Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 2to 8 July 2026

 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 seminars, conferences and institutes.

*  FEEFHS Annual Conference ($$, In-person, in Salt Lake City) -- 5 to 7 August 2026.

*  Pennsylvania's Genealogy Event "PaGE" 2026 Conference ($$, Virtual) -- 6 to 8 August 2026.

5th Annual East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference ($$, In-person + Recordings, Boston, Mass.) -- 21 to 23 August 2026.

*  2026 New York State Family History Conference ($$, In-person, Virtual, New York City) -- 18 to19 September 2026.

*  2026 Heritage Books Genealogical Conference & Cruise with Angie Bush, Blaine Bettinger, and Craig Scott ($$, In-person, Cruise from Miami, Florida) -- 6 to 17 November 2026.

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

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

* FamilySearch MonthlyWebinars (Free)

* RootsTech 2019-2026 On-Demand Sessions (Free) ($$, In-person, 

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 8 July, 11 a.m.:  Only A Date? Five Things You May Be Missing in Kentucky and Virginia Marriages by Gail Jackson Miller.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Friday, 10 July, 11 a.m.:  Researching in Warwickshire by Donna Rutherford.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Tuesday, 14 July, 11 a.m.: Treasures Abound in OldNews by MyHeritage by Dawn Carlile.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Wednesday, 15 July, 11 a.m.: Advanced Topics in DNA 4 of 5: Advanced Clustering and Organizing by Blaine D. Bettinger.

*  Legacy Family Tree Webinar -- Friday, 17 July, 11 a.m.: Wills and Testaments in the Spanish Colonial Southwest by Henrietta Martinez Christmas.

3) Recent Podcasts:

* Ancestors and Algorithms: 
Ep. 45: The Name on the Draft Card



4) Recent YouTube Videos:










*  Genealogy Quick Start:  Preservation & Women

* Italian Roots and Genealogy: My Grandfather's Story Angela Page



*  Randy Seaver, Geneaholic:  What Is My Place in History?



*  Write Your Family History With Devon Noel Lee:  

5) Did you miss the last post in this series -- Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 25 June to 1 July 2026?

Read past Genealogy Education Bytes here.

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NOTE: If I missed an upcoming conference or webinar, or a useful podcast or video, in this time period, please let me know in a comment or an email.

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2026, 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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Life Memoir of Philip Row (1752-1817) of New Jersey, a Revolutionary War Soldier

I wrote an AI-assisted ABC biography for the family of my 4th great-grandparents Philip and Mary (Smith) Row in ABC Biography of Revolutionary War Soldier Philip Row (1752-1817) and His Wife Mary (Smith) Row (1750-1843) of New Jersey based on my genealogical research over 38 years. 

I wondered what Philip Row might have told his grandchildren in a life memoir in 1815.

(AI Google NotebookLM Infographic for Philip Row's life memoir)

1)  I requested Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 to   "Please write a life memoir for Philip Row based on the attached biography, as he might tell his grandchildren in 1815."

2)  The AI Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 memoir (edited for accuracy and completeness) is:  

The Remembrances of Philip Row

As Told to His Grandchildren in the Year 1815

Come close, little ones, and sit by the fire. Your grandmother tells me my stories grow longer each time I tell them, but an old soldier is entitled to his tales, is he not? I am past sixty years now, and my hands do not work as they once did, but my memory of the old days remains clear enough. Let me tell you of my life, so that you will remember it when I am gone.

My Beginnings

I was born in December of 1752, here in New Jersey, though I could not tell you precisely where. My people were German folk, as were so many of our neighbors in this part of Hunterdon County. I never knew my parents well enough to tell you much about them—such is the way of things sometimes, children. Not every question in life gets answered, and I have made my peace with what I do not know.

I grew up speaking German in my home, as most families did in our settlement. To this day, I keep my accounts and my Bible records in German—I never did learn to write the English tongue, though I can speak it well enough for trading and business. Your grandmother's nephew, John Beamer the schoolmaster, has helped me with English matters over the years, being fluent in both languages.

