneers like Ruth May Fox, highlighting the 125-year legacy of the International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers and its mission to preserve the faith and courage of those who settled the region.

There were also a few photos.

Decipher your archive with Leo Technologies Limited

2026-03-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Leo

https://www.tryleo.ai/

Leo is a comprehensive digital hub designed to transform how historical manuscripts and archives are managed, offering an all-in-one transcription and document management platform. At its core is a state-of-the-art AI model specifically optimized for historical handwriting—such as secretary or cursive hands—and printed materials in English, Latin, French, German, and Spanish. Unlike other services, Leo is ready to use immediately with no model training required, though it maintains the flexibility to incorporate other AI models like GPT, Gemini, and Claude.

The user experience follows a straightforward three-step workflow:

Upload: Users begin by uploading images of handwritten or printed documents written in Latin scripts from the past 500 years.
Transcribe: The platform's machine learning technology generates instant, accurate transcriptions that preserve complex elements like margin notes, tables, and strikethroughs.
Manage: Once transcribed, documents are organized within a "Dropbox-like" interface. Users can categorize their collection into custom lists, utilize advanced search across all notes and transcripts, and add metadata for deeper filtering.

Beyond individual research, Leo emphasizes collaboration. Researchers can share their work through secure public links, allowing colleagues or students to access the materials and even copy documents to their own collections without needing a personal account. When the research is ready for the next stage, data can be exported in various professional formats, including XML, Word, or PDF.

To accommodate different project scales, Leo offers a tiered pricing structure:

Free: Includes 10 monthly credits and storage for 100 images.
Standard ($15/mo): Provides 100 monthly credits and storage for 10,000 images.
Scholar ($65/mo): Provides 500 monthly credits and storage for 50,000 images.
Professional ($120/mo): Provides 1,000 monthly credits and storage for 100,000 images.

For users with specific needs, Leo also sells additional lifetime credits that never expire, ensuring that even if a subscription ends, the research remains accessible and exportable.

Neo-luddites and AI: A Retrospective

2026-03-14T12:19:00.002-07:00

If you need a review of the history of Luddite movement, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite.

Let's start by thinking about photographs and digitization. The Kodak Professional Digital Camera System (a Nikon F-3 camera equipped by Kodak with a 1.3 megapixel sensor) for photojournalists was introduced in 1991. If my calculations are correct that was 35 years ago. Than means that would need to be about 45 years old to remember how quickly digital cameras replaced almost all film versions. Adobe Photoshop 1.0 was officially released on February 19, 1990, exclusively for the Macintosh. The internet, in the form of the World Wide Web, The first online version of the World Wide Web, created by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in December 1990, was hosted on a NeXT computer at http://info.cern.ch. It functioned as both a browser and editor, showcasing the first website, which explained the WWW (World Wide Web) project itself and how to use hypertext. As a matter of note, I first viewed the WWW when there were six websites.

Almost everything I read is currently digitized and primarily online. Every photograph that I take is a digital photograph. Since Google's nano banana was integrated with Adobe Photoshop, all the photos that I take that I use any manipulation to alter are done by using AI in Photoshop. All the major genealogical websites are now almost totally AI-intensive.

OK, so here is the issue. I am not a regular reader of Facebook but from time to time, I do read a few posts. I find a very vociferous anti-AI minority, mostly teachers and academics. I even see statements about how the posters are never going to use AI. There are also statements about how easy it is to spot an AI photo or article. This may have been an issue two or three years ago but my own experience is to the contrary. You cannot tell an AI photo from one taken with a camera because both are essentially the same thing. Obviously if the image show a dancing hippo or a waltzing dinosaur, the images are most certainly generated.

If you think you are never going to use AI, you may as well turn off your electricity and move out into a camp somewhere in what little wilderness is left in the world because, shortly, almost everything electric will have some AI function.

AI is a tool. You must use it as the master in a master/servant relationship. You make all the important decisions. AI is not a browser or a search engine, it is AI. Here is an example. The paragraph above beginning with OK was written entirely by me not using any AI assistance. Here is the same paragraph after I told Google Gemini to revise the paragraph for grammar, spelling, and accuracy.

