Do You Need AI Guidance for Your Family Tree?

An article in "Who Do You Think You Are" magazine looks at the research guidance feature in Legacy 10 software. (This software is 100% free at legacyfamilytree.com.) This feature is like having a professional genealogist sitting beside you saying, "Have you looked here yet?"

From what I can see, this feature is like the benevolent AI of the 1980s. People are wary of AI now because it's eliminating jobs for humans and creating false imagery. But Artificial Intelligence has been around for a long time.

Your self-built genealogy intelligence can rival any artificial intelligence for working on your family tree.

In 1986 I was a copywriter for a computer software company. I wrote a brochure and article about their new AI software called MINDOVER. It used AI to track mainframe computer systems and predict problems before they happened. I was so intrigued that I tried to write an AI program about a favorite subject of mine: architecture. The first step was to build its knowledge base. I entered the names of architectural styles and the features each one included. The software then asked a question like, "Does the building have this feature?" Based on your answer, it narrowed down the style asked the next logical question.

You're already using your own intelligence to build your family tree. That intelligence comes from your experience. And it grows in value each time you work on your tree. That intelligence might look something like this. Let's say a family member tells you they think your relative married in New York City in about 1920. What can you do to prove this? You might:

• Search for the couple in the U.S. Federal Census in 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950 to narrow down the year they married.
• Search for the couple in the New York State Census of 1925 for any more clues.
• Search the "New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018" database for the date of their marriage license.
• Search the New York City Municipal Archives for the marriage certificate. (See Day 5 in "7 Days to a Better Family Tree".)
• Search their local newspapers for a marriage or engagement announcement.

If this process makes perfect sense to you, then your own genealogy intelligence is doing a fine job. But if this whole concept is brand new to you, the AI research guidance feature may be the kick-start you need.

If you don't want to switch to Legacy 10 software, you have 3 options:

1. Install Legacy 10 and import your GEDCOM file. Follow its research suggestions, but record the data in your family tree software. Or,
2. Use Family Tree Analyzer to show you which types of documents you're missing. Or,
3. Learn which resources are available and search every one that applies. For example:
   • Which censuses are available for the country where a particular relative lived?
   • Which vital records (birth, marriage, death) are available for their location?
   • If the person emigrated, can you access their ship manifest to learn more?
   • Can you find their naturalization records?
   • Which military records are available even if the person never served in the armed forces?
   • Are there city directories for the place where they lived?
   • Is their school yearbook online?
   • Was this person ever mentioned in their local newspaper? You may find a birth or marriage announcement, an obituary, or a human interest story.
   • If they traveled, can you find their passport application?

Once you've run through every possible type of record, you have built your internal knowledge base. You can refresh your memory on the types of documents available by doing what I did to write the list above. Consult your file folders.

The FamilyTree folder on my computer has sub-folders for different types of documents. These include:

• applications
• census
• certificates (that's vital records)
• city directories
• draft cards
• immigration
• military records
• naturalization
• newspapers
• passports
• yearbooks
• and a few others.

If you're new to this hobby, go to your favorite genealogy website and search for a person. Take note of the results page and the types of documents it offers to you. Ancestry has a feature on their search results page called "Browse by collection". This makes it easy to see the types of documents in the results.

I did a search for my great grandfather who came to America several times but always went home to Italy. The collections in his results included:

• Census & Voter Lists
• Birth, Marriage & Death
• Military
• Immigration & Emigration
• Directories & Member Lists
• Court, Land, Wills & Financial
• Family Trees

These results were not all for my great grandfather—some were for men with roughly the same name. But this is a good way to get familiar with the main types of records available. Then it's a matter of looking at what you have for a person, and using logic to decide what else you may find.

I've written several times about my Document Tracker spreadsheet. The overwhelming size of my family tree made me abandon this tool. But if you're new to family tree building, this spreadsheet is a great substitute for AI. It's pre-built intelligence that will help you gain the experience you need.