Taking a Wife

I was a young man of nineteen years and seven months when I married your grandmother, Mary Smith, on the ninth of July, 1772. She was twenty-one years and eight months old—older than me, though that never troubled either of us. Reverend Frederick Dellicker performed the ceremony.

I recorded the date in my German family Bible with my own hand—the date of our marriage, and both our ages at the time. I have always believed such things should be written down properly, so that they are not forgotten or disputed in later years. That page remains in the Bible still, and I trust it will be kept safe long after I am gone.

We settled here in Tewksbury Township, in New Germantown—Oldwick, as some now call it—and began our life together. I was not a wealthy man, children, but I had land, strong hands, and a wife willing to work alongside me. That was enough to build a life upon.

Our Children Begin to Arrive

Your grandmother gave me our first child, a daughter we named Mary, on the nineteenth of July, 1773—just over a year after our wedding, and ten days past the anniversary of our marriage. I remember holding that small child and feeling a kind of joy and terror both at once, wondering how I would provide for a family in an uncertain world.

Little did I know how uncertain that world was about to become.

The Call to War

By 1775, the troubles between the colonies and the Crown had grown into open rebellion. I was a young husband and father by then, with your grandmother carrying our second child. But when the militia called for men to defend Hunterdon County and this new nation we were building, I answered that call. It was my duty, as I saw it, and I could not turn away from it.

I served under Captain Godfrey Reinhardt in the Hunterdon County Militia. We were organized into classes, called up in rotation for a month's service at a time, though when danger pressed hard upon us, the whole militia would be summoned together. I carried my rifle as a common soldier in those early days, not knowing what lay ahead of me.

Years of Service

I will not trouble you with every tour of duty I performed, children, for there were many, and an old man's memory grows uncertain about the exact order of things. But I will tell you of what I remember most clearly.

In the summer of 1776, I served under Captain Reinhardt, and later that year under Colonel Mehelm and General Dickinson at Elizabethtown. In the autumn, I was posted at Raritan under Lieutenant Cramer, and then at Elizabethtown again, where I witnessed General Washington's retreat through New Jersey as the British pressed hard upon our army. Those were dark days, children—darker than you can imagine. Many believed the cause was lost.

That winter, I served at Trenton and New Brunswick under Captain Emmam. The service was harder than expected—what should have been a month's duty stretched to six weeks in the bitter cold of January and February 1777. I remember well how word came to us of General Washington's victory at Trenton on Christmas night, crossing the icy Delaware to surprise the Hessian garrison. It gave new heart to all of us who had begun to despair.

I fought at the Battle of Millstone that winter as well, serving alongside the Somerset troops under Colonel Frelinghausen and Colonel Nelson, when we met the enemy at Van Eps Mills. Your grandmother and I once rode past that very spot together, and I pointed it out to her—strange how a quiet field can hold such memory of chaos and danger.

The Night Raid on Staten Island

One tour I remember with particular clarity was a raid we made against the enemy on Staten Island. We crossed at night from Elizabethtown, meaning to catch the British garrison unaware. In the midst of the fighting, I lost the flint from my rifle—a soldier's nightmare, children, to have your weapon fail you in the heat of battle. I had to duck behind a corn crib to fit a new flint and reload while the enemy pressed close upon us.

I could hear them shouting as I worked, could hear their shots striking near me. When I finally came out from behind that corn crib to rejoin my comrades, I fired upon the enemy, and their musket balls flew thick around me as I ran. I do not know by what mercy I was not struck that night, but I have always believed the Lord had further purpose for my life.

Rising Through the Ranks

As the war continued, Captain Reinhardt was promoted to Major, and I was raised to the rank of Ensign in his stead. Later still, I became a Lieutenant. I had a proper suit of regimentals made—a blue coat faced with red, with an epaulette upon my shoulder—which I wore when performing my duties as an officer.

It was no small thing, children, to rise from a common private to an officer's rank. I take some quiet pride in it, though I have never been a boastful man. It meant greater responsibility, and greater danger too, for officers draw the enemy's particular attention in battle.

Monmouth, Springfield, and Beyond

I fought at the Battle of Monmouth in June of 1778, one of the fiercest engagements I witnessed in the whole war. The heat that day was terrible—men fell from the heat as much as from British lead. Before the battle, I had spent time on guard duty at Trenton, and then marched with my company to Freehold and Englishtown, where the fighting occurred.