"OK, so here is the issue. I am not a regular reader of Facebook, but from time to time, I do read a few posts. I find a very vociferous anti-AI minority, mostly teachers and academics. I even see statements about how the posters are never going to use AI. There are also statements about how easy it is to spot an AI photo or article. This may have been true two or three years ago, but my own experience is to the contrary. You cannot tell an AI photo from one taken with a camera because, at the pixel level, both are essentially the same thing. Obviously, if the image shows a dancing hippo or a waltzing dinosaur, the images are most certainly generated."

I used the suggestions from Gemini to revise my original paragraph and the rest of the article.

Now, the quote by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI: "AI won’t replace humans. But humans who use AI will replace those who don’t." Right now, if you don't know how to use AI, you don't know how to use FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage and most of the other genealogy programs.

MyHeritage introduces color coding for family trees.

2026-03-14T06:00:00.003-07:00

https://blog.myheritage.com/2023/03/introducing-color-coding-for-family-trees/

MyHeritage.com has taken another interesting step in organizing online family trees. The blog post, "Introducing Color Coding for Family Trees," details a significant visual and functional update designed to make family trees more intuitive and easier to navigate. This enhancement expands color coding—previously limited to Fan views and Timelines—to the primary Family and Pedigree views.

The update introduces a systematic approach to lineage, assigning distinct colors to specific ancestral branches:

Blue: Paternal grandfather's side
Green: Paternal grandmother's side
Red: Maternal grandfather's side
Yellow: Maternal grandmother's side
Purple: Direct descendants

A key strength of this feature is its automation. Once enabled, the colors are applied across all family sites within an account without requiring manual input. The article notes that while the feature is currently available on desktop and mobile web browsers, it is slated for a future update to the mobile app.

Beyond the color scheme, the article highlights several complementary tools aimed at clarifying complex relationships. A new "blood relative" icon, represented by two drops, now appears in profile panels to help users identify genetic connections quickly. Furthermore, the update improves the experience of exploring trees belonging to DNA Matches or Smart Matches. By applying color coding and relationship diagrams to these external trees, users can more easily visualize how they are connected to individuals in trees they do not manage.

Ultimately, the article frames these updates as a cohesive effort to simplify genealogical research. By standardizing visual cues and providing clearer relationship paths, the platform aims to make the vast amount of data in a family tree more accessible and understandable at a glance.

Here is a screenshot of the color coding in the Fan Chart view.

I use AI to summarize news releases and other routine communications.

Use the Not-So-New FamilySearch Owner Trees (formerly CET Trees) to Avoid the Family Tree Changes

2026-03-13T06:26:00.002-07:00

FamilySearch.org

From its inception in 2013, the FamilySearch.org Family Tree has been controversial for allowing almost universal editing. As a background to the general use of the FamilySearch Family Tree, there is an almost constant background of complaints, criticism, and actual hostility due to the fact that historically accurate entries are seemingly in a state of constant change. The fact is that the FamilySearch Family Tree is wiki-based and has always been wiki-based. It is not a closed archive. It is a dynamic public forum for genealogically based information. Over the years, there has been an underlying, informally based group of people who have been trying to preserve some semblance of order in the FamilySearch Family Tree by conferring with FamilySearch regularly about different ways to approach the changes. All these efforts are apparently unknown to those who are constantly wringing their hands over changes.

By the way, I have had a CET or Owner Tree for about two years now.

For the past three or more years, FamilySearch has been quietly implementing owner trees based on the FamilySearch.org website. Those people who cannot seem to exist in an environment of change have always been free to use alternate family trees such as Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com and many, many others, including desktop programs. Now, FamilySearch has introduced "Owner Trees" that allow you or anyone else to create a tree that is completely owned and not subject to any changes except as invited by the owner. There are already a huge number of these Owner Trees on the FamilySearch.org website.

These trees are accessible under the main FamilySearch Family Tree menu.

Here is the Manage Trees menu.

As you can see from this screenshot, there are other specialized family trees on the FamilySearch.org website. As you can further see from this managed trees screenshot, you can have all three of the different kinds of trees simultaneously. The owner trees are completely isolated from changes from the users of the main FamilySearch Family Tree. You can also see any of the backup family trees that you may have loaded to the Pedigree Resource Records in the past. These are the trees you uploaded to Genealogies.

