Marcia Crawford Philbrick

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This week's crème de la crème - March 14, 2026 - Genealogy à la carte Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsSome of Your LAC Links May No Longer Work and Library and Archives Canada Eliminates ATIP Fee by John Reid on Anglo-Celtic Connections. What is ATI...

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From Rapidan to Andersonville This biography of Washington Marion Crawford was reconstructed from careful transcriptions of his compiled military service record and his Civil War pension file. Rather than relying on secondary summaries, I worked directly from the original documents — muster rolls, prisoner-of-war memoranda, hospital records, medical certificates, pay accounts, and pension applications. Each page was transcribed in archival form, preserving original wording, dates, and remarks.

Civil War pension files tell powerful stories. I’ve completed a full transcription of Sgt. Washington Marion Crawford’s pension file, revealing his capture, imprisonment, illness, and the lasting impact of war.

Can AI Help Untangle a Crawford FAN Mystery? Do you have a FAN Club that strongly hints at a relationship — but never quite proves it? My 4th great-grandfather, James Crawford (#219), has been that kind of mystery for years. Over time, I’ve collected documentary and DNA evidence that places my James squarely among two other James Crawford families with roots in Garrard County, Kentucky before 1800:

Can AI analyze genealogical evidence? I uploaded my Crawford research to Google Notebook LM and asked it to evaluate the relationships between three James Crawfords. The results combined FAN research, migration patterns, and DNA clues.

Using Claude to Analyze Genealogy Data Introduction Recently, I decided to experiment with another AI tool — Claude — to see how it would handle a genealogical narrative for Nettie Adell (Wells) Mentzer. But I didn’t just ask for a biography. I gave Claude a very specific prompt: “You are a genealogy writing assistant that helps users produce reader-friendly, GPS-compliant genealogical narratives. You turn raw records into biographical sketches, strengthen existing drafts, and help writers refine individual passages — all while enforcing the Genealogical Proof Standard.

What happens when AI applies the Genealogical Proof Standard? I asked Claude to write a biography of Nettie Wells Mentzer using my research. The result? A readable narrative that also flagged discrepancies in the data. See how AI helped strengthen the story.

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Nettie Mentzer in Song and Overview From Prairie Records to Digital Storytelling: Nettie Wells Mentzer in Song and Sound When I first began gathering records for Nettie Adell (Wells) Mentzer (1873–1939), I was simply doing what genealogists do — collecting census entries, reading obituaries, checking county histories, and building a timeline. But as her story unfolded, it became clear that Nettie’s life deserved more than a list of dates.

From prairie records to digital storytelling! I turned Nettie Wells Mentzer’s documented life into a song and explored her story through a Google Notebook LM audio overview. Watch the videos and see how genealogy, music, and AI can bring an ancestor’s story to life.

AI From Transcription to … Are you using Artificial Intelligence in your genealogy research or blogging? I follow several people who are leaders in the AI field. They share detailed explanations and fairly complex prompts. While I enjoy learning from them, my own approach is much simpler. For about a year now, I’ve been using ChatGPT regularly while working on my blog. My two most common prompts are probably:

A simple prompt—“Transcribe”—turned a probate PDF for Clinton K. Wells (1932, Eaton Co., MI) into multiple research outputs: transcription, abstract, blog post, citation, and WikiTree notes. See how AI helped transform one record into several genealogy resources.

Best of the Genea-Blogs - Week of 1 to 7 March 2026 Scores of genealogy and family history bloggers write hundreds of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interests...

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From Probate File to Video Clinton K. Wells Revisited Earlier this week, I shared the 1932 probate file of my first cousin three times removed, Clinton K. Wells of Eaton County, Michigan. What began as a simple request to “transcribe” the PDF turned into multiple research outputs — a genealogical abstract, a Friday Find post, WikiTree research notes, and a properly formatted citation. But I didn’t stop there.

A simple probate file for Clinton K. Wells transformed into an infographic, audio summary, and video—another way to share family history beyond the page.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun RootsTech 2026: My Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Recap RootsTech 2026 wrapped up today, and like many genealogists who couldn’t travel to Salt Lake City, I attended several sessions online. Since Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun prompt asked participants to share what they watched and what they enjoyed most, I thought I’d turn my notes into a recap of the sessions I followed over the past three days.