I also served in the Battle of Springfield, and in the engagements at Short Hills and Ash Swamp. Near the war's end, in the early months of 1780 or perhaps 1781—my memory grows uncertain on the precise year—I was called to Pluckemin when the Pennsylvania troops rose up in mutiny. The militia was summoned to intercept them, and I performed that duty as I had performed so many others.

I served under many commanders through those years—Colonel Mehelm, Colonel Frelinghausen, Colonel Seely, General Winds, General Dickinson. I mention their names now so that you will know I served under real men, in real battles, for a cause I believed in with my whole heart.

Our Family Continued to Grow

Even as the war raged, your grandmother and I continued to build our family. Elisabetha was born in January of 1776, while I was already engaged in militia service. John Jacob followed in April of 1779. Peter came to us about 1782, once the worst of the fighting had passed. William arrived in August of 1785, followed by Anna about 1787. Phillip Johannes was born before October of 1791, and our youngest, Johannes, arrived about January of 1795.

Eight children in all, children—your own parents and aunts and uncles among them. We had each one baptized at the Zion Lutheran Church here in Oldwick, where the pastor recorded our name in the German fashion, as Rau. To our English neighbors, we are Row, but to God and the old church register, we remain Rau. A name matters less than the love and faith behind it, I have come to believe.

Peace and Prosperity

When the war finally ended in 1783, I returned to farming in earnest, grateful to lay down my rifle and take up my plow instead. Those years that followed were good ones. We watched our children grow to adulthood, marry, and begin families of their own—your own parents among them.

Mary married John Hubert in 1794. Elisabetha married Jacob Adam Apgar, and they have given us one grandchild. John Jacob married Elizabeth Hueven in 1803, and they have blessed us with five grandchildren of their own. Peter married Catherine Case in 1808, and they have one child. Anna married Johannes Auble in 1804, and they have four children so far though I love each grandchild equally, whether there be one or eight.

And now, just this past January, my son Phillip Johannes has married Jane Johnson down in Somerset County. I pray they will be as blessed in their marriage as your grandmother and I have been in ours.

We lost William and Johannes when they were young boys, and the pain in my heart is still there.

Reflections in My Later Years

I am an old man now, children, and I feel my strength failing in ways it did not used to fail. My hands ache in the cold mornings, and I tire more easily than I once did. But I do not complain, for I have lived a full life—fuller than I ever imagined possible when I was a young man of nineteen marrying your grandmother in 1772.

I have fought for this nation's freedom, faithfully performing my duty through every year of that long war, from its beginning to its end. I have built a farm and a family here in Hunterdon County. I have watched my children grow, marry, and give me grandchildren to bounce upon my knee and tell my stories to, as I do now with you.

I keep my accounts still in German, as I always have, and John Beamer continues to help me with matters requiring English. I have never been ashamed of my German heritage, children, even as I fought for an English-speaking nation's independence. A man can love his homeland's customs and still give his loyalty and his blood for the country of his birth.

What I Wish for You

I want you to remember, children, that your grandfather was a soldier who believed in the cause of liberty enough to leave his young wife and children for months at a time, not knowing if he would return home to them. I want you to remember that freedom was not given to us easily—it was won through hardship, danger, and the sacrifice of many men like myself, and of women like your grandmother, who kept our homes and families together while we were away.

I want you to work hard, as I have worked hard. I want you to value your family above all worldly things, for it is family that sustains us through both war and peace. I want you to remember your German heritage with pride, even as you build your lives as Americans in this new nation we fought to create.

When I am gone from this world, remember these stories I have told you tonight. Tell them to your own children and grandchildren in turn, so that the memory of what we endured—and what we built—does not fade with the passing of years.

Now, children, the hour grows late, and this old soldier must rest his weary bones. Come, give your grandfather a kiss before you go to bed, and know that I love each and every one of you more than words can say.

God bless you all, and may you never have to know the hardships of war as I have known them. May you live instead in the peace and prosperity that we fought to secure for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philip Row died at his home in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, on June 9, 1817, having written his will that same day. He was approximately sixty-four years old.