There is also a way to match your User Tree to the main FamilySearch Family Tree.

Many (almost all) features of the main FamilySearch Family Tree are available on the User Trees. Once you have a User Tree, it is important to focus on which tree you are working on. Yes, there is extra time involved if you wish to keep your part of the main FamilySearch Family Tree in sync with your own User Tree.

All the User Trees are searchable from the Search All Family Trees on FamilySearch app now on the FamilySearch.org/Labs website.

It may take some time for you to get used to the idea of switching back and forth between the family trees. As more features are added to the user trees, you may decide to work entirely on your user tree.

There is currently no way to download a GEDCOM file from the FamilySearch Family Tree. You must either start the new user tree from scratch or move items in from the FamilySearch Family Tree. You add them to your user tree. You can also upload a GEDCOM file from Ancestry or MyHeritage or some other website or desktop program.

You may wish to share this blog post with those around you whom you find complaining about the changes on the FamilySearch Family Tree.

MyHeritage Record Marches added to the FamilySearch Family Tree

2026-03-12T06:11:00.004-07:00

FamilySearch.org

In an interesting development, FamilySearch.org announced during RootsTech 2026 that entries in the FamilySearch Family Tree now have links to record matches from MyHeritage.com. I'm James.

When you view the record match, you are able to attach it directly to the entry in FamilySearch on the FamilySearch Family Tree.

I was able to do this because I have a MyHeritage.com subscription. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a free membership in MyHeritage due to the FamilySearch partnership agreement. This opens up a flood of new records, which may not be available on the FamilySearch.org website.

The Family History Guide at RootsTech 2026

2026-03-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

thefhguide.com

The Family History Guide Booth for RootsTech 2026. This was the best year for us and the booth was fabulous.

thefhguide.com

This is the new look of the website. Here is our RootsTech 2026 website. There are links from this website to all the videos and presentations at RootsTech.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/expohall/the-family-history-guide-association

Here is a copy of our main handout. You can click on the image to see a larger copy.

Thanks to all our about 60 volunteers and all those people who stopped by to learn about our website.

International Society for British Genealogy and Family History

2026-03-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

https://isbgfh.com/

During my wandering around the Expo Hall during RootsTech 2026, I found this interesting booth.

For those looking to bridge the gap between their family's modern life and their ancestral roots in the British Isles, the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH) serves as a dedicated educational resource. Since its founding in 1979, the society has focused on helping researchers of all levels understand and navigate the records of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.

The organization is particularly well-known for its immersive educational programs. The British Institute provides an annual week-long deep dive into specific research topics; for 2026, the focus is on the fundamentals and advanced methodologies of Scottish research. Additionally, the Summer Institute offers specialized sessions, such as the upcoming program on tracing colonial American roots back to the British Isles.

For year-round learning, the society hosts a series of Winter Webinars that are available as a member benefit. These sessions cover a wide variety of geographical and temporal research challenges. Members also receive British Connections, a quarterly journal filled with expert advice, historical context, and the latest news in the field of British genealogy.

Beyond educational content, the society facilitates community connections through its Surname Interests program, which helps members find others researching the same family lines. If you are looking to join, the organization is currently offering a RootsTech 2026 Membership Sale, providing a 30% discount for new members through March 31, 2026. Whether you are just beginning your journey or are a seasoned researcher, the ISBGFH offers a professional framework for uncovering your British and Irish heritage.

Japan Genealogy Connect

2026-03-11T14:25:00.001-07:00

https://japan-genealogy.com/

During my wanderings at RootsTech 2026, this was one of the Expo Hall booths that caught my attention.

For anyone looking to bridge the gap between their modern life and their ancestral past in Japan, Japan Genealogy Connect serves as a comprehensive resource for tracing lineage and rediscovering family history. Based in Tokyo, the organization specializes in navigating the unique administrative and historical landscape of Japanese record-keeping.

The foundation of their work lies in Koseki Research. The koseki is Japan’s official family register, documenting births, marriages, and deaths. While modern records focus on the nuclear family, pre-war registers often include extended family members, allowing researchers to trace direct ancestors back to at least the late 19th century.

