Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 20 to 26 March 2025

 Welcome to Genealogy Education Bytes, posted on Wednesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight some of the most important genealogy and family history education items that came across my desktop since the last issue.


1) Upcoming Conferences and  Institutes 

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for  and/or view conferences and institutes

*  i4GG 2025 Conference ($$) - 28 to 30 March 2025 - In-Person (San Diego, Calif.) and Online Streaming.

*   OGS 2025 Conference "Light Up Your Genealogy" ($$) - 30 April to 3 May 2025 - In-Person (Sandusky, Ohio)

*  NGS 2025 Family History Conference "Tales & Trails" ($$) - 23 to 25 May 2025 - In-Person (Louisville, Ky.)

2 ) Upcoming Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

* Conference Keeper Calendar - has many links to register for and/or view webinars and classes.

*  FamilySearch Library Classes and Webinars (Free)

*  GenWebinars ($$)


*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Wednesday, 26 March, 11 a.m.:  Locating Grandpa Parker’s Pig Farm by J. Mark Lowe.

*  Family Tree Webinars (free for a week) - Friday, 28 March, 11 a.m.:  Picture the Past: An Introduction to AI Images for Family Historians by Steve Little.

*  Family Tree Webinars 24-Hour Genealogy Webinar Marathon (free for a week) - Thursday, 3 April to Friday, 4 April):  24 webinars 

3) Recent Podcasts:






4) Recent YouTube Videos

*  Aimee Cross - Genealogy Hints:  Latest Advances in Chat AI and How It Will Help You


*  BYU Library Family History:  New FamilySearch Labs - Abagael Woods (19 Mar 2025)




*  Ellen Thompson-Jennings - Family History Hound:  Showing Pat from DearMYRTLE How To Upload To FOREVER


*  Family History on the AI Fast Track:  FamilySearch's New AI Research Assistant Resets the Bar






*  GeneaVlogger:  Building the Truman Family Tree

*  Int'l Institute of Genealogy Studies:  Irish Research: Registry of Deeds


*  Kentucky Tennessee Research Associates:   Mistake #1 Jumping to Conclusions





5) Did you miss the last post in this series - Genealogy Education Bytes -  13 to 19 March 2025?   Read past Genealogy Education Bytes here.

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NOTE:  If  I missed something important in this time period, please let me know in a comment or an email. 

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share your comment on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at   randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. 

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Ask Claude AI: "Please Create a Dialogue Between Rebecca Carringer and Her Family About Surviving the Tornado"

 The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta, CoPilot and Claude) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.

I wrote a genealogical sketch about my second great-grandmother, Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901) several years ago - see 52 Ancestors Week 18: #25 Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer (1832-1901).  I also wrote a poem and song about her in "Rebecca, Pioneer Woman" -- A Family History Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence.

One of the interesting things about Rebecca is that she survived a tornado in 1873 in Washington County, Iowa.  A published newspaper article about the tornado in Carringers in the News -- The Great Tornado of Washington County, Iowa in May 1873 in which "Mrs. Carringer" (I'm very sure this s Rebecca!) was listed as being injured.

That struck me as one of the major events in her life, and it probably affected the entire family such that the moved from Iowa shortly thereafter and settled in Colorado.

(image created by ChatGPT4)

1)  The artificial intelligence tools can create fictional dialogue if provided with enough information and a suggestion of what to write about.  I uploaded the text of the newspaper article to Claude 3.5 Haiku recently and asked it to:  "Please create a dialogue between Rebecca Carringer ("Mrs. Carringer") and her husband D.J. Carringer, with her children Edgar (age 20), Austin (age 19) and Effie (age 14) telling the story of her surviving the 1873 tornado in Washington County, Iowa where she was visiting the Cunningham farm."

