Testing MyHeritage GAIA: Can AI Help With My Genealogy Brick Wall?

On October 21st, I received an email from MyHeritage introducing GAIA. GAIA is an AI-powered research agent. The email included the following:

"GAIA plans and executes family history research tasks with the accuracy and thoroughness of a professional genealogist. By asking targeted questions, searching records across MyHeritage and external databases, and cross-referencing every detail, GAIA breaks through your toughest brick walls and delivers high-confidence leads."

The email indicated I could engage in a limited number of conversations free to check it out. They've also introduced a new OmniAI subscription plan, with expanded use of GAIA, but I've been unable to find a cost for this plan. Based on James Tanner's post Introducing GAIA -- A Real AI Research Agent from MyHeritage on Genealogy's Star, it appears some existing plans do include limited access to GAIA. After my one sample test described below, the usage indicator showed 61% of my GAIA allowance used. I have the existing Omni plan.

All my internet searches return the standard existing Omni plan pricing. Personally, I'm not prepared to upgrade anyway. MyHeritage is a resource I use occasionally, not frequently. I already struggle to justify the cost of the Omni plan, given my sporadic use of the site.

Although dubious, I headed over to try it out. I've tried other AI-based genealogy searches with ChatGPT, and while the results might be useful for a new family historian, and they may have provided solid research guidance, they weren't terribly enlightening for my personal brick walls. As you likely know, I've been searching for Abijah LeRoy for more than a decade. It was a great way to try GAIA, so I prompted with:

"I have been looking for Abijah LeRoy (possibly LeCroy) who lived in Georgia. He was married to Nancy (Williams) LeRoy, and had several children born between 1839 and 1847. I have found census records for his wife and children, but nothing for him at all. Abijah is the name noted on his son John Robert LeRoy's death certificate in 1927, but it may be a nickname of some sort. I have seen records for a Thomas LeCroy but nothing sufficient to be sure it's the same person. He may have lived in Habersham or Whitfield Georgia. I also found a lawsuit where Nancy claimed a Thomas LeCroy owed her money, but it would be odd for it to be her husband. Looking for anything to help properly identify the name of her husband and find more about him."

While GAIA was happy to confirm details I already knew, and to agree with my reasoning on names I didn't find viable, it didn't produce any significant new information. It provided most of the same detail I already knew, and resources I've already checked. I did give it a quick go checking for probate records in Habersham County, Georgia, since it suggested it might be a next step—but it found nothing. I made one last attempt by following the suggestion to look at the 1840 and 1850 censuses (although I already know 1850 does not show him with his family). GAIA found other census records for Nancy (information I already have) but didn't find anything on Abijah. It did provide seemingly useful next steps—if I hadn't already done those available to me online. Certainly there may be more offline research I could engage in, but AI or no AI, I'm likely not going to do it anytime soon. 

I do want to point out, if records aren't available online, an AI agent searching online won't be able to retrieve them on its own. The absence of new information does not necessarily indicate GAIA (or any AI model) didn't do a thorough search and review. None of us can magically make missing or inaccessible records appear. We can follow the best-laid research plan and still come up with nothing. There are so many reasons a person may not appear in records. As frustrating as this may be, not every person will be found, and not every detail will be known.

For my personal, very brief test of GAIA, I think it could be useful for those who prefer more personalized direction, but for me, it's not returning compelling enough results. So, this is where I stopped my test. I think it did a fine job of suggesting research avenues, even though it didn't produce a new lead. The issue is—not all research dilemmas can be overcome by searching online. On the positive side, the interaction felt "friendly" (or as friendly as a computer to human conversation can be). It did provide solid options for research suggestions, and it did try to do the research if I asked it to. For some users, I suspect it would be a nice complement to traditional research. It simply isn't for me.

