 AI and Genealogy: Creating a Perfect Ancestor Biography Using ChatGPT Over the past few months, I've been diving deeper into the potential of AI for genealogy and family history. One of the fascinating aspects of AI is how it continuously evolves and improves, especially when applied to a complex and personal field like genealogy. To test how far the technology has come, I decided to recreate a biography for my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel Steinman, one that I had first generated around five months ago. For context, this project was part of a study I had conducted for an "AI and Family History" presentation. I wanted to see if ChatGPT had improved since that time—after all, family history is ever-evolving, and so too should our tools. Five months may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but in the world of AI development, it's a significant span. The Experiment I approached this test with the same mindset I had months ago. First, I used my own gathered research—Samuel Steinman’s entire family history, meticulously compiled on Ancestry.com. Then, I took the same steps I had previously: I opened ChatGPT, prompted it to generate a biography, and copied and pasted Samuel Steinman’s entire ancestor profile page (in one swoop) directly into the prompt. What happened next was nothing less than impressive. A Flawless Result, First Try Unlike the earlier version where I had to tweak and fine-tune the generated text to remove overly flowery language or adjust historical context, this time ChatGPT nailed it on the first try. The biography it created was clean, well-structured, and detailed without unnecessary embellishment. It pulled in my research flawlessly and even incorporated a touch of historical context, just as I had requested. Gone were the excessive adjectives that usually muddled early versions of AI-generated content. Instead, I received a biography that was not only factual but written in a professional tone that resonated with my family history documentation style. Here’s why this was particularly impressive: I didn’t feed the AI much detail other than the ancestor profile/my research. There were no long-winded instructions, just a simple prompt. Yet, ChatGPT was able to seamlessly weave together all the relevant information into a cohesive narrative—just the way I had imagined it.
How AI Has Improved Over Time The key takeaway from this experiment is just how much AI, specifically ChatGPT, has evolved in such a short period. Five months ago, I could see the potential, but I still had to make manual adjustments to refine the generated text. This time, I was left with a ready-to-use biography that required no extra work. Here are a few improvements I noticed:
A Game-Changer for Family Historians For those who might be skeptical about using AI in genealogy, this experience highlights just how transformative these tools can be. Not only can AI significantly reduce the time it takes to compile and write family biographies, but it also allows researchers to focus on the other aspects of family history—like uncovering stories and connections—while leaving much of the writing and organization to AI. Imagine how this could help you write your family history! Whether you’re working on biographies, timelines, or even trying to contextualize historical events within your family’s narrative, AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming even more invaluable resources. The Future of AI in Family History This recent test of ChatGPT reaffirms my belief that AI will continue to play an essential role in family history research. With the ongoing improvements, AI will likely become even better at organizing and interpreting complex genealogical data, turning raw information into compelling, accurate stories. It has already streamlined a significant part of the process for me—and I can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve. For anyone curious about using AI to assist in your genealogy research, now is the perfect time to start experimenting. The tools are here, and they are more powerful than ever. So, what’s next for me and my AI journey? I’ll continue testing and fine-tuning my approach, looking for ways to integrate AI into every aspect of my family history research. And who knows, maybe the next big breakthrough will come in just a few months, as AI continues to advance and redefine the possibilities for genealogists like us. In the meantime, Samuel Steinman’s biography stands as a testament to how far we’ve come in just a few short months. I look forward to seeing what the future holds. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