Are you using the research guidance feature in Legacy 10? If so, please share your experience in the comments of this article.

Using Names to Fortify Your Family Tree

I can't be the only genealogist who treasures names. I had no particular love of names before I got into genealogy. But once I started viewing vital records from my Grandpa Leone's hometown, it opened up a world of wonder.

What's in a name? When it comes to genealogy research, absolutely everything. Find out how to honor the names in your family tree.

This was somewhere around 2008, and I remember being smitten with certain names. Last names like Lapastoressa and Pisciotti were fun to say. First names like Serafina and Elisabetta sounded musical.

After years of researching a handful of Italian towns, I know which last names came from which town. Even my husband recognizes some names from having seen them in the towns' cemeteries. This name recognition comes in handy when you're looking at your DNA matches. Even those with the slimmest of family trees. It can help you find your connection.

Today, let's look at the power of names in genealogy research.

When Too Many People Have the Same Name

It's funny when someone writes to ask me about a particular person in my family tree. I have to ask, "Which one? I have at least 6 people with that name." Different cultures have specific baby-naming conventions. And that can lead to a lot of relatives with the same name.

Don't worry. There are techniques you can use to make sure you're putting the right person in the right nuclear family. Here's a case study in "Same Name; Which Ancestor is Which?"

When One Person Used a Few Names

Because I fell in love with the Italian names in my family tree, I have a few rules about recording those names. Spellings can change over the years, and someone with two or more names may not go by their first name. A man named Giovanni Antonio Bianco may use the name Antonio Bianco. My great grandmother was born Marianna, but she often used the name Mariangela. She had an older sister Mariangela who died very young.

I choose to respect the original name. In my family tree, I list everyone's name as it appears on their birth record. I'll use the birth fact's description field in Family Tree Maker to note name variations. I admit, I did not record the mistaken name given to my mother at birth. Grandma was out cold, and Grandpa told the midwife the wrong name. This still causes Mom trouble when it comes to getting official government documents. And guess what? That wrong name connects back to Grandpa's mother, born Marianna but called Mariangela.

See which name rules you'd like to adopt in "4 Rules for the Names in Your Family Tree".

Find the Maiden Name to Expand the Family

I'm thankful that women in Italy kept their maiden name for life. If I'd known that before my marriage, I'd have gone back to my maiden name, as impossible as it is for people to handle. It was only when these women came to America that they adopted their husband's last name. They adapted to the local cultural norms.

For a long time, my great grandmother Maria Rosa's line was a dead end. As I began building my family tree, my aunt told me that Maria Rosa's last name was Caruso. That helped me find her many brothers who came to New York State before her. But I couldn't find anything to tell me her mother's name.

A few clues pointed to her first name being Louise (Luisa in Italian), but I didn't know her maiden name. It was a glorious victory when I merged different resources to come up with her most likely last name. Then I proved it, and at last I built her full family tree.

To find out what those clues were and where you can find them, see "These Tips Find Missing Maiden Names".

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The names of your ancestors infuse cultural heritage into your family tree. Honor them by recording them the right way and sharing them with your relatives.

Use History to Fill In Your Ancestor's Story

In 2017 when this blog was brand new, I saw the power of historical context. I'd been thinking about my grandfather who died in 1986. I knew he was a prisoner of war in World War I. But the only detail I'd ever heard was that he had to eat rats to stay alive.

My aunt gave me a photo of my grandfather in an Italian Army uniform. So I started researching Italian World War I battles. I wrote about this in "POW: My Grandfather's World War I Experience". I assumed from what I read that the Germans captured him during the Battle of Caporetto. The Italian prisoners went to either Mauthausen in Austria, or Milovice in the Czech Republic.

In 2018 I went to the archives building in the city of Benevento to see his military record. His date of capture coincides with the Battle of Caporetto. They held him prisoner for one full year at Mauthausen. I wrote about his military record in "Taking a Do-It-Yourself Genealogy Vacation, Part 1".