One benefit may be the ability to search within MyHeritage records. General-purpose AI tools may not have direct access to subscription genealogy records. Many genealogy records are behind paywalls, limiting the AI responses. GAIA may break through part of this barrier for MyHeritage users. MyHeritage has long been at the forefront with AI photo editing tools. And they don't seem to be slowing down with the introduction of GAIA for AI research. Other sites will most likely follow suit, but when and how will depend on their own agendas. I truly believe AI has many uses within genealogy, and as it evolves it may very well become a staple product for family historians. But until far more record sets are made readily available, those "A ha!!" moments will likely still come primarily from personal research. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own. 

Gouley Oaks Patterson: A Halloween Name and a Family History Mystery

Zytilla Gertrude James has long been my favorite unusual name in my tree. But, in recent weeks, I've come across a close contender—and just in time for Halloween! Allow me to introduce Gouley (Oaks) Patterson (1833-1915). It really is a name in the spirit of the season, isn't it?

To start, there's a lot of confusion over how to spell her name. I'm using the one inscribed on her headstone, located in Lebanon Baptist Church Cemetery in Blue Ridge, Fannin, Georgia, USA. The headstone is a lovely dark and light marbled obelisk, shown on her FindAGrave memorial. (Due to copyright, I won't provide the image directly.) The Social Security record for her daughter spells it as Gulley. The death certificate for one of her sons reads Gullie. Family trees and census records show Gooley, Goolie, Gooly, Goolby and even Gooney.

I tried to research where the given name may come from, but was unable to find any information about its use as a given name. Most of the information I found concerned Gouley as a surname rather than a given name. The SurnameDB entry for Gouley provides a bit of context as a surname being Gaelic or Norse. But both Wisdom Library and House of Names indicate it may derive from French. I can't help but wonder if it may have been a nod to some ancestral area I've yet to find. On my maternal line, I've been unable to break out of the United States. Beyond my regions on Ancestry and other DNA sites, I have no information at all from where my maternal family hailed (but my current DNA estimates don’t identify a French region). 

Gouley was the daughter of my maternal 3rd great-grandparents  David Oaks (b 1797 North Carolina) and Polly Lovell (b 1799 South Carolina). She is my 2nd great-grandaunt. She was born 14 Jan 1833 in Georgia. On 08 Jun 1852, at the age of 19, she married 23-year-old Jackson Patterson in Gilmer County, Georgia. Gilmer is the county right next to Fannin, where Gouley appears to have spent most of her life. As were many of the men in my family, Jackson was a farmer. And Gouley, like most women of the time, kept house.

I must admit, I've not completed my research on this couple. Several family trees show them with 13–14 children. Jackson Patterson died in 1890, but Gouley lived on until 24 Mar 1915. The 1910 Census shows her living with her son Robert Patterson (also a farmer) in Mobile, Fannin, Georgia. The census records her as having had 11 children, with 9 still living. A quick audit of the available census records shows her recorded children as:   

1. George (b 1856)
2. James (b 1858)
3. William (b 1860)
4. Caroline (b 1863)
5. Enoch (b 1864)
6. Adeline (b 1866)
7. Samuel (b 1869)
8. Martha (b 1871)
9. Robert (b 1874)
10. Ellen (b 1876)
11. Jackson (b 1878)

It certainly seems the 1910 census was on the mark with 11 children, but I'll admit, the 4-year gap between marriage and the first recorded child does give me pause. I can't help but wonder if there may have been 1 or 2 children who died in infancy. But, with how precious little I know about Gouley, it's unlikely I'll ever know the answer. I may find 2 of the 11 who passed away before 1910. Or, perhaps, I'll be left with another mystery. The additional names shown in some user trees are unverified as far as I can tell, coming only from other user trees (so I will discount them for now). 

I started this post as a fun, tongue-in-cheek Halloween-themed post. Now, I'm left with more questions than answers. Where did the name Gouley come from? How was it really spelled? Maybe no one actually knew? Just how many children did she have? Was it really 11, or 13 as some user trees postulate? And, if the census count is accurate, precisely who were the 2 children who died before 1910? While I only learned a tiny bit about Gouley as I wrote this post, I did end up with one new resource tool for my Genealogy Toolbox. Surname DB has been added to the Names section. 