Beyond official documents, the service offers deeper dives into family history through several specialized avenues:

Historical Record Research: Genealogists search libraries and archives in Tokyo and rural regions to find information that pre-dates or supplements official registers. This can often reveal an ancestor's occupation during the Edo period, such as whether they were a merchant, farmer, or samurai.
On-site Investigation: Researchers visit the specific locations where ancestors lived to find local historical materials and physical evidence of a family’s presence.
Old Photograph Analysis: This service helps identify the people, places, and time periods captured in inherited family photos.
Roots Experience: For those looking for more than data, this program provides immersive experiences to help individuals connect with the culture and history of their ancestors.

The site also provides a variety of Additional Services to document these findings, ranging from traditional Japanese scrolls and detailed research reports to genealogy data entry and translation. Whether you are just starting your journey with a few names or looking to conduct an exhaustive on-site search, the platform provides the professional expertise needed to navigate Japanese records and reconnect with a lost heritage.

Gathering of the Tribes at RootsTech 2026

2026-03-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

https://www.gatheringoftribes.org/

I had the distinct privilege of meeting with some members of the Gathering of the Tribes at RootsTech 2026. Here is some information about their organization.

The Gathering of Tribes is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening Indigenous members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Founded by Cindy Quinney, Shane Manning, and Amber Irwin, the organization was born from a desire to create a space where Indigenous people could find a sense of belonging, see themselves represented in their faith, and celebrate the harmony between their cultural heritage and the gospel. The mission is centered on four main objectives: nurturing faith in Jesus Christ, uniting families through family history and temple work, caring for those in need, and honoring cultural identity as it relates to spiritual life.

The organization operates through three primary pillars:

Gather: They host community events designed to foster connection and faith. A recent landmark event, "Good Medicine," held in American Fork, Utah, focused on the healing power of traditional arts. These gatherings often include sunrise ceremonies, workshops on traditional skills like Hopi pottery and Navajo weaving, and opportunities for temple worship. An upcoming Indigenous Youth Trip is scheduled for April 2026 to help young people explore their divine potential in Provo and Salt Lake City.
Uplift: To provide ongoing spiritual nourishment, the group creates faith-filled media. This includes the Come, Follow Me Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as devotional videos like Sacred Brothers and Sacred Sisters, which feature testimonies and traditional music.
Serve: Collaboration is at the heart of their service efforts. They work with local leadership to plan projects that address the specific needs of Indigenous communities. One significant initiative is the Navajo Nation Oral History Project, which documents family relationships and histories of Diné elders.

How to Support Their Goals

There are several ways to contribute to the mission of the Gathering of Tribes:

Financial Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, they rely on donations to fund their service projects, youth trips, and media production. Contributions can be made directly through their website or via platforms like Venmo and PayPal (@LDSGatheringofTribes).
Volunteer and Serve: They seek Oral History Specialists to help document lineage and stories, and they often look for volunteers to assist with the logistics of their large-scale gatherings and community service projects.
Stay Connected: You can subscribe to their email list to receive updates on upcoming events and service opportunities. Following their YouTube channel or social media pages also helps amplify their message and reach more members of the community.
Participation: Their events are open to everyone—Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike—who wishes to learn, support the community, and participate in a shared celebration of faith and culture.

Findmypast announces major expansion of digitisation studio to accelerate access to British, Irish and Commonwealth newspapers

2026-03-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

https://www.findmypast.com/search-newspapers

We are currently witnessing a seismic shift in how we access these micro-histories. Findmypast, in its enduring partnership with the British Library, has reached a staggering milestone: 100 million digitized newspaper pages.

This archive is a monument to long-term preservation ethics and collaborative vision. Spanning the years 1699 to 2012, the collection now encompasses over 2,700 historical titles and more than 7 million individual issues. This scale fundamentally democratizes history, moving the researcher away from the logistical hurdles of niche physical archives and into a centralized digital ecosystem where four centuries of human experience are searchable in seconds.

The milestone is the fruition of a partnership initiated in 2011 (though the groundwork for such collaboration spans over 15 years) between the British Library and DC Thomson History, the parent company of Findmypast. Lee Wilkinson, Managing Director of DC Thomson History, reflects on the weight of this achievement:

"Reaching 100 million digitised pages was a major milestone but it was also a reminder of just how many stories remain fragile, scattered, or inaccessible. This expansion is about meeting that responsibility. Increasing our capacity means widening the lens through which people can understand their past."