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 Creating Family History Songs with AI-assisted Music Compostion to Honor Our Ancestor’s As a genealogist, I’m always looking for unique ways to connect with my ancestors and make their stories come alive. Since the beginning of this year, I have been testing out the power of AI and its many family history and genealogy transforming capabilities, bringing my research to a whole new level. Recently, I ventured into a creative experiment that blended genealogy and artificial intelligence (AI) in an unexpected way: I used AI to compose songs based on my ancestors' life stories by creating a song to honor my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel “Sam” Steinman, with AI playing a key role in crafting this musical tribute. The Power of Storytelling Through Music Genealogy usually revolves around research—documents, records, family trees, and dates. However, it’s the stories behind those names and dates that make genealogy so meaningful. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of finding new ways to tell those stories, whether through writing, video, or photographs. This time, I chose music to tell Samuel’s story. Samuel Steinman lived during a pivotal time in rural America, facing the challenges of a changing world while raising his family and working hard on the land. To honor him, I wanted to create something that captured the essence of his life: resilience, hard work, and the enduring bond of family. And that’s where AI came in. Using ChatGPT to Generate Song Lyrics The process started with ChatGPT, an AI language model that can generate text in various forms, including song lyrics. I copied Samuel Steinman’s ENTIRE ancestor profile page/historical timeline on Ancestry.com (use can use your ancestor profile page from MyHeritage as well), which I had carefully compiled through my research and already had plenty of details and descriptions included in the facts, and pasted the entire profile page into ChatGPT with a simple prompt: "Generate a song for my 2nd great grandfather, Samuel “Sam” Steinman using the following genealogical timeline: (pasted ENTIRE ancestor profile page)” The AI quickly generated a song that captured the spirit of Samuel’s life, using storytelling lyrics to convey the key moments of his journey. From his humble beginnings in rural America to the trials and triumphs he faced along the way, the song brought his story to life in a way that I hadn’t imagined before. Here’s a snippet of the lyrics ChatGPT produced: " A man of Ohio, born in the fall, Worked with his hands, standing tall. From butcher’s blade to family ties, Sam Steinman lived under open skies." The folk genre was the perfect fit for this project, with its storytelling approach and emotional depth. The lyrics reflected Samuel’s values and the strength he exhibited throughout his life, all while honoring his connection to the land and family. Adding Music with AI Tools Once I had the lyrics, it was time to add music. I used AI music generators like AI Music Factory and Suno to create instrumental backing tracks and produce a complete song, including voice. These platforms allow you to input lyrics or choose a musical style, and they generate a backing track that complements the mood and tone of the song. With AI Music Factory, I was able to manually give directions to use a folk-inspired arrangement that included acoustic guitar, soft percussion, and a harmonica to echo the rural American setting of Samuel’s life, which ChatGPT generated. Suno, on the other hand, gave me a bit more of a modern take on the folk-inspired genre, blending traditional elements with subtle electronic enhancements to add depth to the song. Each version offered a different, yet powerful, interpretation of Samuel’s story. Why Use AI to Create Family History Songs? This experiment was not just about making music—it was about finding a new way to preserve and share family stories. AI offers a range of possibilities for genealogists who want to explore creative storytelling methods beyond the traditional family tree. Whether it’s generating lyrics, composing a soundtrack, or even creating visuals to accompany a family history, AI opens doors to new forms of expression. If you're looking to try this approach in your own research, here’s a step-by-step outline of how I brought Samuel Steinman’s story to life through AI-generated music: 1. Compile a Complete Historical Timeline Start by gathering all the key events, locations, and personal details to add to your ancestor’s profile—just as I did with Samuel’s profile on Ancestry.com. Make sure you include important milestones, emotional moments, and any themes that resonate with your ancestor’s story. 2. Use ChatGPT to Generate Lyrics Once you have a complete timeline, paste the ENTIRE ancestor profile page, in one swoop, into ChatGPT with a specific prompt. For example, you might request lyrics in a particular genre, tone, or mood that reflects your ancestor’s life. This customization can help tailor the song to the unique essence of the person you’re honoring, but ChatGPT will also generate it for you automatically, based on your ancestor timeline/facts and details, so there is really no need. 3. Choose AI Music Generators for Backing Tracks After the lyrics and composition are complete, try using AI tools like AI Music Factory or Suno to create the instrumental backing track, and even voice. You can select the genre, mood, and instruments that best complement your ancestor’s story, or you can just free text what ChatGPT turned out for you. Experiment with different platforms to see what kind of soundscape works best. 4. Combine the Elements Finally, merge the lyrics, by pasting what ChatGPT gave you, and backing track to complete the song. You can also adjust the vocals or try different arrangements to refine the final product. The Final Result The songs I created for Samuel Steinman were more than just music—they were an emotional tribute to a man whose life shaped my family’s history. Each version of the song, whether created through AI Music Factory or Suno, brought Samuel’s story to life in a way that words alone could not. Check out the different outcomes using the same ChatGPT response!
