Genealogy, Part One

Welcome to Celebrate Creativity -  episode 405  - The Practical Newside of Genealogy.

I recently spoke with my cousin - a brilliant lady who is really into genealogy - this lady could go on for hours talking about the family ancestors - and that conversation with her gave me the idea of having a podcast episode or two about the world of genealogy. 

So, I began typing the following into Gemini, not realizing where it would lead - and to be honest, I think I am very satisfied with the results. I typed - and this is not exactly the best of prompts - but it did lead to good results. And by the end of next weeks continuation to today's podcast script, I was genuinely moved.

Thank you for experiencing Celebrate Creativity.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Creativity -  episode 405  - The Practical Newside of Genealogy or Genealogy, Part One

I recently spoke with my cousin - a brilliant lady who is really into genealogy - this lady could go on for hours talking about the family ancestors - and that conversation with her gave me the idea of having a podcast episode or two about the world of genealogy. 

Now let me start with a very brief story about my family going to Washington DC. At one point my father was driving through Washington, and some guards stopped traffic so that President Eisenhower's car could pass. There he was, totally unexpected, his bald head shining in a car - The automobile was like a convertible and he would've been accessible to anyone in the crowd - of course the Secret Service would not allow the President to be an open vehicle today. Bu  I was always proud as a child that I had seen a president. Now the subject of this podcast episode and the one after it is genealogy - and there is a minor connection - but I wanted to start with that little incident.

So, I began typing the following into Gemini, not realizing where it would lead - and to be honest, I think I am very satisfied with the results. I typed - and this is not exactly the best of prompts - but it did lead to good results. And by the end of next weeks continuation to today's podcast script, I was genuinely moved. Anyway, I typed into Gemini:

My name is George Bartley, and I I am working on a podcast episode or two about genealogy.  How can Gemini be used for genealogy. First do you have some general tips?  And it replied:

That's a fantastic idea for a podcast! Gemini, as a large language model, can be a powerful tool for genealogists. Here are some general tips on how to leverage it for your research, along with important considerations:

General Tips for Using Gemini (or any AI) in Genealogy:

Understand its Role: It's an Assistant, Not a Replacement. Gemini can significantly assist your research, but it doesn't replace the core skills of a genealogist: critical thinking, source verification, and understanding historical context. Think of it as a highly capable research assistant, not a magic genie that will instantly build your family tree.

Verify Everything! This is the golden rule of genealogy, and it applies even more so with AI. Gemini might "hallucinate" (make up information) or misinterpret data. Always cross-reference any information it provides with original records and reliable genealogical sources. Use the Genealogical Proof Standard as your guide.

Be Specific with Your Prompts: Vague questions will yield vague answers. The more precise and detailed your prompts, the better the results. Instead of "Find my ancestors," try "Create a research plan to find the birth record of Johan Mueller, born in 1855 in Munich, Germany."

Provide Context and Data: The more information you give Gemini, the better it can understand your request and provide relevant output. If you're asking it to analyze a document, provide the document text. If you're asking about an ancestor, give dates, locations, and known relationships.
Iterate and Refine: Don't expect perfection on the first try. If Gemini's response isn't what you need, try rephrasing your prompt, adding more details, or asking follow-up questions to refine the results.

Break Down Complex Tasks: For large or intricate research problems, break them into smaller, manageable steps. Ask Gemini to help with each step individually.

Leverage its Language Capabilities:

Translation: If you have documents in a foreign language, Gemini can translate them. Be aware that historical language can be tricky, and while AI is good, it may not grasp all nuances.

Transcription: For printed or even handwritten documents (if you can get a clear image for models that accept images, or if you can manually input difficult-to-read sections), Gemini can assist with transcription. This can be a huge time-saver.

Summarization: Have a long will, deed, or court case? Ask Gemini to summarize it, extracting key names, dates, and relationships.

Ask for Research Plans and Suggestions: Gemini can help you brainstorm new research avenues, suggest overlooked record types, or even formulate a detailed research plan for a specific "brick wall" ancestor.

Explore Historical Context: Ask Gemini about the social, economic, or political conditions in a specific time and place where your ancestors lived. This can provide valuable context and help you understand their lives and decisions, which can lead to discovering new records.

Generate Narrative and Storytelling: Once you have your research findings, Gemini can help you craft engaging narratives, blog posts, or even outlines for presentations to share your family history with others. It can help overcome writer's block and turn raw data into compelling stories.

Be Mindful of Privacy: When inputting information about living individuals, be cautious about privacy. Understand how the AI model uses the data you input (e.g., for training its models).

Know its Limitations (Knowledge Cutoff): Gemini, like many AI models, has a knowledge cutoff date. It won't have access to the absolute latest information published. Always consider this when evaluating its responses.

