In Their Own Words: Creating Fictionalized Family Letters with ChatGPT-5

Crafting fictionalized family letters in genealogy with AI, using ChatGPT-5

Even when we have detailed genealogical research, we often lack the most personal artifacts—letters, journals, or conversations. While we can’t recreate these exactly, we can use documented facts to write fictionalized letters that feel authentic to the time, place, and relationship, while remaining transparent about what’s imagined.

For my research on Samuel Steinman (1855–1925), I tested ChatGPT-5’s ability to write a series of period-appropriate letters based on known facts about his life, his family, and his travels for work.

1) The Concept

These letters are not invented out of thin air. They’re based on:

• Verified facts from research (where the person was, what they were doing, family details)
• Historical knowledge of their surroundings (technology, travel, local news)
• Logical personal connections (addressing a spouse, children, or relatives)

The goal: capture what they might have said if they had put pen to paper.

2) Example: Samuel Writes to Hattie, 1910

I know from records that in the spring of 1910, Samuel was temporarily in El Dorado, Kansas, working as a butcher, while his wife Hattie and two youngest children remained in Albany, Missouri. This scene became the basis for a fictionalized letter.

Excerpt:

El Dorado, Kansas – April 12, 1910

My dearest Hattie,

The mornings here start earlier than I expected. The market bell rings just as the sun breaks the horizon, and before long the air is heavy with the smell of fresh beef and sawdust. Business is steady, though I find myself glancing out toward the street more often than I should, thinking of home. Tell Arthur and Lillie I am saving them each a peppermint stick from the mercantile, and please keep an eye on the garden until I return.
​
Yours always,
Sam

AI Fictionalized Ancestor Letters- Example 1, To Hattie

AI Fictionalized Ancestor Letters- Example 2, To Sam

AI Fictionalized Ancestor Letters- Example 3, Transparency

3) Why This Works for Genealogy Writing

• Personalizes the past: Even when you lack actual letters, you can evoke the relationships and emotions behind the facts.
• Adds texture: Readers get a sense of what daily life, travel, and work felt like.
• Bridges gaps in the record: While clearly marked as creative interpretation, these pieces help fill in the silence between known events.

4) How GPT-5 Helped

• Historical accuracy: Kept the tone, vocabulary, and details era-appropriate.
• Fact integration: Included confirmed life details (location, occupation, family names) without embellishing beyond believability.
• Multiple perspectives: Could create letters from and to the ancestor, showing both sides of a conversation.

5) Could Older ChatGPT Do This?

Yes--GPT-4 could produce fictionalized letters, but GPT-5 improved in:

• Tone control: Less modern language slipping in.
• Detail relevance: Avoided adding historical trivia unrelated to the ancestor’s life.
• Series consistency: When writing multiple letters, GPT-5 kept the voice steady across the set.

6) Practical Tips (if you want to try this)

• Clearly mark these as creative reconstructions in any publication.
• Use only verified facts for setting, names, and dates.
• Write in first person for immediacy, but limit speculation to plausible everyday topics.
• Consider creating both outgoing and incoming letters for richer interaction.

​Quick-Start Prompt for Fictionalized Family Letters

And because many seem to ask; although, it is no longer necessary to craft the perfect prompt, here is a prompt you can utilize to generate this:

Write a historically accurate fictionalized letter based on the ancestor details below.

Keep the tone, wording, and daily-life details appropriate for the time and place. Use only the confirmed facts I provide, and fill in small everyday details that fit the era.

Label the final result as a fictionalized letter inspired by historical research.

Ancestor Name: [Insert Name]
Writing To: [Insert Name]
Date/Year: [Insert]
Location: [Insert]

Known Facts: [Insert key details (or upload your research notes, timelines, ancestor profiles, etc.)—job, family members, where they lived, what was happening at the time]
​
Write the letter as something this person could realistically have written during this period.

More AI and Genealogy Resources

Learn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and  Genealogy Resources categories and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.