I attended several online sessions during #RootsTech2026 and shared my notes for Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun. From AI tools to DNA research strategies, here are the sessions that stood out and what I learned along the way.

This week's crème de la crème - March 7, 2026 - Genealogy à la carte Some of the bijoux I discovered this week. Blog postsThe 1926 census? Wait ’till you see the redaction! by John Grenham on Irish Roots. Free Genealogy Websites: U.S. National Archives by Linda Stuffle...

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The Life of Nettie Adell (Wells) Mentzer Rooted in Kansas Soil 5 February 1873 – 9 February 1939 Introduction Every family tree has a few ancestors whose lives quietly shaped the generations that followed. Today on Heartland Genealogy, I’m sharing the story of Nettie Adell (Wells) Mentzer, one of those steady, steadfast women whose life was rooted deep in Kansas soil. Nettie’s story unfolds through census records, county histories, and beautifully detailed newspaper accounts—including a joyful write-up of her 1893 wedding and a heartfelt obituary that captured her character.

Using Claude as a GPS-focused writing assistant, I tested Nettie Wells Mentzer’s biography and discovered how AI can identify discrepancies and strengthen genealogical proof.

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MyHeritage launches Scribe AI - and it's impressive - Genealogy à la carte MyHeritage yesterday introduced Scribe AI, a very exciting new feature that transcribes, translates, and interprets historical family documents and photos. Anyone can use Scribe AI for free on a limit...

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Clinton Wells’ Probate File The Probate of Clinton K. Wells (1932, Eaton County, Michigan) As I continue working through my WELLS notebook, I’m sharing another document that once lived only in my paper files but is now preserved digitally — the 1932 probate file of Clinton K. Wells of Eaton County, Michigan. At first glance, Clinton might seem like a collateral relative tucked off to the side of my tree.

Clinton Wells’ Probate File

The Probate of Clinton K. Wells (1932, Eaton County, Michigan) As I continue working through my WELLS notebook, I’m sharing another document that once lived only in my paper files but is now preserved digitally — the 1932 probate file of Clinton K. Wells of Eaton…

Not At RootsTech But Downloading Handouts Genealogy research and commentary by Marian Burk Wood, speaker and author of "Planning a Future for Your Family's Past," available from Amazon.com.

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Charles Mentzer’s Story via Audio Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared the documented biography of my ancestor, Charles Oliver Mentzer—a Kansas farmer whose life spanned covered wagons, prairie settlement, world wars, and the changing rhythms of rural America. Today, I’m sharing his story in a different format. Using the narrative drawn from verified records, I created a song inspired by his life and an audio overview generated from his research report.

Charles Mentzer’s Story via Audio

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared the documented biography of my ancestor, Charles Oliver Mentzer—a Kansas farmer whose life spanned covered wagons, prairie settlement, world wars, and the changing rhythms of rural America. Today, I’m sharing his story in a…

Not at RootsTech Have you ever attended a genealogy conference? In the “good old days” — that is, before the internet connected us to archives, databases, and experts from our own desks — conferences were one of the primary ways to learn about genealogy. They were where you discovered new records, met leading researchers, and came home energized with fresh ideas. Today, much of that expertise is available online.

Not heading to Salt Lake City for RootsTech this year? Neither am I — but I’m still all in! 🙌

I’ll be participating in #NotAtRootsTech and taking advantage of everything the online experience offers — from general sessions and new feature announcements to class recordings, speaker syllabi, vendor

Relatives at RootsTech What Am I Going to Do with 39,000 Relatives? In a recent post, James Tanner over at Genealogy’s Star wondered what he was supposed to do with 4,894 relatives at RootsTech. I smiled at that question. This year, my Relatives at RootsTech list tops 39,000. Clearly, I’m not going to meaningfully interact with all of them. So instead of feeling overwhelmed, I’ve created a plan.

What are you supposed to do with 39,000 Relatives at RootsTech?

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I made a plan.

This year I’m focusing on my 3rd and 4th cousins — the relatives most likely to connect to my active research questions and DNA matches. In the past, I copied names into a spreadsheet… an

Best of the Genea-Blogs - Week of 22 to 28 February 2026 Scores of genealogy and family history bloggers write hundreds of posts every week about their research, their families, and their inter...