By following these tips, you can effectively integrate Gemini into your genealogy workflow and make your podcast an insightful resource for fellow family historians!

What is the genealogical proof standard that you say can be used as your guide?

And Gemini said

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is a set of guidelines developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). It's essentially a rigorous methodology for establishing the reliability and credibility of a genealogical conclusion, ensuring that your findings are sound and well-supported.

Think of it as the gold standard for genealogical research, whether you're a professional genealogist or a hobbyist. It helps you move beyond just collecting facts to actually proving relationships and events with reasonable certainty.

The GPS has five interconnected elements:

Reasonably Exhaustive Research: This doesn't mean you have to find every single possible record (which is often impossible), but it means you've searched all the likely and available records that could provide relevant information for your research question. This includes looking for records that might contradict your initial assumptions. It requires familiarity with record types for the time and place you're researching.

Complete and Accurate Source Citations: Every piece of information you gather, every "fact" you claim, must be supported by a complete and accurate source citation. This allows you (and anyone else reviewing your work) to go back to the original record and verify your findings. Good citations include where you found the information, what the source is, and when you accessed it.

Thorough Analysis and Correlation of the Collected Information: This is where you critically evaluate your sources and the information they contain. You compare different pieces of evidence, look for patterns, and assess the reliability of each source.

Resolution of Any Conflicting Evidence: It's common to find discrepancies or contradictions in genealogical records. The GPS requires you to identify these conflicts, analyze them, and logically explain why you accept one piece of evidence over another. You don't just ignore conflicting data; you address it head-on. This often involves weighing the reliability of different sources.

A Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion: Once you've completed the first four steps, you need to clearly articulate your conclusion based on the weight of the evidence. This means writing a logical argument that explains how you arrived at your conclusion, citing all your sources, and demonstrating that you've addressed any conflicting evidence. This written conclusion makes your research transparent and understandable to others.

Why is the GPS important for genealogists?

Ensures Accuracy: It pushes you to be thorough and critical, reducing the likelihood of errors and misinterpretations.

Builds Confidence: When you follow the GPS, you can be more confident in your conclusions, even for difficult "brick wall" problems where direct evidence is scarce.

Increases Credibility: For professional genealogists or anyone sharing their research, adherence to the GPS demonstrates the quality and reliability of their work.

Facilitates Replication: Well-cited and reasoned research allows others to follow your steps and verify your findings.

Teaches Critical Thinking: It trains you to think like a historian and a detective, constantly questioning and evaluating the information you find.

While it might seem daunting at first, especially for beginners, integrating the principles of the GPS into your research process will significantly improve the quality and trustworthiness of your genealogical findings.

I may have overlooked it, so it might be worth reiterating - what is the GPS

You're right to ask for a reiteration – it's such a fundamental concept in genealogy that it's worth covering thoroughly!

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) is a methodology or set of guidelines established by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) to ensure the reliability and credibility of genealogical conclusions. In essence, it provides a roadmap for how to conduct your genealogical research so that your findings are sound, well-supported, and can withstand scrutiny.

It's comprised of five key elements that work together:

Reasonably Exhaustive Research: This means you've diligently searched for and considered all likely and available records that could provide relevant information about your research question. It's about being thorough, not just stopping at the first record you find, and actively looking for sources that might confirm or contradict your initial assumptions.

Complete and Accurate Source Citations: For every piece of information you gather and every "fact" you assert, you must provide a clear, detailed citation that allows anyone (including yourself in the future) to go back to the original source and verify what you found. Good citations tell what the source is, where you found it, and when you accessed it.

Thorough Analysis and Correlation of the Collected Information: This is the critical thinking part. You don't just collect records; you analyze them. You evaluate the reliability of each source (Is it an original record? A copy? Is the information primary, secondary, or indeterminable?) and how the pieces of information fit together. You're looking for patterns, consistency, and potential clues.

Resolution of Any Conflicting Evidence: It's very common in genealogy to find records that contradict each other (e.g., different birth dates, spellings of names, or relationships). The GPS requires you to identify these conflicts, analyze them in light of source reliability, and provide a reasoned explanation for why you accept one piece of evidence over another. You don't ignore conflicts; you address them directly.

A Soundly Reasoned, Coherently Written Conclusion: After completing the first four steps, you must clearly articulate your findings. This involves writing a logical, well-supported argument that explains how you reached your conclusion, citing all your evidence, and demonstrating that you've considered and resolved any conflicting information. This written proof statement makes your research transparent and understandable.

In short, the GPS is the framework that helps you move beyond simply collecting names and dates to actually proving your genealogical relationships and conclusions with a high degree of confidence. It's what separates good genealogy from great genealogy.