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3)  The Video Overview of Philip Row's life memoir, created by the Google NotebookLM AI tool, is:       

4)  I edited the Claude memoir text to correct minor inconsistencies and errors. Every large language model (LLM) AI tool writes descriptive text much better than I can write. The AI tools are very perceptive, insightful and inspiring, creating engaging text in seconds, including local and national historical events and social history detail when requested.

5)  This is historical fiction, based on my own genealogical research and family records. It is what Philip Row might have told his grandchildren in 1815.  

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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page. Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

Copyright (c) 2026, Randall J. Seaver

The URL for this post is: 

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. Please note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

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Jane McKnew With Her Sons in About 1881 -- (Not So) Wordless Wednesday #923

This is a priceless (to me) image in my computer file folders from the Leland family collectio


This photograph was taken in about 1881 in San Francisco, California.

The woman in the photograph is Jane (Whittle) McKnew (1847-1921), my wife's great-grandmother. The boys in the photograph are probably Alfred Rodney McKnew (1869-1943), Henry Lee McKnew (1870-1834), and George Morgan McKnew (1879-1944).  

I have another photograph of Elijah Pickrell McKnew (1836-1912), Jane's husband and the father of their children, with his three daughters at the time in the same studio.

I estimated the date of the photograph by the estimated ages of the children in both photographs, and that daughter Belle, born in 1882 was not included. 

I requested MyHeritage to enhance and colorize this photograph (it was a sepia photograph originally). I obtained the image from the Leland/McKnew photograph collection of Linda's brother, Paul Leland in about 2010.

This event is part of my family history!!

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The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2026, 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 X, 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, July 7, 2026

Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 1 to 7 July 2026

  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:




*  National Archives News: Archives Fest [The Nosey Genealogist]



2)  America250 Family History Stories:







4)  Genealogy Book/Magazine Notices and Reviews:




5)  New or Updated Genealogy Digital Record Collections:

















6)  Did you miss the last post in this series?  See Genealogy News Bytes - Week of 24 to 30 June 2026.


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


Copyright (c) 2026, 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 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.

Subscribe to receive a free daily email from Genea-Musings using www.Blogtrottr.com.

Using Steve Little's Genealogical Research Assistant (V. 8.5.1c) To Evaluate a Death Certificate

 Steve Little continues to work on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve genealogy and family history research, analysis and writing.  I haven't tried to work with all of the new Large Language Models (LLMs like Claude CoWork, Claude Fable, etc.) because I don't have a paid subscription to any AI tool, but I've been watching and learning.  

Steve's latest blog post on his Vibe Genealogy website is Fun Prompt Friday: Assigning Subagent Swarms with Claude Fable 5, Opus 4.8, and Sonnet 5 (posted 3 July 2026). The AI tool Genealogical Research Assistant (GRA V. 8.5.1c) and methodology used for the blog post are described in his earlier blog post The Genealogical Research Assistant (GRA): Free for Every AI Platform (posted 4 April 2026).

I wanted to use the GRA AI tool to analyze a death certificate from my own research collections.  - I chose the death certificate for my 2nd great-grandmother Abigail A. "Abbie" (Vaux) Smith (1844-1931).  

I chose to run the Genealogical Research Assistant in OpenAI ChatGPT5 because it is free and Steve has created a Custom Prompt for it in https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69701d25d61c819192c2db4589b366d9-genealogical-research-assistant.  I attached the document image and asked the custom prompt to "Please evaluate the attached death certificate, summarize all of the evidence as it pertains to the genealogical proof standard, create an Evidence Explained source citation, and provide a written proof summary."

The free OpenAI ChatGPT5 response was:


Below is a genealogical analysis of the submitted California death certificate following the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) analytical framework. This is a draft requiring independent human verification before being incorporated into a genealogical conclusion.

Document Identification

Document Type: Vital Record — Death Certificate

Jurisdiction: State of California, Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics

Certificate Number: State No. 31-050190; Local Registrar No. 1541

Registration District: San Diego, California

Image Quality

The certificate is complete and highly legible. Minor handwritten portions require interpretation but do not materially affect the genealogically significant information.