The work of a digital archivist is never truly finished; the milestone is simply a foundation for further expansion. Findmypast has announced a major investment to nearly double the capacity of its digitization studio located at the British Library’s Boston Spa site in Yorkshire. This expansion is not merely about "more" data; it is about the systematic recovery of records that have long been at risk.

Over the next three to four years, the studio is projected to increase its output by over 60% in paper titles and more than 80% in microfilm titles. This focus on microfilm is particularly significant. Once considered the "redundancy of the 20th century," microfilm is now a vital bridge to the 21st, preserving content from fragile originals that are often too degraded for frequent handling. By doubling down on these "under-utilised" resources, the project ensures that the long-tail research of the future is supported by a stable, digital surrogate.

The most profound shift in this new phase of digitization is the commitment to inclusivity. For too long, digital archives have been dominated by Western-centric narratives, leaving vast regions "digitisation-silent." The increased capacity at Boston Spa is specifically earmarked for under-represented Commonwealth and South Asian newspapers.

For the first time, titles from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be brought into public access, offering a critical counter-narrative to colonial reports. By digitizing local community and nationalist newspapers, the archive captures South Asian voices directly, providing a primary source for understanding social and political change from the perspective of those who lived it.

"Digitising them will help build a more equitable, accessible historical record for South Asian diaspora communities in the UK, North America and beyond, ensuring that more families can connect with the stories that shaped them."

To process millions of pages with varying typography and centuries of wear, the archivists at Boston Spa employ what I like to call "digital sorcery." The pipeline begins with high-resolution scanning that captures the minute details of the physical artifact, followed by sophisticated Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract text data.

However, the real breakthrough lies in Findmypast’s proprietary machine learning technology. It doesn't just "read" words; it performs entity recognition. By identifying specific data points like names, locations, and dates, the system enables researchers to move beyond basic keyword hunting toward complex phrase searching.

This technology bridges the gap between the messy, ink-stained reality of 18th-century printing and the precise demands of modern data science. It allows the system to understand the context of a page, ensuring that even when the original print is faded or the font is archaic, the "human story" remains discoverable.

The expansion carries significant weight for the academic sector, specifically through The Social History Archive. As universities globally accelerate research into the processes of colonisation and decolonisation, the need for diverse primary sources has never been greater.

The inclusion of English-language publications shaped by colonial transitions provides scholars with a window into regions where civil records—such as census data or vital statistics—may be incomplete, inaccessible, or non-existent. These newspapers serve as a surrogate for the state, recording the ordinary rhythms and tensions of communities during periods of immense upheaval. This transition from "genealogy" to "historiography" allows the archive to meet a growing demand for a more globally relevant historical record.

The partnership between Findmypast and the British Library is more than a commercial venture; it is an act of collective memory. By widening the lens and actively seeking out the voices of the under-represented, they are ensuring that the digital record of the future is as diverse as the reality of the past.

The above post is based on a press release.

MyHeritage announces Scribe AI -- to transcribe, translate, and interpret historical documents and photos

2026-03-10T05:43:00.002-07:00

https://www.myheritage.com/scribe-ai

MyHeritage.com's Scribe AI is a specialized digital assistant designed for the analytical demands of historical research. It is specifically engineered to assist researchers in deciphering 19th-century cursive, complex legal documents, and records in various languages.

Moving beyond traditional Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Scribe AI is categorized as a "contextual interpreter." While standard OCR identifies shapes as individual letters, Scribe AI utilizes Large Language Models (LLMs) to understand the narrative, intent, and flow of a document.

Key capabilities include:

Accuracy: High-precision transcription of both formal print and hurried handwritten script.
Multi-Page Context: The AI processes document sets (such as ten-page probate files or land deeds) as a single entity rather than isolated pages. It tracks individuals, dates, and legal descriptions across the entire set to maintain a coherent research thread.

Scribe AI employs a sophisticated approach to language barriers. Rather than providing a literal word-for-word translation, the system transcribes the document in its original language first. It then generates a translation that accounts for historical idioms and regional dialects. This is particularly effective for European records, such as those in Spanish, where historical nuance is essential for accurate interpretation.