2)  Here is the fictional, but fairly realistic, dialogue between the family members from the Claude AI tool:

A Miraculous Survival: The Carringer Family's Tornado Tale

Setting: Two days after Rebecca's return, as she continues to recover from her ordeal

D.J. Carringer: "How are you feeling today, Rebecca? You've been resting since you came home."

Rebecca (sighing and adjusting her position):   "I'm still terribly weak. When they brought me home, I could barely stay awake for more than an hour at a time. The doctor says it's a combination of the physical trauma and the shock."

Effie (bringing a cup of tea): "Mother, did the physician say what caused you to be so exhausted?"

Rebecca: "He believes I was likely thrown quite a distance when the tornado lifted us from the cellar. Mrs. McCoy was much worse - her head wound was quite serious. I'm fortunate to have only been rendered unconscious."

Austin: "I  heard from the neighbors that the Cunningham farm was completely destroyed. Is that true?"

Rebecca: "Completely. John's barn and house - gone. Only fragments remained. *her voice grows soft* Three hundred head of livestock - horses, cows, pigs, chickens - all killed. I saw pigs impaled to the ground, and chickens without a single feather." (shudders)

Edgar: "How did you and the others survive?"

Rebecca: " We were in the cellar when the tornado hit. But it was as if the very ground beneath us was lifted. Mrs. McCoy, her two children, and I were thrown out. I remember nothing after that moment - just darkness and then waking up bruised and confused."

D.J.: "The doctor said you're lucky. No broken bones, just severe bruising and exhaustion."

Rebecca:  "I can still feel every muscle aching. It's like the tornado ran its fury through my entire body. The children - Mrs. McCoy's children - they were miraculously unharmed. We were found in a heap beside the cellar wall."

Effie (softly): "Were you scared, Mother?"

Rebecca (pauses): "It happened so quickly. One moment we were seeking shelter, the next... *her voice trails off* The sound was terrible - like a thousand wagons thundering at once. The farm was in Keokuk County, I think. It traveled through several townships - near Lancaster, past Tallyrand, through the German settlement of Baden."

Austin:  "The newspaper said it disappeared near Middletown after causing tremendous destruction."

Rebecca  (nodding):  "Everything worth about $4,000 - gone in moments. But we survived. (she reaches out and takes Effie's hand) Sometimes, that's all that matters."

D.J.: "Rest now, my dear. You've been through an ordeal."

Rebecca closes her eyes, the memory of the tornado still vivid in her mind

3)  I commented and asked another question: "Do you have any idea what Rebecca felt during this experience and how it affected their family life? They moved to Colorado later in 1873."

4) Claude responded with:

The Unseen Wounds: A Tornado's Lasting Impact The 1873 tornado was more than just a physical destruction for Rebecca Carringer - it was a profound psychological turning point. Surviving such a violent natural event likely left deep emotional scars that would reshape her understanding of safety and vulnerability. In the immediate aftermath, Rebecca would have experienced several layers of trauma: 1. Survival Shock: The sudden, violent displacement from the cellar, being lifted and thrown by unimaginable forces, would have triggered an intense fight-or-flight response. Her period of unconsciousness likely added to her sense of disorientation and vulnerability. 2. Vicarious Trauma: Witnessing the complete destruction around her - dead livestock scattered everywhere, buildings reduced to fragments - would have been deeply traumatizing. The image of pigs impaled to the ground and featherless chickens would have haunted her memories. 3. Family Vulnerability: As a friend, the near-loss of her friend and her children would have intensified her emotional response. The miracle of their survival amid such complete destruction would have felt both miraculous and terrifying. As a mother, she didn't know if her husband and children had survived the tornado where they were located. The decision to move to Colorado later in 1873 was likely influenced by this experience. Natural disasters can create a profound sense of unsettledness, a need to start over, to escape the memories of destruction. For D.J. and Rebecca, Colorado might have represented hope, a chance to rebuild both physically and emotionally. Her family would have noticed changes in Rebecca. Survivors of such traumatic events often develop:
  • Heightened anxiety about weather conditions 
  • A need for greater control in family environments 
  • Increased protectiveness toward family members 
  • Potential sleep disturbances from recurring tornado memories

The move to Colorado wasn't just a geographical shift, but a psychological journey of healing and renewal.