Source Analysis (GPS Element 3)

Source Classification

Source Type: Original Source

This certificate is the contemporaneously created government record documenting the death.

Date Taxonomy

Date                                 Type                                           

11 Sept 1931                    Event Date (death)
15 Sept 1931                    Filing/Registration Date
18 Nov 1996                    Certification copy issued

The 1996 certification date is not evidence of the death event.

Information Analysis

A death certificate contains multiple kinds of information, each evaluated independently.


Assertion                           Information Type                            Reason                                    

Death date                     Primary Information                Physician attended the death.

Place of death                Primary Information                Recorded contemporaneously.

Cause of death               Primary Information                Physician's professional determination.

Time of death                Primary Information                Physician present.

Physician attendance    Primary Information                Physician's own knowledge.
dates

Burial information        Primary Information                Funeral director contemporaneous.

Birth date                       Secondary Information            Informant likely not present at birth.

Birthplace                       Secondary Information            Reported by informant.

Parents' names               Secondary Information            Reported from family knowledge.

Parents' birthplaces       Secondary Information            Informant reported.

Marital status                 Secondary Information             Family supplied.

Husband's name            Secondary Information             Family supplied.

Occupation                    Indeterminate Information        Informant not identified for this field.

Extracted Genealogical Assertions

Identity
  • Abigail A. Smith
  • Female
  • White
  • Widowed
Death
  • Died 11 September 1931
  • Approximately 10:10 a.m.
  • San Diego, San Diego County, California
Direct evidence for:
  • date of death
  • place of death
Birth

Reported birth:
  • 2 October 1844
  • New York
Secondary Information.

Age
  • 86 years
  • 10 months
  • 14 days
This agrees closely with the reported birth date.

Parents

Father:
  • Samuel Vary
  • Born England
Mother:
  • Mary A. Underhill
  • Born New York
These constitute Direct Evidence for the research question "Who were the parents reported at Abigail's death?" but only Secondary Information because the informant was not present at Abigail's birth.

Marital Information

Widow of:
  • Devere J. Smith
This implies a marital relationship but does not prove it independently. Confirmation should come from a marriage record or another record explicitly documenting the marriage.

Occupation
  • "At home."
This indicates no occupation outside the home was reported.

Residence

Length of residence:
  • 45 years in place of death
  • 45 years in California
This suggests residence in California since approximately 1886, but that year is an inference, not a stated fact.

Cause of Death

Immediate cause:
  • Carcinoma of breast with general metastasis
Duration:
  • Four years
Contributory:
  • Acute dilatation of heart (approximately two days)
Burial

Undertaker:
  • Benbough Funeral Parlors
  • 711 Date Street
Disposition:
  • Cremation
  • Greenwood Cremator
  • 13 September 1931
Evidence Classification

Research Question                                            Evidence                                

When did Abigail die?                                Direct Evidence

Where did she die?                                     Direct Evidence

What caused death?                                    Direct Evidence

What was her reported birth date?           Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)

Where was she reportedly born?               Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)

Who were her reported parents?              Direct Evidence (Secondary Information)

Was she the widow of Devere J. Smith?   Direct Evidence for what was reported; 
                                                                      independent corroboration still required.

Reliability Assessment

Strongest Evidence
  • Date of death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Physician attendance
  • Burial details
These are contemporaneous and recorded by officials directly involved.

Moderate Reliability
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace
  • Parents
  • Husband's identity
These depend entirely upon the unidentified informant's knowledge.

Weaker Elements

Occupation and years of residence likely came from family and should be corroborated with census, city directory, or other residence records.

Notable Absences (Negative Evidence)

The certificate does not identify:
  • the informant
  • the exact residence address of the deceased
  • cemetery plot (cremation only)
  • maiden surname confirmation beyond the parents' section
  • surviving children or other heirs
The absence of an informant limits evaluation of the reliability of the biographical information.