Filling in My Uncle's Story

Online historical research helped me better understand my grandfather's experience. What other family mysteries can I explore by researching the history at the time?

With few facts to go on, historical research adds life to the relatives in your family tree.

My first thought was that same grandfather's son—my Uncle Johnny. Johnny was killed in action in July 1944. During a free access weekend on Fold3.com, I found the flight record detailing Johnny's death.

He was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Air Force. Johnny's flight record told me several details, including:

• The names of all 10 men on his airplane.
• Their intended bombing target in Germany.
• That they were part of the 15th Air Force, 463rd Bomb Group, 773rd Bomb Squadron.
• That they flew a B-17G bomber out of the Celone Airfield.
• Where the plane was last seen after artillery fire hit it.
• That there were no survivors.
• That no parachutes opened.
• That Johnny was the tail gunner.

A few years ago my mother gave me a letter Johnny wrote home in 1944. In the letter he talks about visiting the city of Foggia, Italy. I'm sure he knew some Italian because my grandfather never stopped speaking it.

Today I'm using Microsoft Copilot to learn some historical context. I like Copilot because it gives you a well-organized response with links to its sources. Copilot reminded me there was no United States Air Force in 1944, so Johnny was in the United States Army Air Force. Copilot went on to tell me:

• Johnny was most likely based in the Foggia Airfield Complex.
• The complex contained about 30 separate airfields spread across the region.
• This complex was home to heavy bomber groups flying B-17s and B-24s with the 15th Air Force.
• The service members likely lived in six-man tents with a dirt floor.
• The complex was also used for Allied armies and naval forces, making it a bustling command center.

Bing Maps has a historical marker for the Celone/San Nicola d'Arpi Airfield. It's in the middle of a farming community in northern Foggia. A link to Wikipedia shows me an overhead view of the airfield in 1945, the year after Johnny's plane crash. This image and more detailed maps are available on forgottenairfields.com. Wikipedia says the major tenant of the airfield was Johnny's Fifteenth Air Force, 463rd Bombardment Group, including his 773rd Bombardment Squadron.

This same field housed the famous "Swoose Group". Stationed there was the father of actress Swoosie Kurtz who flew the "Swoose Goose". I learned that from a Facebook group called "Kids of the 463rd Bomb Group".

Now let's look at Johnny's last letter home. He wrote it six days before he died. He tells his parents he became a staff sergeant and got a raise. He got an $18 increase in base pay, a $9 increase in flying pay, and an increase in overseas pay. In a P.S. he says he now has 7 missions.

The last paragraph of the letter is the only glimpse of his free time.

"My buddy and I visited Foggia the other day. We didn't do anything interesting. I stayed at the Red Cross hoping to see someone from the neighborhood, but no such luck. Love to all, Johnny"

Looking at the map, I can see that the Red Cross in Foggia is about 10 miles from the airfield. I can use Google Street View to "walk" the streets and see what Johnny might have seen. I would love to add Foggia as a stop on my next trip to Italy.

Digging Further into Historical Facts

By clicking Copilot's suggested follow-up questions, I found out:

• As tail gunner, Johnny was one of 4 gunners on the B-17G. They had a top-turret gunner, ball-turret gunner, waist gunner, and tail gunner.
• The rest of the crew included a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, and radio operator. The top-turret gunner doubled as the flight engineer. Johnny's flight report refers to RW and LW (presumably Right Wing and Left Wing), which may mean there were 5 gunners.
• As a Staff Sergeant, Johnny was a non-commissioned officer "bridging junior enlisted ranks and the commissioned officers above". Johnny drew a picture of his new insignia in his last letter to his parents. He must have been proud.
• His new position came with added responsibilities, which is why he mentions his pay raise.

What are some of the more interesting stories from your family tree that are lacking detail? Historical research can help you flesh out those stories and give your ancestors new life.