5) I considered another followup question: "Create the story that Rebecca told her 8 year old grandson Lyle in about 1900."  

6) The Claude response was:

The Day the Wind Came Roaring

Rebecca settles into her rocking chair, her grandson Lyle perched eagerly at her feet, eyes wide with anticipation "Come closer, Jimmy," Grandma Rebecca said, her voice soft but steady. "I want to tell you about the day I learned how powerful nature can be - a day I'll never forget. "It was the summer of 1873, and I was visiting the Cunningham farm in Iowa. The air felt strange that day - heavy and thick, like something was waiting to burst. Mrs. McCoy, John Cunningham's daughter, was there with her two little ones, and we were working in the farmhouse when the sky went dark. "'Grandma,' I said to myself, 'something's not right.'" "Then we heard it - a sound like a thousand freight trains, roaring and screaming. Mr. Cunningham shouted, 'To the cellar! Quickly!'" "We ran down the wooden stairs, the children clutching tight to their mother. The wind was howling outside, and the whole world seemed to be shaking. And then - (she paused dramatically) - something extraordinary happened. "The tornado lifted us right up! Can you imagine that, Lyle? One moment we were in the safety of the cellar, and the next, we were flying through the air like leaves in the wind. I remember nothing after that - just darkness and spinning. "When I woke up, we were all lying in a heap beside the cellar wall. The farm - oh, the farm was gone. Nothing but splinters and broken pieces remained. Three hundred animals - horses, cows, pigs - all gone in an instant. (Her eyes grew distant) "Mrs. McCoy was hurt, with a terrible cut on her head. But by some miracle, the children were untouched. And me? Just bruised and tired, but alive. (She reached out and touched Lyle's cheek) "Sometimes, my dear, nature reminds us how small we are. But we survived. We always survive." (Lyle sat in wide-eyed wonder, the story of the tornado etched forever in his young mind)

7) I read a lot of historical fiction, and I like thinking about finding family stories like this - what important events occurred in their lives - whether happy, sad, or terrible? These dialogues are fairly realistic but fictional and perhaps overly dramatic.

When all you have is a factual newspaper account, there are family stories hiding behind the facts. The scenes above are certainly something that happened in some form, and Rebecca likely recounted her tornado story many times over the rest of her life, including to her grandson Lyle. So these stories are historical fiction.

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My blog posts with the AI-created poems and songs to date are on this AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Please note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Lyle and Emily in Balboa Park in 1918 -- (Not So) Wordless Wednesday #863

  I found another priceless (to me) photograph in my computer file folders:


This photograph was taken in 1918 in Balboa Park in San Diego.  Pictured are my maternal grandparents - Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976) and Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977).  They married on 19 June 1918 in San Diego in the Central Christian Church.  This photograph was probably taken before the wedding.  Lyle (at 5'7" and 125 pounds) was serving in the United States Marine Reserves in this period and was stationed in Balboa Park.  The building in the background is the Botanical Building.  Emily loved botany and became a master flower arranger and exhibit judge.

This photograph is a part of my family history.  I used the MyHeritage Photo tools to enhance and colorize a black and white photograph.  

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Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.    I moderate all comments and they may not appear immediately - please write only one comment.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 19 to 25 March 2025

 Welcome to Genealogy News Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news  items that came across our desktop since the last issue.    


1)  Genealogy and Family History News Articles:






2)  DNA-Related News Articles




4)  New or Updated Genealogy Digital Record Collections:






5)  Did you miss the last post in this series?  See Genealogy News Bytes - 12 to 18 March 2025.  Read all recent Genealogy News Bytes here.  