Suggested Corroborating Records

To strengthen the proof regarding Abigail's identity and parentage, consult:
  • New York birth or baptism records (fee [VERIFY], online or written request depending on locality).
  • Marriage record for Abigail Vary and Devere J. Smith (fee [VERIFY], online or written request).
  • Federal census records (1850–1930) (free/subscription, online).
  • California city directories for San Diego (free/subscription, online or library).
  • Obituary and funeral notices from San Diego newspapers (free/subscription, online or library).
Evidence Explained–Style Citation (Draft)

Original Record
California Department of Public Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death, no. 31-050190 (local registrar no. 1541), Abbie A. Smith, died 11 September 1931, San Diego, San Diego County, California; filed 15 September 1931; certified copy issued 18 November 1996.
Note: This citation is based solely on the certified copy provided. Repository information should be expanded as appropriate if the record was obtained from a specific archive or online provider.

Draft Proof Summary

Subject: Abigail A. Smith

The California death certificate for Abigail A. Smith is an Original Source created contemporaneously with her death in San Diego, California. It provides Primary Information regarding her death, including that she died on 11 September 1931 at approximately 10:10 a.m. in San Diego from carcinoma of the breast with general metastasis, with acute dilatation of the heart as a contributing condition. The attending physician certified these facts shortly after the death, making them highly reliable.

The certificate also reports that Abigail was born on 2 October 1844 in New York, was the daughter of Samuel Vary, born in England, and Mary A. Underhill, born in New York, and was the widow of Devere J. Smith. These statements constitute Secondary Information, because the unidentified informant was almost certainly reporting family knowledge rather than firsthand knowledge of Abigail's birth and parentage. Nevertheless, they provide valuable research leads and Direct Evidence for the reported identity of her parents and spouse. These assertions should be corroborated with independent records such as a birth or baptism record, marriage record, census records, or probate records.

At present, this certificate provides Proved evidence for Abigail's death details (date, place, and cause of death), but only Probable support for her birth details, parentage, and marital relationship until those facts are confirmed through additional independent sources. The absence of the informant's identity slightly reduces confidence in the biographical information while not materially affecting the reliability of the death-related facts.

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

One of the major tenets of using Artificial Intelligence to transcribe and analyze a document or image is to  verify every assertion made by systematically comparing the information in the record to the information in the AI transcription and analysis.

Here are the discrepancies I found between the AI transcription and the record image above:
  • Name:  The death certficate names her as "Abbie A. Smith" [not "Abigail A. Smith"]
  • Birth date:  The certificate clearly notes it as "Oct. 28th, 1844" [not "October 8, 1844"]
  • Father's Name:  The certificate clearly notes it is "Samuel Vaux" [not "Vary"]
  • Husband's Name:  The certificate clearly notes "Devier J. Smith" [not "Devere J. Smith"]
  • Cremation Provider: The certificate clearly notes "Clover Lawn Crematory" [not "Greenwood Cremator"]
  • Date of Cremation:  The certificate notes "Sept. 15, 1931 [not "September 13, 1931"]
  • Informant:  The certificate names the informant as "Ada G. Kelley" at "711 Date St." [not no informant as stated above]
  • Residence: The certificate provides "2115 30th St." [not provided in AI Summary]
  • Attending physician: The certaificate provides the name as "Chas. R. Langsworth" and his address as "3115 University" [not included in the AI summary]
  • Physician's period of attendance: The certificate provides "Jan 4th 1928 to Sept 11 1931" [not included in AI Summary]
I agree with the classification details of the information into the GPS categories for Source, Information and Evidence.  However, I consider that the Death Certificate (shown above) created in 1996 is a "Derivative Source" rather than an "Original Source" created in 1931, although it is a Certified True Copy.  The original record was likely filled out by the signatories on the document on or about September 15, 1931, then was digitized at some time and issued upon request in 1996.

The EE-style source citation is sufficient. 

UPDATE:  I ran the GRA as an Anthropic Claude 5 Skill (free!) and the result was different (logical, it's a different LLM) -- and it did not have all of the nit-picky problems noted above. 

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Links to my blog posts about using Artificial Intelligence are on my Randy's AI and Genealogy page.  Links to AI information and articles about Artificial Intelligence in Genealogy by other genealogists are on my AI and Genealogy Compendium page.

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