OK that has been very helpful information. But let me get to some specific info. Now can it be said that all presidents of the United States - with the exception of Eisenhower - are somehow related. Some like John Adams and John Quincy Adams have a strong relationship, and even Barack Obama and George Bush are very, very distantly related through Obama's mother.,

And Gemini replied with - This is a fascinating and often-cited piece of genealogical trivia, and you're largely correct in your understanding!

It is widely claimed and generally accepted by genealogists that nearly all U.S. Presidents share distant kinship ties, with Dwight D. Eisenhower being the most frequently cited exception.

Here's a breakdown of why this is often the case:
Common Ancestry: A significant majority of U.S. Presidents trace a large portion of their ancestry back to colonial America, particularly to early English and British Isles settlers. When you go back many generations (10, 12, even 15+ generations), the number of your direct ancestors doubles with each generation. If you go back far enough, especially among groups that intermarried within a relatively contained population for centuries (like early European settlers in America), you will inevitably find common ancestors with many, many other people from that same population group. This phenomenon is known as "pedigree collapse."

Prominent Families: Many early presidents came from established, often prominent families in colonial America. These families tended to intermarry, leading to a complex web of relationships.

The "Royal Descendants" Angle: There's also the often-repeated claim that many presidents are descended from European royalty, particularly English kings. While this might sound dramatic, it's actually not that uncommon. If you have any significant amount of European ancestry that goes back to the Middle Ages, the mathematical probability of being descended from royal lines is quite high due to how many children and descendants royal families produced. This, in turn, creates more pathways for distant relationships between individuals who share common "royal" ancestors.
Specific Examples You Mentioned:

John Adams and John Quincy Adams: This is a direct father-son relationship, so the connection is very strong, obviously.

Barack Obama and George W. Bush: You are absolutely right! Genealogical research (most notably by Ancestry.com and the New England Historic Genealogical Society) has shown that they are indeed distantly related. Their common ancestor is generally cited as Samuel Hinckley, who was born in England in the early 1600s and immigrated to Massachusetts. This makes them 11th cousins. This connection comes through Obama's mother, Ann Dunham. It's a great example of how widespread these distant cousin relationships can be, crossing different regions and even perceived ethnic lines over many generations.

Why Eisenhower is the Exception:

Dwight D. Eisenhower's ancestry is primarily German and Swiss. While many presidents have some German or Swiss roots mixed in with British Isles ancestry, Eisenhower's lineage is predominantly from a different immigrant group that arrived slightly later or settled in different geographic clusters, leading to fewer shared ancestors with the predominantly English/British colonial lines of most other presidents. Martin Van Buren, of Dutch (New Netherlander) descent, is another president sometimes cited as an exception to the British Isles ancestry rule.

Important Nuance:

It's crucial to stress that these are often very, very distant relationships – 9th, 10th, 11th, or even further cousins. While genetically true, the practical significance is minimal. The further back you go, the more common ancestors everyone shares with everyone else from a similar geographic and ethnic pool.

For your podcast, highlighting these distant connections, especially the Obama-Bush link through Obama's mother's side, is an excellent way to demonstrate the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate families and the power of genealogical research!

Dwight D. Eisenhower's Mother: You are correct that his mother, Ida Elizabeth Stover, was born in Mount Sidney, Virginia, in 1862. She later moved to Kansas, where she met and married David Jacob Eisenhower. While some sources say she taught "for a while" before entering college, she did attend Lane University in Lecompton, Kansas, where she met David Sr.

Eisenhower and Other Presidents: The belief that Dwight D. Eisenhower is the only president not distantly related to other presidents is a persistent and often-cited one in genealogical circles. Many genealogical researchers have found that a significant majority of U.S. presidents share common ancestors, often tracing back to colonial American families or even European royalty.

It's important to note that "distantly related" can cover a wide range of degrees of kinship. As you go back further in time, the number of ancestors for any given individual explodes, making it statistically probable for many people, especially within a relatively closed group like early American settlers, to have shared ancestors.

Eisenhower's ancestry is primarily German and Pennsylvania Dutch, which sets him apart from the predominantly British Isles ancestry of most other presidents. This is a key factor in why he is often cited as the exception to the "all presidents are related" rule.

The Significance of Geographic and Cultural Isolation: Communities that were more insular, like some early German settlements, might have led to less intermarriage with other prominent colonial families, potentially contributing to Eisenhower's distinct genealogical path.

Now, in the following episode - The Personal Side of Genealogy - I would like to deal further into genealogy - not just the nuts and bolts of finding information - but what learning from your relatives can mean to them, as well as you as a person. 

Join us next week for The Personal Side of Genealogy

Sources include Gemini.AI.

Thank you for listening to celebrate creativity.