Finding Records Lost Online in the AI Universe

 

FamilySearch.org's Full-text Search capability is an overwhelming change to way genealogical searches are conducted and may well modify or replace any current way of searching historical documents. At the heart of using a previously unavailable tool for genealogical research is an artificial intelligence supported handwriting recognition. 

Currently, the Full-text Search fields appear to be deceptively simple. 

https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/

After spending a considerable amount of time trying to understand how to best approach this "simple" form, I found that it was actually the key to finding huge amounts of very specific and relevant documents on practically any subject. The key to understanding how to search is based on the concept that "less is more." The idea for starting your search is to use general terms and then modify the search terms to be more specific as you see the results of a series of searches. Here is an example. 

The first search term is obviously very general and generates a huge number of responses. Using the Keywords entry, I put in the word "cemetery."

The search results in already millions of records from all over the world. The next step is also simple. I merely add the location to the cemetery word using suggested Search Tip of a plus sign. I also put the location I am searching in quotes to limit the search to a specific place. 

The next step is to enter a surname in the Name search field. 

The results are interesting but still quite extensive. One more change will bring the number down significantly, adding the given name with the name in quotes.

The total number of results here is still significant, but reflects the fact that there really are that many records with Myron Tanner's name. He was one of the Mayors of Provo, Utah. But as you do this, note the variety of the records produced and the possiblity for finding previously unknown information. 

You can also try a number of other variations in the search pattern, the variations in names, and places. 

I am sure you will find some unexpected results. Remember, FamilySearch has only been adding records for a relatively short time so you may not find any records yet in those already processed but millions of records are being added every week so keep trying from time to time. 

Nutrioso, an extreme example of Full-text search

It may not yet occurred to you, but FamilySearch.org's Full-text Search can do a lot more than merely search for names. 

Nutrioso, Arizona, is a small, unincorporated community with a history deeply tied to early settlement in the American Southwest. Before permanent settlement, the area was a site for temporary encampments for indigenous groups, particularly during the summer and autumn. The town's name is derived from the Spanish words "nutria" (beaver) and "oso" (bear), as the first settlers reportedly found and hunted these animals in the valley. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrioso,_Arizona

If your ancestors lived in a small town, it is entirely possible that there were intermarriaged and shared history. The entry above shows the FamilySearch Full-text search response using "Nutrioso" as a key word and producing 3,959 records with that word. The responses include some of the following record types even though FamilySearch is just beginning to process the entire website. This is just a partial list.

• Birth, Death, and Marriage records
• Newspaper articles
• Family Group Records
• Genealogies
• Pedigree Referal Service
• Family Histories
• Homestead Final Certificates, Land Entry Case Files Arizon, Prescott
• Articles of Incorporation of the Amity Irrigation Company
• Our Tenney family heritage
• Apache County. Tax Assessment Records 1882
• Apache County, Arizona Voting Registers 1892

As you look at this list, consider the issue of knowing that these records even existed for Nutrioso. But the next step is to add a surname to the search. So, I searched for the key word "Nutrioso" and the "Jarvis" surname. My maternal great-grandmother was a Jarvis and the Jarvis family lived for a time in Nutrioso. I did not put in a place or any dates. 

Here is another list showing additional references to Nutrioso and some to my Great-great-grandfather Charles Godfrey DeFriez Jarvis. Here is one of the records that showed that my Great-great-grandfather Charles Godfrey DeFriez Jarvis was acting as the County Recorder for Apache County in 1892. I did not know this but it might be in my Great-grandmother, Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson's book. 

Stay tuned for a flood of additional information that can and will be discovered using the Full-text search on FamilySearch.org.

Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy: Education

 CRAIGEN.org

Education

The use of AI creates new opportunities and risks. Therefore, members of the genealogical community educate themselves about AI to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks to their work.

For all the years I was an active, practicing, attorney in Arizona, I had to take 15 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and at least three of those hours had to be professional responsibility/ethics. These were in person or online classes. However, I also had to do a considerable amount of self-education because every legal case I took had its own facts and supporting case law. If I wanted to continue practicing my profession, I had to maintain both the compulsory education and serious, necessary self-education. 

When I first began investigating my own genealogy, 43 years ago, I was totally unaware of any educational opportunities for learning about how to proceed with my own genealogical research. I was not aware of anyone around me who was involved in genealogy, certainly, not in my family or close associates. Of course, in 1982 when I began, the internet was still year away for its "birthdate" on January 1, 1983 when ARPANET adopted the TCP/IP protocol, allowing diverse networks to "talk" to each other and forming the foundation of the modern Internet. The development continued with the World Wide Web in 1991 and user-friendly browsers like Mosaic in 1993, which led to the Internet's mainstream public adoption. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet.