                          =========================================


Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Ask Google Gemini Deep Research AI: "Provide a Family History of John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938)"

The Artificial Intelligence tools (like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Meta, CoPilot, GenSpark and Perplexity) can provide much useful and nearly instant information about subjects in a concise format, especially when they have been pre-trained on a large volume of information about the subjects.

Nearly all of these AI tools now have a deep research/search/mind/reasoning tool, and some of them are free to use on a limited scale.  

Google Gemini now has a Deep Research tool that can search the Internet and its pre-trained information to provide a summary of a person's life.  However, it (and all of the AI tools!) depend on availability of information about the subject.  If  information is not in a pre-trained text, or is not searchable online, the information will be lacking. 

To test Gemini Deep Research out for finding information about a historical person, I wanted to choose as my subject a historical person that is not my ancestor.  I chose one who is my wife's ancestor - her great-grandfather John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938) - for whom I have done some research but not written a genealogical sketch as a blog post.

1)  My prompt for the Google Gemini Deep Research tool today was:  "Please provide a family history of John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938), including his birth family, spouse, children and grandchildren."

2)  Like the other reasoning models, this model formulates a research plan to respond o the query.  Here is the top of the Research Plan information:


3)  Then it carries out the research plan and creates a report based on the sources found and used:


4)  Here is the text report created by the Gemini Deep Research tool for my subject:

Family History of John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938)

This report details the family history of John Nicholas Brocke, born in 1853 and deceased in 1938, compiled from available genealogical records and family history resources. The aim is to provide a comprehensive account of his birth family, spouse, children, and grandchildren, drawing upon the provided research materials which offer varying levels of detail regarding different family members and connections . The information spans the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries, with a focus on the geographical locations of Michigan, Nebraska, and Idaho, where John Nicholas Brocke and his family resided at different points in their lives.   

The Birth Family of John Nicholas Brocke

According to the research material, John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938) was the son of John Peter Brocke and Christina (Webber) Brocke . Records indicate that John Nicholas Brocke was born in Michigan . Further investigation into the ancestry of his parents reveals that John Peter Brocke was born on January 6, 1826, in Germany . This is corroborated by another record which specifies his birthplace as Prussia, Germany, with the same birth date and a death date of February 13, 1891 . The parents of John Peter Brocke are identified as Peter Heinrich Brocke and Helena Catharina Diekershof . Christina Webber, the mother of John Nicholas Brocke, was born in September 1831 in Germany . While multiple sources point to a German or Prussian origin for John Peter Brocke, one record suggests that he married Christina Webber in Baltimore, Maryland, USA . This may indicate that the family immigrated to the United States through the port of Baltimore or resided there for a period before moving to Michigan.   

Information regarding the siblings of John Nicholas Brocke is also present in the research material. By the year 1880, four of the oldest children of John Peter and Christina Brocke had already established their own households . One identified sibling is Mary Brocke, who was born in Cedar County, Nebraska, in 1866 . Census data from 1880 further supports this, listing a 14-year-old daughter named Mary Brocke living with John and Christina in Vermillion . Another sibling identified is Frank Brocke, born in October 1879 . While one source initially associates Frank with John Nicholas Brocke's marriage to Anna Grieser, another record clarifies that Frank was a son of John and Christina Brocke and was married and living in Vermillion by 1900 . The fact that four older siblings had moved out by 1880, along with the identification of Mary and Frank, suggests a larger birth family for John Nicholas Brocke, although the names of the other siblings are not explicitly mentioned in the provided material. Christina (Webber) Brocke passed away after 1900, with one record suggesting she lived until 1914 .   