Whether you’re a genealogist like me or simply someone who wants to honor a loved one’s memory, AI offers endless possibilities for creative expression. Through this project, I’ve discovered a new way to use AI in family history and genealogy and keep an ancestor’s legacy alive, and I encourage others to explore how technology can help us tell the stories of the past in innovative ways. What do you think? Have you tried using AI to create family history songs, or do you have another creative method to share your ancestor’s story? Let me know in the comments! © 2024 Diane Henriks @ Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family About the AuthorI'm Diane Henriks, a professional genealogist with a passion for preserving family histories through creative methods. Whether through writing, music, or digital media, I strive to make each ancestor’s story come alive. I have experience in a variety of genealogical research areas, including expertise in unknown parentage, brick walls, DNA testing, descendant research, and living people search. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 FamilySearch's FREE Family Tree Keepsake Designs! FamilySearch now has quite a few templates to choose from to design a FREE family tree keepsake. I first came across their family tree templates, as one of their campaigns, back in 2019. Then in another campaign last year, they included a few more. The newest campaign now has 35 templates to choose from, with 2 of the 4 offered last year (1 being the original) as well as 33 more. These are great little keepsakes that pull your info from FamilySearch, up to 4 generations only, and automatically fills it. I found the 2 originals and a few others to be nice little keepsakes. You used to be able to manually edit the text in the templates as well, but you can no longer do that. Check out some of the results below and create a FREE family History keepsake of your own! FamilySearch Family Tree Keepsake Design Examples
You can create your own FamilySearch Family Tree Keepsake here: FamilySearch Tree Designs More Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more FamilySearch and other family history and genealogy resources under the Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 Harnessing the Power of AI to Help You Write about Your Ancestors The Combined Power of AI and Timelines in Ancestor WritingJust a few days before MyHeritage announced their newest feature, AI Biographer, which you can read about in my post, “New MyHeritage Feature: AI Biographer, Creates Instant Biographies for Your Ancestors!”, I was literally working on a couple of projects that was doing just that, using AI for my biography, as well as for my ancestors’ biographies! I was taking all my own historical facts from my timeline and copying and pasting them in an AI paraphraser tool to create something just like this! At the same time, I was telling myself that it would be cool if either Ancestry or MyHeritage came out with a feature that did exactly what I was doing manually, take everything from your timeline/ancestor’s timeline and create a story or biographical sketch using AI. Who knew that MyHeritage was working on just that behind the curtains, right at the time I was envisioning it! I quickly found that if I create one myself from ancestors in my family tree, using their timeline events, I can create a fairly descent ancestor story/biography. Of course, it wasn’t that quick, and I had to manually tweak the paragraphs then run them through a paraphraser again. Then today, I decided to add some historical context throughout to make it a bit more interesting, taking cues from Ancestry’s new AncestryAI and My Heritage’s new AI Biographer, by using some of the events in my timelines and running them through an AI chat program. I also tweaked those as well. Altogether, I used quite a few different programs to accomplish my final test product. Check out the result below! 😊 My Ancestor Biography, with the Help of AI*This example is all based on my OWN research and taken from my own ancestor timeline, which is filled with facts and events based on my research. I then used AI to help me paraphrase my facts and events.
More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 Publish Your Family History with Effortless MyHeritage Family Books! Publish Your Family History Easily with MyHeritage Family Books!Want to publish your family history or genealogy, but you’re not much of a writer, typist, or the task just seems like an impossible feat to hurdle? No need to stress, ANYONE can publish their family history! The best and easiest way to publish your family history is with a MyHeritage Family Book. This professional, detailed, heirloom style genealogy and family history book is generated automatically, within a matter of minutes, using the info in your MyHeritage family tree, taking absolutely ALL the work out of it for you and leaving this as the simplest and best option out there! The best part? It’s completely FREE! Information Included in a MyHeritage Family Book:
MyHeritage Family Book Print Options:
MyHeritage Family Book Print Sizes Included:
MyHeritage Family Book Examples: Using just my direct line tree, you can see some of the beautiful pages of the book. Keep in mind that the tree I used to create this book only includes my direct line, with a few others in the tree, and the more people and info you have in your tree, the fuller the book will be! This direct line only book generated 101 pages, so just think of how many pages you’ll get using your complete tree! 😉 *Note: You can begin your book with anyone in your tree, thus you can make heirloom books as gifts for family as well! 😊
Find more easy ways to publish your family history, under the Publishing Your Family History Category!  DIY Family Tree Charts and Templates! Genealogy Resources: DIY Family Tree Charts and Templates! While organizing my personal family history and business digital file folders last week, mentioned in Help, I Can’t Find My Family History/Genealogy Stuff!, I came across some of the different family trees I had created on sites that offered pre-generated family trees based on my family tree research; free, fillable templates that different sites offered; and some that I had created in Family Tree Maker over a decade ago; along with others. This got me sidetracked to where I decided to try to create my own, easy, DIY templates for family trees, using various resources. What I Used to Create My Easy, DIY Family Tree Templates:
How I Designed My Simple, DIY Family Tree Charts:
Use Your Family Tree Chart Creations for:
Examples: My Family Tree Chart Heirloom ExamplesMy Other Family Tree Chart ExamplesEven though it is hard to tell on some, each one is different either with a different backround, a change in transparency, saturation, tone, or color or both.
