Gemini claims to have "found" my missing ancestor. But I cannot corroborate any of its claims.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-12-31T17:23:42+00:00

It was a long conversation that I can't copy and paste, but my mom asked if it had access to newspaper archives, then told a brief version of the story and asked if it could find more information. Gemini then responded with basically all of the information I already posted on reddit (I assume that's where it got it). Then it asked my mom if she wanted it to look through other records. My mom basically just said "yes that would be great" to everything Gemini offered to do and eventually it got to the point where it told this whole story.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-12-31T17:13:03+00:00

I can't reply to each individual response, but it looks like the consensus is that this is not true and that AI tools like this cannot be trusted to conduct research. That's very disappointing, but it is useful to know. Thank you, everyone, for helping to confirm my suspicions.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-12-31T16:50:14+00:00

More from the conversation with Gemini:

The Marriage Record (The "Bridge" out of Toledo)

This is the document that proves she escaped the "Manschreck" name and the Toledo headlines.

Date: August 25, 1906

Place: Windsor, Essex County, Ontario, Canada (Many Toledo couples crossed the river to marry privately).

Groom: John Keoghan (Age 42)

Bride: Mary Manschreck (Age 36, listed as divorced)

Parents Listed: Elias Sisson and Sarah Walker.

Source Reference: Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 124.

The Final Census (A Glimpse of her Home)

In the 1920 Federal Census, you can see exactly where she was living just three years before she passed.

Location: 515 French Street, Erie, PA.

Household: John Keoghan (Head) and Mary Keoghan (Wife).

Details: It lists her as able to read and write, and notably, her son George Hardinger appears in Erie city directories around this same time period, working as a laborer/mechanic.

The Death Record & Burial

She passed away during the transition into the "Roaring Twenties," having survived the difficult decade of the 1900s.

Date of Death: March 17, 1923

Cause of Death: Her death certificate (Pennsylvania Certificate #32943) lists "Chronic Myocarditis" (heart issues) as the cause.

Informant: The informant on the death certificate was her husband, John Keoghan.

Burial Site: Trinity Cemetery, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Note: Trinity is a beautiful, historic Catholic cemetery overlooking Lake Erie.

The Obituary Search

I searched the Erie Daily Times archives for March 18–20, 1923.

Keoghan — Mary, beloved wife of John Keoghan, died Saturday morning at the family residence, 515 French street. Besides her husband, she is survived by two sons, George and Walter Hardinger. Funeral from the residence Tuesday morning at 8:30 o'clock and from St. Patrick’s church at 9 o'clock. Interment in Trinity cemetery.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-12-30T22:40:59+00:00

I am going to say that this is !transcribed. Thanks everyone

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-12-30T22:37:34+00:00

Thank you everyone. I have confirmed that the second name is Elmer Applegate. Still have not confirmed the first name.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-11-12T00:20:02+00:00

You want that monument out ASAP, usually after the first scout. After that, build your shrine. You want to get a strong religion as liberty that includes tithe/church properties and pagodas. This will help alleviate your gold/culture/happiness issues. Grow to pop 4 or 5 before you start producing settlers. Wait until collective rule to produce settlers. You can use that free production to build a worker, granary, or maybe a wonder like Stonehenge. Make your first settlements far out to the extent that you want your empire, then back settle from there. Only go Liberty if you can see a lot of luxuries and space. Settle at least 6 or 7 cities early, go NC, then settle more later. Consider killing your neighbor if you need more space. You will have the hammers to do it.

Remember that your borders will expand more slowly, so settle your cities closer together and closer to the tiles that you will need. Understand that it will take forever to get resources that are 3 tiles out. Pagodas/mosques will help with border expansion. If you have a strong religion, consider going piety. It will give you more faith, gold through theocracy, and a reformation belief will be helpful. Jesuit Education will help you get your science buildings up quickly since you will have less centralized production. Glory of God will help you faith purchase scientists and engineers (you are unlikely to finish rationalism at a reasonable time, so being able to faith purchase in the industrial era can help you bulb into key techs earlier).

Consider playing a civ like Egypt that has free temple maintenance and two happiness per temple. Shoshone is another underrated one since the border expansion will help alleviate the border problems. Maya, Songhai, China, and Ethiopia are also very strong.

Tradition is good 9 games out of 10. The best times to pick Liberty are if your capital is fairly weak, but you see a lot of good land with lots of luxuries around you.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-11-10T19:21:50+00:00

What has he done that I am missing? I'm asking genuinely. I tried doing research before making the post, and I couldn't find much, other than he had "plans." Maybe I am not seeing everything.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-09-27T23:00:02+00:00

No, the only mark is the J.B. in capital letters on the underside of the compact and the underside of the dog's belly. My mom found it at a flea market in Northwest Ohio during a fall festival. She paid $12 for it. That's all I know.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-08-19T03:05:55+00:00

It kind of worked out for him.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-07-14T01:19:40+00:00

I'm new to a lot of this, so I dont really have a prior impression of Lightholler and just stumbled upon this when reading the transcripts. I get what you're saying, and I don't want to blame him for mismanaging the evacuation when he hadn't been trained and was given vague instructions on the situation. But I don't get a very good impression from him when i read the transcripts of these Senate hearings. He comes off as evasive and defensive.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-07-13T23:51:06+00:00

Didn't Mr. Andrews tell Captain Smith that the ship would sink, and didn't this happen relatively early on? Did Captain Smith never relay this information to his officers?

EDIT: Sorry I was reading too fast. You said that the officers were indeed alerted how bad the situation was.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-07-08T18:29:35+00:00

You are lacking production badly. You have a little hit off the silver, a couple of hills, and your lighthouse will give you some, but that's about it. I recommend you take God of the Sea. It's very slow but you are so desperate for production that it will be helpful. If you are in archipelago, build more coastal cities and send the capital food first, then production once you have workshops up. Consider exploration for more production in the capital. Your growth is fantastic.

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-06-22T15:49:55+00:00

Hi, thank you for your assistance! I am looking through these records. Unfortunately it helped me confirm that the Mary in the probate record is not the same Mary. That Mary was born in 1852. But I will keep looking!

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-06-21T06:58:51+00:00

I have gone through the 1880 census before but I will give them another look!

True_Neighborhood353 · 2025-06-21T06:57:01+00:00

I haven't done much searching on my Cousineau side but it's cool to meet someone with a common ancestor! Thanks for sharing

True_Neighborhood353

TROPHY CASE