I quickly began to realize my lack of experience and education despite three college level degrees, a B.A., an M.A. and a J.D. Fortunately for my own realization of the need for education, there were books. However, I spent the first few years unaware of any genealogists, genealogical societies, or Family History Centers. The first step I took towards my formal genealogical education was with the following book. 

Greenwood, Val D. 1978. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Publ. Co.

Over the years, I also discovered the following books. 

Filby, P. William. 1984. The Source : A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Edited by Arlene H. Eakle and Johni Cerny. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry Publishing Company.

Herber, Mark D and Society of Genealogists (Great Britain). Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History. Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc, 1998.

And many others. As time passed and as I began to obtain an idea about the complexities of genealogical research, I decided to take distance learning family history classes from Brigham Young University. I took classes for about five years and these were the hardest classes I had experienced even with all my past formal education (including law school). 

Eventually, my practical education began when I volunteered to work at the Mesa Multi-Stake Family History Center in Mesa, Arizona. I am still spending most of my time learning and helping others to learn. 

So, now you might begin to understand why I think Education is one of the guiding principles for responsible AI in genealogy. The key words in the Education Guiding Principal are "members of the genealogical community educate themselves." Enough said. Now, you can learn all you can stand by asking one of the chatbots how to do genealogical research and keep asking. 

How do we know what is real in Genealogy?

 

Genealogy is history and history is genealogy. Another way of putting that statement is following statement by Thomas Carlyle:

Before Philosophy can teach by Experience, the Philosophy has to be in readiness, the Experience must be gathered and intelligibly recorded. Now, overlooking the former consideration, and with regard only to the latter, let anyone who has examined the current of human affairs, and how intricate, perplexed, unfathomable, even when seen into with our own eyes, are their thousand-fold blending movements, say whether the true representing of it is easy or impossible. Social Life is the aggregate of all the individual men's Lives who constitute society; History is the essence of innumerable Biographies. But if one Biography, nay, our own Biography, study and recapitulate it as we may, remains in so many points unintelligible to us, how much more must these million, the very facts of which, to say nothing of the purport of them, we know not, and cannot know! 

Carlyle, Thomas, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Critical and Miscellaneous Essays. With Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. Philadelphia : A. Hart, 1852. http://archive.org/details/criticalmiscella00incarl. 

Our perception of history can never be entirely true because it is an interpretation of incomplete past evidence, influenced by our biases, perspectives, and the agendas of the people who recorded it, often leading to the proverb "history is written by the victors". In addition, we struggle with historical accuracy as we work backward in time. 

One example of our varying view of history that I have written about several times in the past, is readily apparent from the entries in the FamilySearch.org Family Tree about the approximately 53 passengers of the Mayflower who survived the first winter. See The Mayflower Passengers. 

You can see from this screenshot and if you go to view Francis Cooke LZ2F-MM7, that his "history" changes almost daily despite the existence of extensive documentation from The General Society of Mayflowere Descendants. See also Mayflower Lineage Match. 

We are now living in an age where a "New Reality" can be generated in moment of time. I only have a few photographs of my great-grand father Henry Martin Tanner born in 1852 and died in 1935. Here is one of the photos of him on his 80th birthday in 1932 shortly before he died. 

Today, I can now see that same image in color! 

Of course, we might want to know that Color photography was invented in 1861 by James Clerk Maxwell and Thomas Sutton, but it didn't become widely available to the public until the late 1930s with the introduction of films like Kodachrome and Agfacolor. It is almost certain that this photo was not originally in color but using a readily available photo editing software you can add color. 

In addition, I can ask Google Gemini to generate an image of Henry when he was 80 years old. 

If I did not have the original photo, how could I tell if the newly generated photo was real or not? I could also keep generating additional photos of Henry until I got one I liked. 

This photo shows him standing in his "Tanner Homestad" in Gilbert, AZ, with cactus and all. Which of these images is real? Just in case you are wondering here is the same Gilbert, AZ photo in color. 

If you look in the lower right hand corner of the photos, you will see the Google Gemini mark that signals that these extra photos were AI generated. 

Think about this issue of reality. Aren't the hundreds or thousands of changes to Francis Cooke and the other Mayflower passengers just as unreal as the generated photos of Henry Tanner? Do we really need to get into deep philosophical discussions about reality or can we live with citing historical sources and being content with actual history?

By the way, here is photo of Gilbert, Arizona in the early 1930s from the Gilbert Historical Museum. 

https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/gilbert/2014/07/25/historic-gilbert-photos/10169323/

Let's start thinking more about what is real and supported by contemporary historical documents and records and less about trying to get our perceptions of the past to be established as "reality." 

RootsTech 2026 Registration now open!

https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/

Registration for RootsTech 2026 is now open! The world's largest family history conference returns March 5-7, 2026, with options for both in-person and online attendance. Whether you want to join the excitement live at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah, or participate for free from the comfort of your home, RootsTech offers hundreds of classes, inspiring keynote speakers, and a massive Expo Hall to help you discover and celebrate your family story. Secure your spot today to take advantage of early-bird pricing for the in-person event and get ready for a global celebration of family connection.