There are many sites out there where you can get a pre-generated family tree heirloom printed out (blog coming soon), that offer fillable templates, and more, some free and some not. There are also many sites where you can create family tree templates to use for visual reference, presentations, and more (blog coming soon). But you can always DIY your own family history heirlooms to pass down through the generations or give as a gift, by creating your own family tree charts and templates! *Note: ©Diane Henriks (Copyright protected, and all rights are reserved. No portion of these images may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means; whether electronic, mechanical, etc., such as through copying, screenshotting, downloading, or other without prior written notice from me)  Publishing Your Family History: Stressless Ancestor Story/LifeStory Books Publishing Your Family History: Stressless LifeStory BooksAs mentioned in Publishing Your Family History: Stress-Free Timeline Books, you don't have to be a writer to publish your family history! Take the stress out of the daunting task of sharing all of your hard work, and publish your family history the easy way! One of the easiest ways to publish your family history, if you’re not much of a writer, is with a pregenerated ancestor story, which can also include a timeline! Print out your family history stories using ancestor profiles with facts and tidbits of info! Pregenerated Ancestor profile stories are a fantastic and easy option to share all your hard work with your family or the public! They are also an easy to view and absorb option, which makes them a great way to get others involved! I usually use a family tree/genealogy program, such as Family Tree Maker, to print out various reports, trees, timelines, stories, etc., but if you don't have a genealogy program, Ancestry has their LifeStory printouts! Check out what you can do with an Ancestry LifeStory, below! Ancestry LifeStory/Ancestor Profile Printout Example:*Tips:
Remember…ANYONE can publish their family history! *Note: ©Diane Henriks (Copyright protected, and all rights are reserved. No portion of these images may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means; whether electronic, mechanical, etc., such as through copying, screenshotting, downloading, or other without prior written notice from me)  Publishing Your Family History: Stress-Free Timeline BooksNot much of a writer? You can still publish your family history, the easy way! I have spent the last few days working on my own genealogy, which hasn’t happened much in the last 7 years, as I am pressed with a full-time job, client work, speaking events, and more, but I took a few days for myself, while trying to forget all the things that I have to do. 😉 One of the things I worked on was trying to clean up some of my ancestor profiles a bit, on Ancestry, while adding more details to their timelines. Then I remembered that this is one of the easiest ways to publish your family history, if you’re not much of a writer, that I preach in my long-given presentation, “Publishing Your Family History”. Print out your family history stories in timelines with facts and tidbits of info! Ancestor timelines are a fantastic and easy option to share all your hard work with your family or the public! They are also an easy to view and absorb option, which makes timelines a great way to get others involved! I usually use a family tree/genealogy program, such as Family Tree Maker, to print out various reports, trees, timelines, stories, etc., but if you don't have a genealogy program, Ancestry has great printouts, as well as MyHeritage! Ancestry Timeline/Ancestor Profile Printout Example:
Remember…ANYONE can publish their family history!
*Note: ©Diane Henriks (Copyright protected, and all rights are reserved. No portion of these images may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means; whether electronic, mechanical, etc., such as through copying, screenshotting, downloading, or other without prior written notice from me) |
Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family: Family History and Genealogy BlogI hope my family history and genealogy blog on genealogy research tips, resources, events, and more, along with my own genealogy journeys, will help you in your research and in building your family tree to learn more about your ancestors and family history to preserve for future generations to come! Categories
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