Do you have any great Halloween names in your tree? If so, have you researched how they came about? I'd love to hear your stories!

Image by bastischmidt from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own. 

What Genealogy Teaches Us Beyond Names and Dates

Lately, I've been reflecting on many of the various things genealogy teaches us—beyond who our ancestors and family members were/are. Genealogy is a multi-faceted field, and when you wrap all the pieces together, it can be very good for our brains and sense of self.

Certainly, as we research, we learn about history. Unless all you do is attach records blindly, you can't help but learn something about the time periods you're researching. It exercises our ability to perform critical thinking. From evaluating records to creating a new research plan—critical thinking is absolutely required. We learn organizational skills. While not all areas of our research may be organized (ex: my boxes of as of yet untouched family photos), other parts are likely well organized (like how we title records or photos when we save them). We may learn bits about language. It may be how English was used in the past, principles of Latin used in church records, or taking time to learn a few bits about another language to help us with translations.

Genealogy tugs at our emotions. How can it not when we find a family tragedy or another child who died young? When we read an article about sufferings of war, we imagine how our ancestors and their families felt. As we work with DNA results, we may integrate scientific skills and methods to help us better understand our past. And we learn practical life lessons and skills. Whether it's from an old recipe we can still use today or how to reach out and communicate with DNA relatives—searching for our past is not done to the exclusion of our present lives. 

It's not merely about facts—it’s about people. Our people. Exploring our family trees changes how we view ourselves, our family, our community and perhaps even our country. Undoubtedly, it also influences how we perceive our future. But there's more! Beyond the basic concepts we use as we research, there are other areas we may touch on as well.

We may learn about our family medical history through DNA and genetics. We might learn about health patterns and how our genetics have affected our family across generations. In some cases, we may learn health details worth discussing with a healthcare professional as we make medical decisions for ourselves and our families. Utilizing DNA may open scientific avenues we never expected to learn about, much less understand. We may learn we don't hail from the branches we expected. It may launch us on a path of personal discovery we weren't expecting.

Learning about our families over multiple generations may shed light on how they survived hardships and managed to thrive. Knowing this history may guide us as we find ways to cope with challenges in our own lives. If we're lucky, maybe we assimilate ways of the past to help us overcome the difficulties we face today—allowing us to thrive in our own right. As we read accounts of our ancestors (such as obituaries), we may see the positives in our family. We may also encounter news articles highlighting their very human flaws. We, like our ancestors, are complex. We, as they did, make difficult choices every day based on the specifics of our lives. Every day, we're creating the history our descendants will call theirs.

As we research, we learn how to adapt to changing technology. For many of us, more research now happens online than among physical records. More and more, we depend on digital records. Digital databases sound simple in theory, but they can be complex, and it can take time to learn how to best navigate this new digital world. We need to understand the basics of how to do simple searches, and hopefully how to construct advanced searches to eke out the secrets we're looking for. While AI may help us decipher old writing, we still need to learn how wills, deeds, property records and court records fit into each time period we research. AI may help us search large collections more efficiently, but we still have to evaluate the results. There have been numerous changes over generations, and how we interpret one record may be very different from a similar record in a different era.

We may jump from the current country we call home to an entirely different part of the world. Cities within our own country may be well known to us. But toss us into another country and those cities or broader areas are completely foreign. We may need to study maps or geography to understand key elements of how location affected our ancestors. We may delve deeper and study the history of an area. Or, we might trace migration patterns (these days made easier with data provided in conjunction with our DNA results). We may learn historical place data providing key insights into why our ancestors may have moved to a new land. We may run into areas absorbed into other countries, perhaps more than once. This helps us better understand records for jurisdictions no longer in existence.