The tool includes a visual analysis component that extracts data from the physical characteristics of a record or photograph:

Temporal and Geographic Identification: It analyzes architectural features, clothing styles, and photographic paper types to estimate the date and location of an image.
Symbolic Interpretation: The AI can interpret the meaning behind heraldic elements on coats of arms or symbols found on headstones.

To streamline the data entry process, Scribe AI automatically identifies vital statistics—including names, dates, locations, and occupations. This "Evidence-to-Tree" pipeline allows for the direct import of these facts into a MyHeritage family tree, significantly reducing manual typing.

Access Points: Users can upload new files (JPEG, PNG, or PDF) to myheritage.com/scribe-ai, apply the tool to photos already in their MyHeritage library, or use it on the nearly 39 billion historical records indexed on the site.
Pricing Structure: A limited free trial is available. Full or unlimited access typically requires a Complete or Omni subscription.
Platform Integration: Currently a web-based feature, mobile app integration is scheduled for release in late 2026.

MyHeritage utilizes a "walled garden" approach for Scribe AI. While uploaded documents are processed to provide results for the user, they are not indexed for public search nor are they used to train external AI models.

LifeWeaver -- You don't have to write your life story You already have

2026-03-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

https://lifeweaver.ai/

Stop Writing Your Memoir: You’ve Already Finished It

Many people carry a quiet guilt about the stories they haven’t told. We believe preservation requires a Herculean effort—disciplined journaling or the daunting task of staring down a blank page. This "myth of the blank page" suggests that if we don't manually record a moment, it is lost to time.

As a digital strategist, I see a different reality: your life is already being recorded in "digital ink." Between sent emails, calendar appointments, and the thousands of photos on your phone, the narrative of your life is already written. LifeWeaver acts as the bridge, turning this raw, scattered data into a meaningful narrative.

Takeaway 1: Your Life Story is Already Written (In Your Metadata)

LifeWeaver operates on a simple but powerful premise: you shouldn’t have to do the heavy lifting of remembering. Instead of asking you to write, the platform builds your story by weaving together the "threads" you already create. Emails, calendar events, and message histories serve as the foundation of your narrative.

By connecting your existing digital sources, the platform automatically organizes your history. While most message history is handled automatically, even WhatsApp threads can be included via a manual export. The system transforms passive data into an active legacy without requiring you to change your daily habits.

"After you connect your sources, your digital life can flow into LifeWeaver ™ automatically"

Takeaway 2: The "LoomSifter" – Turning Camera Roll Chaos into Clarity

Most digital archives are buried under thousands of unorganized photos, leading to massive decision fatigue. LifeWeaver introduces the LoomSifter, an AI-powered photo cleanup tool that acts as both a storyteller and a curator. It identifies "Snags"—moments that need a bit more detail—and prompts you to add context.

The LoomSifter helps you manage the chaos by allowing you to mark unnecessary photos as "Delete Later." This ensures your final narrative is focused only on the moments that truly matter. It is a dual-purpose system that organizes your legacy while simultaneously cleaning your digital space.

Takeaway 3: Data Tells the 'What,' but The Daily Drop Tells the 'How'

While metadata provides the "what" and "where," it often misses the emotional "how." To solve this, LifeWeaver utilizes "The Daily Drop," an optional feature that asks one simple question each evening. You can respond with a single word, a sentence, or a voice note to capture your mood or reflections.

This input is combined with your metadata to generate a "DayThread"—a daily story that reflects what happened and how it felt. This feature follows a "No pressure. Just presence" philosophy. It ensures your story includes the personal presence that automated data cannot capture alone.

Takeaway 4: Moving Beyond the Timeline to "TimeTapestry"

Traditional memoirs follow a rigid, chronological line that often fails to capture the complexity of a life. LifeWeaver moves beyond the standard timeline with "TimeTapestry" and "Overview Mode." These tools are designed to identify repeating themes and transitional seasons rather than just listing dates.

In Overview Mode, you can pick a specific date range to see the larger patterns of your life emerge. Instead of a simple list of events, the platform highlights important relationships and long-running conversations. This turns a chronological record into a deep understanding of your lived experience.