5 Must-Do's for Building Your Family Tree from Vital Records

If your ancestors lived in certain countries, you can find lots of records for your family tree. You may find census records, city directories, military records, ship manifests, and more. But what if your ancestors' countries don't have those records available? How can you build your family tree using only an incomplete set of vital records?

Welcome to my world. I have two sets of 1st great grandparents who emigrated to the U.S., and one set of 2nd great grandparents who came here. Everyone else stayed in Italy for centuries.

Commit to these 5 rules and you can build your family tree from vital records alone.

With access to Italian vital records, I have documented facts for 415 of my direct ancestors. They're the ones with Ahnentafel numbers. My tree is still growing because I'm obsessed with my ancestral hometowns. I'm using vital records to find every relative of my direct ancestors. And I continue to expand each family because of all the intermarriage in their towns.

Let's take a look at 5 "must-do's" for building your family tree from vital records alone. These tips are not confined to Italian vital records!

1. You Must Start Close to Home

When I learned I could view Italian vital records at a Family History Center, I jumped at the chance. This was many years ago before these vital records came online at the Antenati Portal.

I started with the town of Baselice. I knew the names of my grandfather's parents, but nothing more. I had to start with them and begin putting families together. By the time I finished viewing all the vital records between 1809 and 1860, I'd added 15,000 people to my family tree. For complete details of this process, see "5 Steps to Grow Your Italian Family Tree".

2. You Must Understand the Local Marriage Customs

My 4th great grandparents, Gregorio and Apollonia, came from the town of Circello. In 1814 Gregorio and two of their young children died. My 3rd great grandfather Francesco, still a baby, was the only surviving child. What happened to Apollonia? I couldn't find a death record for her in Circello.

I thought about all I'd learned from viewing tons of Italian marriage records. If a spouse died and there were young children in the family, the surviving spouse needed to remarry. Apollonia was widow with a one-year-old baby. She had to remarry, right away.

To find out how I found Apollonia and learned her parents names, see "How I Tracked Down My 4th Great Grandmother's Parents".

3. You Must Look in the Margins

I hate that most of my ancestral hometowns have no available marriage or death records from 1861 to 1930. But there is one saving grace that can make up for this lack of records. Margin notes! Sometimes you'll find a note in the margin of your person's birth record that can tell you:

• Who they married, where and when
• Where and when they died
• That their father died in World War I, and more!

To learn about these and other facts to fill in the gaps, see "3 Types of Bonus Details on Italian Vital Records".

4. You Must Scan for More Details

I have lots of cases in my family tree where a baby is born shortly after their father died. Early on, I was overlooking one incredible detail on that birth record. The father's death record isn't available. But his date of death is often written at the bottom of his child's birth record.

In one of my towns, I don't have access to the matrimoni processetti (see "The Italian Genealogy Goldmine: Wedding Packets"). I was so upset when I realized they were missing. But there is a substitute! In this town, the marriage documents themselves contain tons of detail, including:

• the bride and groom's exact date of birth
• when and where their parents died
• when and where their grandfathers died

Don't miss out on these and other important information on vital records. See "10 Details Not to Miss on Italian Vital Records".

5. You Must See Past the Clerical Errors

I've found glaring errors in a set of marriage records many times. Those glorious wedding packets have birth records for the bride and groom. But then you go to your family tree and see the mistake. The birth record isn't for the bride. It's for her same-named older sister who died as a child. Or the grandfather's death record is for a completely different man with the same name.

You've got to consider each document with care and make sure everything adds up. You'll avoid all these errors if your family tree contains all the siblings in every family.

What other common errors must you look for? Read the details in "5 Common Mistakes on Vital Records".

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Old-country vital records have more accurate details than a U.S. vital record for an immigrant. That can be because the family was in one place for centuries. Everyone in town knows who this person's parents were.

Keep your eyes open for the many nuances of vital records as described in this article. Then you'll be ready to squeeze out every last detail for your family tree.