Marriage to Anna Grieser

John Nicholas Brocke married Anna Grieser in 1877 in Cedar County, Nebraska . Another record specifies the marriage date as April 24, 1877, in Cedar, Nebraska . A slight variation appears in one source stating the marriage occurred in 1878 . Despite this minor discrepancy, the consensus is that their marriage took place around 1877 or 1878 in Cedar County, Nebraska. Anna Grieser was born in 1859 and died in 1936 . She is listed as a family member of Charles Frank Grieser, suggesting a familial connection within the Grieser family . This connection could provide further avenues for exploring Anna's ancestral background if more detailed information is sought. Census data from 1880 shows Anna Brocke, aged 20, living with Nicholas Brocke, aged 25, which aligns with their reported birth years and the approximate year of their marriage .   

The Children of John Nicholas Brocke and Anna Grieser

John Nicholas Brocke and Anna Grieser had eight children together between the years 1878 and 1894 . One of their children was Amelia Anna Brocke, born in November 1884 and who lived until 1975 . Another child, John Ignatius Brocke, was born in February 1878 in Idaho . This might initially seem inconsistent with the stated birth range and location, but census data from 1900 shows a John Brocke born in February 1878 in Idaho, working as a farm laborer, with his father born in Michigan and mother in Missouri, which likely refers to him . Cemetery records indicate a John Brocke with the lifespan 1878-1931 in Julieetta, Idaho . Further identified children include Charles Joseph Brocke, born on November 10, 1892, who died in 1946, and Nicholas Francis Brocke, born on November 2, 1894, who died in 1945 . Records also mention a son named Joseph Brocke, born on December 18, 1888 . Additionally, a child named Ethel May Brocke was born in 1892 and died in 1893 . This accounts for seven identified children. One source mentions that they had five children, four of whom were living , which contradicts the more consistent information pointing to eight children. The identified children of John Nicholas Brocke and Anna Grieser are summarized in the following table:   

The Grandchildren of John Nicholas Brocke

Through their daughter Amelia Anna Brocke, John Nicholas Brocke and Anna Grieser had at least one grandchild, Leo Severt Leland, who was born on August 19, 1911, in Gardiner, Montana . Leo Severt Leland (1911-2002) married Edna May Schaffner (1913-1979) [living person information redacted]. While the research material provides details about the descendants of Amelia Anna Brocke Leland, it does not contain information regarding grandchildren from John Nicholas Brocke's other children.   

Conclusion

The genealogical information gathered from the provided research material offers a significant insight into the family history of John Nicholas Brocke (1853-1938). His parents were John Peter Brocke, born in Germany in 1826 and who passed away in 1891, and Christina (Webber) Brocke, born in Germany in 1831 and who died after 1900. He married Anna Grieser (1859-1936) in Cedar County, Nebraska, in 1877 or 1878. Together, they had eight children between 1878 and 1894: John Ignatius, Frank, Amelia Anna, Joseph, Ethel May, Charles Joseph, Nicholas Francis, and one other unidentified child. Through his daughter Amelia Anna Brocke Leland, John Nicholas Brocke had at least one grandchild, Leo Severt Leland, who further had children and grandchildren.

Despite the information gathered, there are still areas where the provided material is limited. The names of all of John Nicholas Brocke's siblings are not fully known, and information about grandchildren from his other children is absent. To gain a more complete understanding of his family history, further research could focus on consulting census records from 1860, 1870, and 1900 to potentially identify the other siblings of John Nicholas Brocke. Examining vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates for all of his children could also provide more detailed information about their spouses and offspring, thus expanding the knowledge of his grandchildren and subsequent generations. Online genealogy databases and additional family history websites may also contain further records and biographical details related to the Brocke and Grieser families.

Sources used in the report

Sources read but not used in the report

[not listed here]

5)  The "Thoughts" that went into the report are also provided from the right-hand panel after the source listings.  Here is the top of the "Thoughts" portion:


6)  The user is asked if s/he wants to "Generate Audio Overview."  I did and you can see on the left-hand side of the screen above that an 8 miinute, 49 second audio overview was created titled "From Prussia to Potato King: Unpacking the Life of John Nicholas Brocke."  The user can download the WAV file.  I can't figure out how to embed the audio file in Blogger.  