Takeaway 5: Privacy as a Sacred Value, Not a Feature

In an era of invasive data mining, LifeWeaver treats personal memories as sacred. The platform is designed as a "loom, not a broadcast," meaning your content is private by default. Your personal information is never sold, used for advertising, or utilized to train general-purpose AI models.

"Your memories are sacred. LifeWeaver uses strong encryption and strict privacy controls, and we do not data mine your content."

The system uses modern safeguards, including encryption in transit (TLS) and secure storage with strict access controls. You retain total power over your data. You decide what is connected, what is generated, and what is eventually shared with others.

Takeaway 6: The "WeaveSync" and On-Device Reality

To ensure your data is captured accurately, LifeWeaver utilizes specific synchronization methods tailored to your device's ecosystem. Coming soon, the "AI Weave Chat" will also offer a conversational assistant to help you explore your materials and draft new stories.

Technical requirements for the service include:

Android Users: The platform functions directly on-device.
iPhone Users: Requires the "WeaveSync" application on a Mac or PC to bridge the gap and import iPhone data securely.
Launch Pricing: Currently available for $10 per month (regularly $15) or $100 per year (regularly $150).

Conclusion: A Legacy for the Digital Age

LifeWeaver represents a shift in how we think about family history. It moves us away from the burden of "writing" and toward the clarity of "weaving," turning scattered digital records into genuine understanding. By combining the data you already create with brief moments of reflection, it ensures that no story is left behind.

Take a moment to consider your current digital footprint: if you were to look at your messages and photos from the last year, what story would they tell?

Where are all the records on FamilySearch?

2026-03-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

FamilySearch.org Standards

There are essentially five different places on FamilySearch where records are kept and can be searched separately. There is no universal search on the FamilySearch.org website. In addition, the various search areas overlap and are sometimes very confusing. The five different search areas are:

The Historical Record collection
Images
the Catalog
Books
Full Text search

There is still a very small minority of the records that are indexed and searchable, although the Full-Text Search app is rapidly converting those unindexed into searchable documents.

Here are a few questions to consider:

When will all the documents be subject to full text search?
Will all the documents ever be subject to full text search?
Will the catalog survive?
Where are all the processed full text search documents? In the catalog or in some other part of the website?
How long will processing all the documents take and will it ever catch up with the documents being digitized and added to the collections?

Any answers?

What is British Colonial America and why is it used in FamilySearch?

2026-03-09T11:04:00.001-07:00

"America" primarily refers to the United States of America, a federal republic in North America, but historically and geographically, it denotes the entire landmass of North and South America. Despite this somewhat vague definition, users of the FamilySearch.org website have a standard place name that states that people living in "the United States" before 1776 were living in "British Colonial America." Here is a list of the actual British colonies in "America.

The Thirteen Colonies (North America)

These colonies are typically grouped by their geography and economies. They eventually formed the United States.

New England: New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
Middle Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Southern Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Other North American & Atlantic Colonies

Britain held several other territories in North America that did not join the initial rebellion in 1776.

Nova Scotia: Ceded to Britain by France in 1713.
Newfoundland: Long used as a fishing outpost, officially recognized as a colony.
Quebec: Formally became British after the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
East and West Florida: Acquired from Spain in 1763 (returned to Spain in 1783).
Prince Edward Island (St. John's Island): Separated from Nova Scotia in 1769.
Bermuda: Settled in 1609 by the Virginia Company.

The British West Indies (Caribbean)

These were Britain's most profitable colonies due to sugar production and the slave trade.

Barbados: Settled in 1627.
Jamaica: Captured from the Spanish in 1655.
The Leeward Islands: Including Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Nevis, and St. Kitts.
The Windward Islands: Including Grenada, St. Vincent, and Dominica (acquired 1763).
The Bahamas: Formally a crown colony by 1718.
British Honduras (Belize): Emerging as a settlement for logwood cutters.

Defying both history and geography using the term British American Colonies to refer to just those colonies that ended up as part of the United States of a America is inappropriate and misleading.

How about referring to the original colonies by their proper names such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Virginia Company of London, instead of mashing up other entities?

Is there any hope for more geographic and historic accuracy?

