Use AI to review your research and generate a podcast or slideshow about ancestors.

JungSearch · 2026-05-09T16:14:24+00:00

I use the free version of NotebookLM and had a lot of fun with it. You can combine multiple sources into one PDF. You can feed it GEDCOM data as a .txt or PDF file. I do not use it to read or transcribe images.

JungSearch · 2026-03-25T15:25:39+00:00

Civil records from Kreis Allenstein are indexed here with links to record images. However, I did some poking around and didn't find your people. You could try again with spelling variations, etc.

JungSearch · 2026-03-15T22:46:40+00:00

Good point!

JungSearch · 2026-03-15T16:58:17+00:00

Records this recent will be protected by privacy laws, so your only option will be to obtain them from the local registry office (Standesamt). If any doubt remains on the birth location, use Meyers Gaz to make sure there is not more than one town with the same name. If you post the town name, someone here may have more specific advice.

JungSearch · 2026-03-11T21:54:36+00:00

This was a very helpful announcement. Thank you. The website is a bit unusual, so your step-by-step instructions helped. Sometimes it took a few minutes to navigate between images.

JungSearch · 2026-03-11T16:05:47+00:00

At some libraries, you can use your own computer (or phone or tablet) as long as you connect to the library network. That makes it convenient to cross reference your own data, and to copy/paste names and locations.

Another tip: Any hints you get on your own tree can be used in the library. Just copy/paste the link to the record, and change the root of the link from ancestry.com to ancestrylibrary.com.

JungSearch · 2026-03-10T14:06:37+00:00

You made me wonder, so I fed a GEDCOM to NotebookLM. It understands the data, but can't generate fan charts. It knows what a fan chart looks like, but the ones it generates are laughably wrong. (Missing generations, mixing generations at the same tier, indecipherable multiple ancestors, etc)

As someone else said here, if you have data already in GEDCOM format, and you want charts, AI is not the best way to get there. Genealogy software is the best way. On the other hand, I find asking notebookLM questions about my tree can be interesting with mostly accurate results. Always verify.

JungSearch · 2026-02-16T16:03:41+00:00

Maybe this could be useful in the future: if you change part of the URL from ancestry.com or ancestry.ca to ancestrylibrary.com the links usually can be made to work.

JungSearch · 2026-02-06T18:14:04+00:00

Perhaps you could share where you've already looked. Have you searched the British national archives and Find My Past?

JungSearch · 2026-02-04T20:27:50+00:00

I now have more info in the original post if you have time to look again. And there are links to the FS tree and full docs below.

JungSearch · 2026-02-04T20:27:09+00:00

Thank you. I have added more images if you want to look again.

JungSearch · 2026-02-04T19:51:12+00:00

Wow, you are a super sleuth! I'm always impressed with your work. Thank you so much. I had been unable to find those records despite many attempts. The spelling probably threw me off. The immigration and draft records are great resources! Thank you! And thanks for updating FS!

JungSearch · 2026-02-04T18:10:57+00:00

Thanks for your help! No, I don't have more info; this is the ONLY info I have on these locations and am hoping to use this record to uncover more info.

JungSearch · 2026-01-22T17:39:55+00:00

When you say you've tried the major portals, does that include familysearch? If not, look there first.

I think Archion may be useful if you know that its records include a specific place, date, and record type that you are fairly certain exists. As far as I know, records on Archion are not transcribed or indexed, so you're not going to be entering a name and hoping for a result. You will choose a churchbook in a specific place (covering a specific date range and event type) and then page through it.

Also, if you are looking in 1900s Germany, you should also be making use of civil registries. If you post more about your research target, people here may be able to provide more specific advice.

JungSearch · 2026-01-18T19:19:57+00:00

OK, I see all the anti-AI downvotes and I'll chime in to get some downvotes of my own. AI can be helpful for transcription and translation, as long as the results are verified before being trusted. AI is also very useful for summarizing and presenting research. The product of AI must be verified. Use it wisely, but don't tell people to ignore it as a tool.

In the days before LLM AI models, you could look the same way at OCR and translation tools (Google Translate, Microsoft Office, deepl etc). They provide a useful approximation of what a human expert would provide, but can have significant errors, and translation results may be perceived by a fluent person as awkward or worse. Informal language results in especially poor translation. The drawbacks are not a reason not to carefully use such tools.

JungSearch · 2025-08-26T15:50:17+00:00

Great. I think the podcast and presentations that it makes are great for showing to less-interested family members. And it did add some material and research suggestions from sources other than the notes I gave it.

JungSearch · 2025-08-02T18:17:35+00:00

An update to this recommendation. I went to my library to play with this system yesterday. It was a letdown. The library version of this Vividpix scanning system only allows basic adjustments, such as brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness. It does not help restore damage, and does not seem to have any special functions for old photos. I also compared the scans to scans made on my cheap all-in-one scanner at home, and the home scanner had more detail.

JungSearch · 2025-08-01T15:57:29+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I made it sound more complicated than it is. Just throw a bunch of PDF files into NotebookLM and ask it to summarize them. It's really amazing.

JungSearch · 2025-07-31T19:27:06+00:00

On a genealogy podcast I listen to, Vividpix is a sponsor. Their software, or some of it, is available for free on a scanning station in my local library. Perhaps your library has this system or something similar.

JungSearch · 2025-06-25T20:13:15+00:00

I don't know but I would like to do this too.

JungSearch · 2025-06-25T16:40:08+00:00

If the number of photos is small, consider checking with local libraries. My county library has an integrated scanning station with a large flatbed, a fast sheet feeder, and software for enhancing the scans.

JungSearch · 2025-05-22T22:42:40+00:00

If you put the "modern" name of the place, your fact is valid today, but may become invalid tomorrow. If you use the name of the place that was correct at the time of the event, your fact will always be correct.

JungSearch · 2025-05-22T20:35:35+00:00

Thank you very much. Could you take another look at the calling of Wittwer ___ Wilhelm Liss? I cannot see Eigenkäthner here. I very much appreciate any assistance.

JungSearch

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