New Feature Sets MyHeritage Apart

New in March 2025, the MyHeritage Cousin Finder™ is a robust alternative to Ancestry's ThruLines^®. You can use Cousin Finder even if you have a free account on MyHeritage like I do. (Read on to see the roadblock I hit.)

Now it has a new and big advantage over the competition. And that makes Cousin Finder a remarkable asset for your genealogy research. You can use it to find cousins for Any Person in Your Family Tree, as long as they have ancestors in your family tree. On Ancestry, you can only view ThruLines for the AncestryDNA tests you manage.

My sons have not taken a DNA test, but I can view their Cousin Finder results. I see cousins from their father's side of the family. (I've gone deep, but not wide, on my ex's family.) I can see two cousins in Canada who seem to be brothers, one in the United Arab Emirates, and one in Ireland. And it names the common ancestors they share with my sons. I found even more of my boys' relatives when I viewed my ex-husband's Cousin Finder.

No DNA test? No problem. Follow these steps to use the unique capabilities of the MyHeritage Cousin Finder™.

The results page tells you each relative's expected relationship to the subject. Plus it breaks that relationship down to one of 6 categories:

• Father's side
• Mother's side
• Father's father's side
• Father's mother's side
• Mother's father's side
• Mother's mother's side

This means I can see that my sons' cousins in Canada are:

• their father's mother's 4th cousin
• related through common ancestors Patrick Egan and Mary Hickey. Patrick and Mary are my sons' 5th great grandparents. They're the Canadians' 3rd great grandparents.

The cousin in the UAE is my sons' 5th cousin on their father's father's side. Their common ancestors belong to my sons' paternal grandfather's mother. (She's the lady who swore she was the niece of the captain of the Titanic, but she wasn't.) The cousin in Ireland is the boys' 6th cousin on their father's mother's side. Their common ancestors are, again, Patrick Egan and Mary Hickey.

Give It a Try!

Using this new, expanded feature is simple.

• Create a MyHeritage account if you don't have one. It can be a free account.
• Build or import your family tree. It's easy to import a GEDCOM file using the Family Tree menu.
• Choose a person as your subject and click their name.
• In the panel that opens, click their Profile button. This opens up a detailed page with the person's facts and immediate family.
• Scroll down and look for the "Additional actions" box. Click the person's Cousin Finder in that box.

I ran into a new roadblock when viewing anyone's Cousin Finder, including my own. I can't click to view a diagram of the relationship. And I can't view their family tree. I used to be able to do this on my free account, and it was a huge benefit. I wrote all about it 4 months ago. Now it seems to be behind a paywall. Take a look at "5 Super-Cool Features of MyHeritage" and you may decide it's worth paying a little money for. (It is available with the lowest paid subscription level.)

Even with the roadblock, you can use this feature to your advantage. The relatives you find using Cousin Finder may be on other DNA websites and social media. You may be able to use the Cousin Finder hints to learn how they fit into your family tree.

The names I'm seeing in Cousin Finder are all new to me, so I'd say it's well worth a try.

How to Create Your Origins Chart

You may have seen people sharing a different kind of family tree online. Instead of showing the names of their direct ancestors, each block shows a person's place of birth. I made a somewhat different version of this chart.

My family tree is so extensive, it includes nine of my 9th great grandparents. When I created my Elder Scroll, it was clear I had more ancestors from one town than any other. Having more Colle Sannita roots than any other justifies all the time I spend on this town.

But a visual is always nice, isn't it?

Get out your crayons! Create your Origins Chart and see clearly which places are the most important to your genealogy.

To make my origins chart, I used the 10-generation fan chart I exported from MyHeritage last April. These are so beautiful and fun to look at. If your tree is on FamilySearch or Ancestry, you can see your fan chart there, too.

I used Photoshop for this project, but you can make an old-school version. Print your fan chart in black and white and get out different colored markers or crayons.

The MyHeritage fan chart using blocks of color to separate my ancestral lines. It uses a different color for each of my 8 great grandparents. There's also a version that shows all the names rather than color blocks.