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Was AI Hallucinating? Did AI Hallucinate “65 Tons of Cargo”? Yesterday I shared my response to Randy Seaver’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, which invited participants to use Google Gemini 3 to describe an ancestor’s experience. For my example, I selected my second great-granduncle, James H. Crawford, who migrated from Warren County, Indiana, to Dodge City, Kansas, in 1878. I chose this event for two reasons:

Did AI make up the “65 tons of cargo” in my recent post about the 1878 Crawford migration to Dodge City?

A thoughtful reader asked that exact question — and it’s a good one.

Sixty-five tons sounds like an enormous amount of goods for one family moving from Indiana to Kansas. It would be easy to as

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It’s Saturday Night again — Time for some more Genealogy Fun! Randy Seaver’s weekly challenge is always a great excuse to look at our ancestors from a slightly different angle. This week’s mission invites us to move beyond names and dates and consider something richer: What activities did one of your ancestors or relatives engage in?

What did your ancestors actually experience — beyond the dates and places in your family tree?

For this week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, I explored that question using artificial intelligence. I chose the 1878 move of the James H. Crawford family from Warren County, Indiana, to Dodge City, Kans

AI Generated Biography Have you tried Randy Seaver’s ABC Biography process? If not, it’s a creative and approachable way to transform research into stories your family will actually read and enjoy. I’ve used Randy’s method many times, and it has helped me move from facts to narrative in meaningful ways. For this biography of Charles Oliver Mentzer, however, I experimented with a slightly different process—one that still centers on documented facts but layers in historical context more intentionally.

AI Generated Biography

Have you tried Randy Seaver’s ABC Biography process? If not, it’s a creative and approachable way to transform research into stories your family will actually read and enjoy. I’ve used Randy’s method many times, and it has helped me move from facts to narrative in meaningful…

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Friday Find Probate Petition for Clayton H. Wells (1931, Eaton County, Michigan) Today’s Friday Find is a photocopy I received from a Michigan researcher — and it was well worth the wait. This petition for appointment of administrator, filed in March 1931 in Eaton County, Michigan, was created shortly after the death of Clayton H. Wells. While it is not the complete probate file, the document clearly identifies his widow and children, along with their residences at the time of his death.

Friday Find

Probate Petition for Clayton H. Wells (1931, Eaton County, Michigan) Today’s Friday Find is a photocopy I received from a Michigan researcher — and it was well worth the wait. This petition for appointment of administrator, filed in March 1931 in Eaton County, Michigan, was created…

Say Their Names As genealogists, we often remind ourselves that the societal norms of the past were very different from those of today. Even so, there are moments in our research that remain deeply uncomfortable. For me, that is especially true when working with deeds and wills that involve slavery. While I wish this part of history had never existed, it did—and ignoring it does not honor the people whose lives were shaped by it.

Say Their Names

As genealogists, we often remind ourselves that the societal norms of the past were very different from those of today. Even so, there are moments in our research that remain deeply uncomfortable. For me, that is especially true when working with deeds and wills that involve…

Combining AI tools Do you use Ancestry hints? Do you take advantage of FamilySearch’s full-text search? Have you experimented with ChatGPT to help make sense of long, difficult documents? Have you ever wished there were a magic link that led directly from an ancestor to the full text of their will? Recently, an Ancestry hint pointed me to a will recorded in…

Combining AI tools

Do you use Ancestry hints? Do you take advantage of FamilySearch’s full-text search? Have you experimented with ChatGPT to help make sense of long, difficult documents? Have you ever wished there were a magic link that led directly from an ancestor to the full text of their…

Artie Briles in Song and Audio Overview As I continue telling the story of Frances Artlissa Ricketts Briles, known to family as Artie, this post explores her life through two additional formats: song and audio overview. Both were created from the same carefully researched narrative, but each offers a different way to experience her story. The song was produced on Suno.com using lyrics written by ChatGPT, transforming dates, places, and relationships into a musical retelling.

Artie Briles in Song and Audio Overview

As I continue telling the story of Frances Artlissa Ricketts Briles, known to family as Artie, this post explores her life through two additional formats: song and audio overview. Both were created from the same carefully researched narrative, but each…