7)  How good is this family history genealogical sketch?  I note the following about this AI tool:
  • It found several of my blog posts (I use Blogger, which is a Google product) about the subject and other family members.
  • It used information from WikiTree, Find A Grave, FamilySearch, Ancestry, USGenWeb and several online archives.  All of those are found in a "normal" Google search. 
  • The information does not yet access the next level of an ancestor profile on the free sites or pay sites.  
  • It did not seem to access information from other genealogy record providers like MyHeritage, Findmypast, American Ancestors, etc.
  • It only looked for specific records like birth, marriage, death, obituary and census records in the source texts.  Note that it cannot search in online databases.
  • The Research Plan seems well thought out, but did not mention looking for church records, immigation records, migration within the USA, military records, occupations, land records, probate records, published books, periodicals, state or national archives, etc.  
  • The Conclusion also didn't mention the additional record types.
  • It discussed conflicting information but did not draw a conclusion.
  • The Audio Overview is similar to the one in Google NotebookLM but that is to be expected.
If I had written a genealogical sketch (e.g., like my 52 Ancestors sketches), I would have included more detailed information about my subject person, and asking this same prompt at a later time would include that information.  I wonder if I had asked for locality information, historical events, and social history if it would have included it.  I will have to check that out!

You can see my entire Google Gemini Deep Research discussion in   https://gemini.google.com/app/25b537ceea9098e8. 

                              ==============================================

My blog posts, and those of other genealogists, using Artificial Intelligence tools are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2025/03/ask-google-gemini-deep-research-ai.html

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on X, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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Seavers in the News -- 1983 Obituary of Greta W. Seaver (1892-1983) of Amherst, Massachusetts

  Here is this week's edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from The [Springfield, Mass.] Republican newspaper dated Wednesday, 17 August 1983, Page 44, Column 1:


The transcription of the article is:

"Greta Seaver Dies at 91

"AMHERST -- Greta W. (Miles) Seaver, 91, of 33 Kellogg Ave., widow of Ora Seaver, died Tuesday in Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton.

"A native of Woburn, and graduate of Fisher College, Boston, she lived in Amherst 44 yars.

" She was a charter member of Orient Club of Pelham, and member of First Congregational Church, the Grange, Amherst Chapter of Rebekah, the Golden Age Club and its chorus.

"She leaves two sons, Arthur W. and Miles A., both of Amherst, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

"The funeral will be Friday afternoon at Douglass Funeral Home with burial in Wildwood Cemetery."

The source citation is:

"Greta Seaver Dies at 91," The [Springfield, Mass.] Republican newspaper, Wednesday, 17 August 1983, page 44, column 1, Greta Seaver obituary; imaged,  Newspapers.com   (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2025).

This obituary provides the name, age, residence, birth place, occupations, associations, spouse's name, children names, religious affiliation, and funeral services. 

Greta Weldon Miles (1892-1983) was born 23 April 1892 in Wobunr, Massachusetts, the daughter of Walter Hildred and Margaret E. (Weldon) Miles.  She died 16 August 1983 in Northampton, Massachustts.  Greta married Ora Everett Luce Seaver (1892-1962) on 20 November 1915 in Somerville, Massachusetts.  They had two children:

*  Arthur Weldon Seaver (1925-2008), married 1946 Lucille Mary Hamilton (1925-1990).
*  Miles Adams Seaver (1929-2006), married 1954 Margaret E. Joy (1924-2017).

Ora Everett Luce Seaver (1892-1962) is a 7th cousin three times removed to me, with the common Seaver ancestor being Robert Seaver (1634-1683). 

There are over 10,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - and this is one of them.   Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person has a good obituary.   I am glad that  I can honor Greta W. (Miles) Seaver (1892-1983) today.  

You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.

                                  =============================================

Disclosure:  I have a paid subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.