I opened the color-block chart in Photoshop and kept the fan chart with all the names open on MyHeritage. (You can keep your family tree open for reference if you aren't using MyHeritage.)

Divide and Color

Starting at the center with myself, I saw that my maternal grandmother, my mother, and I were all born in New York City. So I outlined the 3 of us, filled the area in with one color (yellow), and wrote New York City on top of it.

If you're doing this on paper, outline and/or color in each group of people from one place. Make a separate key to show which place each color represents.

Next I chose the area representing my father. It was already colored baby blue, so I kept that color and labeled it Ohio. He's my only ancestor born there. His mother is my only ancestor born in New York State, outside the city, so she gets her own label, too.

Now comes the parts of my family tree with the deepest roots. The reason I kept my tree open on MyHeritage was so that I could click any person and see where they were born. My maternal grandfather and all his ancestors came from Baselice, Benevento, Italy. I outlined them, made them red, and labeled them with the town name.

All my great grandfather Sarracino's ancestors came from one town. His wife and her paternal ancestors came from the same town. So I outlined those blocks and made them orange. I labeled them Sant'Angelo a Cupolo, Benevento, Italy. Then I carved up my great grandmother Saviano's maternal ancestors. I colored in and labeled them: (1) Santa Paolina, Avellino, Italy, and (2) Apice, Benevento, Italy.

My paternal grandmother's section was simple. Her maternal side came from one town. I colored them green and labeled them Pesco Sannita, Benevento, Italy. Her paternal side was all Colle Sannita. So is most of my paternal grandfather's side. I carved out the ancestors not from Colle and colored them dark blue. I labeled them Circello, Benevento, Italy. Everyone else on my paternal side is from Colle Sannita. I colored them a lighter blue and labeled them Colle Sannita, Benevento, Italy.

These colorful fan charts from MyHeritage inspired me to turn my family tree into an Origins Chart.

How to Use Your Origins Chart

As you look at your colorful origins chart, remember to keep the scale in mind. My chart has a big chunk of yellow from New York City, but that represents only 3 people. The big chunk of baby blue from Ohio is only one person—Dad. His family was only in Ohio for a short time, and he moved to New York City as a toddler. So despite the large block of color, Ohio represents a very small part of my genealogy research.

It's the earlier color blocks that drive my genealogy research. When you consider the scale, Colle Sannita is an enormous chunk of my family tree. The second largest is Baselice. I've spent years researching these towns' vital records. I created and published inventories of all the available vital records. I have fit almost everyone from these towns into my family tree.

But it's clear I can do a lot more work with the other towns. I've gathered the vital records for all my direct ancestors already. But with such deep roots, there's much more to discover.

• Sant'Angelo a Cupolo is problematic because they have no vital records before 1861. But I can try to connect more of the town's families.
• Pesco Sannita holds a lot of promise for me.
• Santa Paolina is my only ancestral town outside of the Benevento border. It's close by in the neighboring province of Avellino. I've found DNA cousins with roots in this town. I need to connect more of those families.
• Circello has an added bonus to drive my research. My aunt's husband had roots there and in Colle Sannita. That gives me lots of ways to connect to him and his children, my maternal 1st cousins.
• Apice, the little ghost town I've written about before, is my latest target. I've almost completed an inventory of its available vital records. My nearest ancestor from Apice, my 3rd great grandmother, was born in 1816. That's so early that I didn't expect to find a lot of relatives. I was wrong. Like all these small towns, every family intermarried. That creates a lot of connections I'm eager to pull into my family tree.

You can see how your origins chart can focus and drive your research. Of all the towns I've visited, it was Colle Sannita and Baselice that had the strongest pull on my heart. My origins chart actually bears that out.

Can you see which places in your origins chart make up the most of you? If you have lots of unknown places—areas you can't color in—that's where you should focus your work. What if you haven't done any research in a place that winds up being a very important part of your story?

I invite you to create and share your origins chart. Then use it to guide your genealogy research.