More importantly, we start to understand where our leaf fits in the greater picture of our family tree. One of my favorite (often misattributed) quotes is:

“Ye cannot live for yourselves; a thousand fibres connect you with your fellow-men, and along those fibres, as along sympathetic threads, run your actions as causes, and return to you as effects.”         —Rev. Henry Melvill, Partaking in Other Men's Sins (1855)

We start to understand how our lives are inextricably interconnected with those of our ancestors. Perhaps we start to feel as if we have become a part of them, or they a part of us. Connecting with our extended family as we endeavor to solve mysteries, answer questions and piece together the fragments builds a new kind of connection. Hopefully, these connections will continue into the future, expanding our overall sense of family. And perhaps most important of all—we find our sense of self. We start to find answers to the question: "Who am I, and where do I fit in the world I live in?" 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own. 

“Scat Thomas!” Appalachian Sayings and Family History

Many relatives on my maternal side were (and many still are) firmly entrenched in Appalachia. I once heard someone (I don't recall who) explain how to pronounce it as "apple-at-cha"—because if you say it wrong, they'll throw an apple at ya. 

According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Appalachian region includes parts of 12 states and all of West Virginia:
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and all of West Virginia

Those of us who grew up with Appalachian/southern relatives know the dialect and sayings can be...well...unusual, at best. One of my cherished recollections is of my grandmother, Grace Alice (Robertson) LeRoy (1909-1989), who always—and I mean always—said "scat Thomas!" instead of "bless you" when someone sneezed. It appears this may be a version of "scat there, Tom - your tail’s in the gravy". I actually wasn't able to find any reference to the specific shortened version of "scat Thomas". While there's little to no actual evidence for how or where this colloquialism started, it seems quite a lot of Appalachian families had a version of this saying. At A Way With Words, one podcast delves into the theory it may be a reference to expelling evil spirits from the body when a sneeze happens. Or possibly it's just a joke about a sneeze caused by cat allergies. In any case, as I get older, I find myself saying it about 1/2 the time now. Perhaps my "nanny" (the word I always used to refer to both of my grandmas) is sitting on my shoulder or I'm channeling my inner hillbilly!

While I didn't find any reference to the exact phrase "scat Thomas", I did find some fun Appalachian resources. Do you need these resources? Not likely, unless you're trying to read a diary or journal (most likely from the south), or you need to converse with a southern relative and need a little "translation". And yet, these sites hold some neat insights and actual useful information—like traditions, sayings, recipes and folklore. 

• Hillbilly Slang - "describes the vocabulary, linguistics, food, culture, and ways of life found throughout Appalachia and the American South." I particularly like the recipe section because there's nothing quite like southern home cooking! The rest of the site, curated by The Hillbilly Dude, is amusing and quite entertaining, featuring folklore, proverbs, sayings and stories.
• Blind Pig & the Acorn - shares a journey "to preserve and celebrate Appalachia". Appalachian dialect and food feature prominently.
• Southern Home & Hospitality - Although highly geared toward decorating and entertaining, they do have a list of 120 Best Southern Sayings That’ll Charm Your Britches Off. As you read through the list, you may find yourself nodding and thinking "I've heard this one before!"

Only one of these sites receives a place in my Genealogy Toolbox. Hillbilly Slang has been saved in a newly added section called "Regional/Geographic Resources". It really didn't fit elsewhere, but due to the sheer volume of easily searchable region-specific information, it could be useful for those looking to learn more about the areas their ancestors hail from. Another site worth knowing about (and saved in my Genealogy Toolbox) is the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE). This is a vast collection of "American regional words, phrases, and pronunciations." Some university and public libraries provide free access to the DARE database online (with an institutional subscription), or may have print copies available. DARE also offers an individual subscription for $49 per year (though this is a somewhat specialized collection and you'd likely be better off checking for free library/university access).

As a final note on regional dialect, while those of us in the United States may be familiar with and easily understand regional slang without giving it much thought, for those whose first language isn’t English or who live in countries with different regional dialects, it could be far more challenging to understand. AI may be wonderful for helping folks transcribe what's been written, but unless you're aware there's slang being used, it may not clarify actual meaning.

Image by DW Davis from Pixabay
Note: Prices referenced in this post were current at the time of original publication of this post.

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.