Copyright (c) 2025, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.    Share it on Twitter, Facebook,  or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.  Please note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Monday, March 24, 2025

Randy's Genealogy Pot-Pourri - Week Ending 23 March 2025

  Here are the highlights of my family history and genealogy related activities over the past week (ending Sunday, 23 March 2025).  

1)  Hosted and moderated the CVGS DNA Interest Group Meeting on Wednesday.  I reported on the RootsTech 2025 DNA videos, the future AncestryDNA clustering tool, the updated FamilyTreeeDNA mtDNA haplotree, the DNA Painter "Places" feature, and the i4GG conference in San Dego on 28-30 March.

2)  Attended the Mondays With Myrt session on Monday, 17 March.  We discussed RootsTech 2025, the new WikiTree graphic interface, Myrt's Paul Froman find, Dan's updated Blurring Tool, and Substack.

3)  Transcribed the 1899 Quitclaim deed of Alexander Sovereen and three others giving land to the village of Delhi, Ontario for use as a park.  This completes the land records for alexander on FamilySearch Full-Text Search.

4)  Wrote a genealogical sketch for 2nd Great-GrandUncle John Rich (1822-1870) of Hilperton and Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire for the 52 Relatives theme.

5) Curated genealogy-related articles  to keep myself and my readers updated on the genealogy world in:

6)  Requested free AI tools to tell me about these genealogy subjects:

7)  Requested free AI tools to create a poem and song lyrics about my 3rd greatgrandfather, Benjamin Seaver (1791-1825), and had Suno.com create a song using the lyrics.  Posted the poem created by Grok 3 and the song lyrics by Claude Sonnet 3.7, and the Suno song MP4, in "The Yeoman's Tale" -- A Family History Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence.


8)  Added more ancestor Notebooks to the Google NotebookLM AI tool, captured the audio overviews, and used TurboScribe (free for 3 transcriptions a day) to render the podcasts into text.  I'm trying to finish the life stories of my ancestors back through the 2nd great-grandparents and see if I can put them in an eBook of some sort for my descendants and relatives. 

9)  My AncestryDNA now has 48,744 DNA matches (up 89 from 16 March) with 2070 "close" matches today (up 2), with one new ThruLines.  Added Notes to 1 Matches, and added no new DNA match line to RootsMagic.   MyHeritageDNA now has 13,383 DNA matches (up 20 from 16 March) for me.  Reviewed the new DNA matches on AncestryDNA, MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe.  

10)  Occasionally matched RootsMagic 10 profiles to FamilySearch Family Tree.  I have matched 52,549 of my RootsMagic persons with FamilySearch Family Tree profiles (up 41).  

11)  Searched for more records of ancestral families on Ancestry, FamilySearch and MyHeritage, downloaded record images to my digital file folders, and added research notes, events and sources to RootsMagic profiles.  My RootsMagic family tree now has 74,331 profiles (up 38 from last week) and 147,403 source citations (up 8).  Added more short biographical sketches and source citations to ancestors, and edited historical place names for a number of families.  

12) Wrote 20 Genea-Musings blog posts last week (Sunday through Saturday), of which one wase a press release. The most viewed post last week was "My Roots and Branches" -- A Family History Poem and Song Created by Artificial Intelligence with over 242 views.  Genea-Musings had about 32,200 page views last week and over 254,000 views over the past month. 

13)  Real life events:  Visited Linda several days at her memory care facility and we played Uno. Celebrated our 55th anniversary on Friday at her facility and took a photo. Went to the grocery store on Monday and Friday.  Went to the dentist on  Monday for deep cleaning and checkup - need at least one root canal and 4 crowns.  Argghhh.  Went to the cardiologist lab for a routine pacemaker checkup - my heart is ticking well.  I finished reading Game of Snipers by Stephen Hunter and started In Too Deep by Lee Child.  My SDSU Aztecs lost to North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, so finished 21-10.  The Padres exhibition games continue and opening day is 27 March..

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