Category: A.I.

Stone mountain village with church, villagers, dog, and sunset
A.I.

The Chronicles of Montécheroux 1740-1826

I requested a comprehensive textual analysis from Gemini, synthesizing the Montécheroux Birth, Marriage, and Death (BMD) Records spanning an eighty-six-year period from 1740 to 1826. This extensive demographic dataset chronicles the community’s transition across major historical epochs—from the Ancien Régime under King Louis XV and King Louis XVI, through the turbulent secularization and decimal timekeeping of the French First Republic, to the Napoleonic Empire and … Continue reading The Chronicles of Montécheroux 1740-1826

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
Small red-roofed village surrounded by green hills and forests
A.I.

Montécheroux and the Impact of the Simultaneum

In Montécheroux, a small village located in the Doubs department of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, the simultaneum has a fascinating, turbulent, and deeply hyper-local history. [1] Because of its geography in the Jura foothills near the Swiss border, Montécheroux became a Protestant stronghold. When French troops enforced the simultaneum here, it played out as a direct conflict between the local population and the French crown. [2] … Continue reading Montécheroux and the Impact of the Simultaneum

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
Glowing data tree connecting manuscripts, photographs, books, laptop, and camera
A.I.

How I Did It

In Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein, one of the film’s most memorable comedic moments occurs when Dr. Frederick Frankenstein discovers the hidden library of his grandfather, Victor Von Frankenstein. Expecting a complex, highly academic scientific treatise or detailed journal explaining the secret behind bringing reanimated flesh to life, he instead uncovers a surprisingly straightforward instructional manual. Lifting the leather-bound book to his face, he … Continue reading How I Did It

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
Peasants with farming tools clash with soldiers aiming muskets in a countryside village
A.I.

Swiss Peasant Uprisings of the 1730s

Digging deeper on Montecheroux BMD records (1740-1790), I noted that there was a sudden increase in the Lutheran Swiss population of Montecheroux between 1740 and 1743. Then I remembered once reading that there was a peasant uprising in Western Switzerland in the late 1730s. I asked Gemini for background on the uprising and if there was any connection to the population changes in Montecheroux. Here … Continue reading Swiss Peasant Uprisings of the 1730s

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Open old register book with handwritten text and a quill pen in inkwell on wooden table
A.I.

Montecheroux BMD Records Redux

After examining all 188 images of the Montecheroux BMD records from 1740 to 1790 multiple times, I believed my five years of French and basic Latin had allowed me to extract all relevant information about my ancestors, their siblings, and their close descendants. Nevertheless, a few unanswered questions lingered: I wondered about the purpose of the annual French declaration introducing each year, the reason behind … Continue reading Montecheroux BMD Records Redux

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
Medieval crowd confronting armored guards on a cobblestone street with Ghent banners and torches
A.I.

AI assisted genealogy: Van Coppenolle Branch

Had artificial intelligence been around in the 1990s, I probably would have retired as a PBX installer instead of becoming a software developer—not that there is anything wrong with that! But history took a different path. My interest in tracing my family history spans nearly 50 years, ignited by Alex Haley’s landmark miniseries, Roots, which aired over eight consecutive nights in January 1977. I have … Continue reading AI assisted genealogy: Van Coppenolle Branch

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
Civil War soldiers in blue and gray uniforms engage across a stone wall with muskets and flags
A.I.

George C. Spiegel – Seegarmaker and Soldier

My mother’s great-grandfather, George C. Spiegel, was a German-born seegarmaker who joined the US army in October 1862 as a private in Company E of the 58th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (XI Corps). He was 23 years old at the time. The 58th was known as the “Polish Legion” and also the “International Regiment.” I sent the following prompt to Gemini and asked it … Continue reading George C. Spiegel – Seegarmaker and Soldier

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBackerLeave a comment
American and British soldiers in red and blue uniforms firing muskets on a smoky battlefield
A.I.

Samuel Stearnes (Starnes) & the Battle of Monmouth

This history is in regard to my father’s 5X great-grandfather, Samuel Stearnes, who was at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778. Lately, I’ve been using AI more and more to help me sort through questions about family history and history in general. It’s become a really handy way to explore ideas, check facts, and think through problems from different angles. Sometimes I’ll even … Continue reading Samuel Stearnes (Starnes) & the Battle of Monmouth

Unknown's avatarD. M. DeBacker1 Comment
Coastal castle with boats in turbulent sea under dark, stormy clouds
A.I.

The Complex Legacy of Roger Lyndon in 17th Century Ireland

Recently, I asked ChatGPT to help me untangle a seemingly contradictory account of one of my mother’s ancestors, Roger Lyndon of Carrickfergus. With AI’s help, I was able to sort out a contradiction about Roger Lyndon and the “Scotch party” in Northern Ireland in the late seventeenth century. I had misread a passage in a book I found on Google Books and concluded that Captain … Continue reading The Complex Legacy of Roger Lyndon in 17th Century Ireland

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