If you are coming to the live event, you may wish to investigate hotel offerings early. The old Plaza Hotel, just north across the street from the Salt Palace will start to be demolished on November 1, 2025. 

DISCLOSURE: I am a RootsTech 2026 Media Rep and in return for my promotion of the RootsTech 2026 conference I receive a free entry pass and some additional non-monetary perks. My transportation and accommodations are not compensated.

Guiding Principles for Responsible AI in Genealogy: Privacy

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https://craigen.org/ 

Privacy

AI usage can lead to unintended data exposure, putting private information at risk of being publicly disclosed. Therefore, members of the genealogical community take reasonable measures to safeguard private information when using AI. https://craigen.org/ 

The fundamental rule of privacy on the internet is simple: Don't put what you consider to be private on the internet. From the perspective of a long time trial lawyer, I find the laws and customs of privacy to be one of the messiest part of law in the United States and I am guessing the rest of the world also.

There are no uniform privacy laws in the United States; instead, there is a complex patchwork of sector-specific federal laws (like HIPAA for health data) and a growing number of individual state-level comprehensive privacy laws. This lack of a single, national standard creates inconsistent obligations for businesses and complicates compliance across different states. 

See “Data Protection Laws in the United States - Data Protection Laws of the World.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://www.dlapiperdataprotection.com/index.html?t=law&c=US.

As the statement above indicates, despite the admonition about refraining for putting private information on the internet, we end up with medical, legal, and other information that should not be disclosed after its intended use. Because of its pervasive nature, AI can contain this information and disclose it without our permission. 

Here are some of the ways AI can obtain information both directly and indirectly. 

Direct Data Collection involves users knowingly providing their information. This includes:

• User Inputs: When you interact with a chatbot or AI assistant, the queries and personal details you enter are often collected and stored. For example, a generative AI tool may capture your profile information, location, device details, and network activity.
• Surveys and Feedback: Companies use surveys to gather specific, structured data on user preferences, opinions, and behaviors to help train their AI models.

See: Guide to Data Collection for Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Netnut. Uncategorized. May 9, 2023. https://netnut.io/data-collection-for-ai/.

Indirect Data Collection happens without the user's explicit awareness. This is often where privacy risks are most significant. It includes:

• Web Scraping: AI systems can automatically harvest vast amounts of information from public websites, including social media, forums, and news sites. While this data is publicly available, it can contain personal details that are scraped without user consent or knowledge.
• Internet of Things (IoT) Devices: Smart devices in homes and public spaces, like smart speakers, security cameras, and fitness trackers, continuously collect real-time data about your habits, location, and daily life. This stream of information is then used to train AI models.
• Biometric Data: AI can collect sensitive biometric information, such as facial patterns, fingerprints, and voice recordings, through technologies like facial recognition systems in public places or on personal devices. This data is unique to an individual and cannot be changed if compromised.

See: “Data Collection Strategies.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://www.cloudfactory.com/blog/ai-data-collection.

See the following for further information:

“AI and Privacy: Safeguarding Data in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | DigitalOcean.” December 15, 2023. https://www.digitalocean.com/resources/articles/ai-and-privacy.

“AI Tools and Your Privacy: What You Need to Know | J.P. Morgan Private Bank U.S.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://privatebank.jpmorgan.com/nam/en/insights/markets-and-investing/ideas-and-insights/ai-tools-and-your-privacy-what-you-need-to-know.

Coalfire. “The Dark Side of AI Data Privacy.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://coalfire.com/the-coalfire-blog/the-dark-side-of-ai-data-privacy.

“Exploring Privacy Issues in the Age of AI | IBM.” September 30, 2024. https://www.ibm.com/think/insights/ai-privacy.

“How To Navigate Data Privacy Laws in an AI-Driven World.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://www.axiomlaw.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-data-privacy-challenges.

“Privacy in an AI Era: How Do We Protect Our Personal Information? | Stanford HAI.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/privacy-ai-era-how-do-we-protect-our-personal-information.

Transcend. “Examining Privacy Risks in AI Systems.” Accessed September 23, 2025. https://transcend.io/blog/ai-and-privacy.

AI was used in doing the research for this post. 

Over 1000 videos on the BYU Library Family History Center YouTube Channel

 

https://www.youtube.com/@BYULibraryFamilyHistory

Yes, the actual number of videos on the BYU Library Family History Center's YouTube Channel is 1093. As you can imagine there is a huge variety of topics. Of course, the number of videos is constantly increasing. The average increase is about 3 or 4 a week. Behind the content is the live online production of many of the videos. 

https://familyhistory.lib.byu.edu/learninghttps://familyhistory.lib.byu.edu/learning

Both webinars and online classes have schedules for upcoming presentations. Many of these videos address very specific countries and topics.