Developing an ethical and safe use of AI for genealogy.

2026-03-04T12:06:00.003-07:00

https://youtu.be/R0bfWAYx-OE?si=IvAVbsJAo4zSV6Zd

It is a remarkable time to be a genealogist. For those of us who have spent decades cranking through microfilm, squinting at faded ink, and meticulously tracking down obscure court records, the current shift in the genealogical landscape feels both exhilarating and, for some, a bit unsettling. We are moving out of an era where our primary challenge was simply finding the data and into an era where the challenge is managing the sheer volume of information that modern tools can now uncover. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we bridge the gap between the traditional standards we hold dear—the accuracy, the citations, the "old school" rigor—and these "new school" tools like Artificial Intelligence that are fundamentally changing how we work.

The reality we have to face is that the role of the researcher is evolving. We are shifting from being mere data gatherers to becoming forensic auditors. In the past, we spent eighty percent of our time just trying to locate a record. Today, with tools like FamilySearch’s Full Text Search or AI-powered handwriting recognition, the records are finding us. Our job now is to look at the output of these machines with a critical, expert eye to ensure that what is being presented is historically accurate and meets the Genealogical Proof Standard.

One of the most frequent concerns I hear from fellow researchers is a fear of "AI hallucinations" or fabrications. It is a valid concern. If you treat a chatbot like a simple search engine—asking it "who was my great-grandfather"—you are likely to get a mix of facts and creative fiction. But the secret to using these tools effectively lies in understanding that AI is a tool, not a toy, and certainly not a replacement for your own judgment. The key is learning how to talk to it. In the tech world, they call this "prompting," but for us, it’s really about giving specific, professional instructions.

If you want to start using these tools responsibly, I suggest beginning with Google Gemini or a specific application called NotebookLM. The reason I point toward these is simple: memory and control. When you use a program like NotebookLM, you are essentially creating a "closed loop." You upload your own verified documents—your census records, your deed transcriptions, your family histories—and tell the AI to only answer questions based on those specific sources. This effectively eliminates the risk of the AI "making things up" from the vast reaches of the internet. You become the supervisor, and the AI becomes your highly efficient research assistant.

For those ready to take an actionable step today, I encourage you to look at the "Full Text" search option under the search menu on FamilySearch. This tool uses AI to search every word in every document—not just the indexed names. It can find your ancestors buried in the middle of a land deed or a cattle brand registration that would have been impossible to find a few years ago without reading every page of a digital film. When you find a transcription made by AI, treat it as a "Grade 3" or "Probable Draft." It’s a wonderful head start that might do 98% of the work for you, but you still owe it to your ancestors to check that final 2% against the original image.

We must also be careful with how we handle images. With AI, it’s now possible to "generate" a photo of what we think a 1790s farmhouse looked like. While these are great for illustrating a blog post or a family story, we must be ethically clear: always label them as AI-generated illustrations. They are not evidence. We must maintain the integrity of our historical record, ensuring that future generations can distinguish between a verified historical photograph and a modern digital recreation.

As we move forward, don’t be afraid of the technology. I remember when people were afraid to move from paper to computers, or from microfilm to digital images. Each shift felt like a loss of "the old way," but in reality, it just gave us better eyes. AI is simply the next set of eyes. If we direct it with the same precision and ethics we’ve used for a century, we will find that the stories of our families are more accessible than we ever dreamed possible. It’s not about changing why we do genealogy; it’s just about upgrading the tools we use to do it right.

Summary of Resources & Next Steps

I've outlined a few ways to get started with these tools in a responsible manner. If you're looking to dive deeper into the technical side of what I've discussed, here are the primary avenues I recommend:

FamilySearch Labs: Explore the "Full Text Search" to find names within the body of unindexed records.
Google Gemini: Practice "prompting" by telling the AI to "Act as a professional genealogist" before asking it to analyze a transcript.
NotebookLM: Use this to upload your own PDFs and research notes to create a controlled environment for AI analysis.
CRAIG (Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy): Visit cragon.org to read the mission statement and guidelines for ethical AI use.

Note: The insights in this post were adapted from the BYU Library Family History Center presentation by James Tanner on the ethical and safe use of AI for genealogy.