[Genealogy] Thoughts on Why I Use AI, Time Class Clarification, A Trade, Loom, and Entertaining Cattle
Michael John Neill
mjnrootdig at gmail.com
Thu Aug 13 06:12:11 CDT 2026
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Genealogy Update
13 August 2026
** Thoughts on Why I Use AI
** Notebook for Genealogy--4 Week Class--time correction
** A Trade, A Loom, and Entertaining Cattle
** Problem-Solving for Genealogy Webinar
** Full-Text Search at FamilySearch August 2026 Version
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Thoughts on Why I Use AI
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*This was originally posted to my *Genealogy Tip of the Day *page on
Facebook, but thought it worth sharing with readers here. *
I'm giving a four-week class on using Google's Notebook for Genealogy. I'm
not a fan of all things AI...not going to lie.
This is a long post, so you may feel free to just pass it by unless you
have something of an interest in teaching math or farming.
But my perspective at this comes from two perspectives--having taught and
having grown up on farm. I could not ignore calculators, computers, and
symbolic manipulation software when I taught math. One had to acknowledge
what was available to students and modify the teaching and the testing so
that the tools couldn't do all the work. It sometimes took some thought and
planning on my part to do that, but it was important…and it was my job.
And sometimes, in some classes, there would be a portion of the exam where
only pencil, paper, and your noggin were allowed.I thought it was important
to be able to do some things the old way.
So I've always had to adapt to what tools were available. I couldn't assign
the same old homework when students now had calculators, websites, or
computers that would do things that "back in the day" we had to do by hand.
Just because I grew up in the 1970s/1980s didn’t mean that I was living and
teaching in those decades.
And I remember the farmer south of town (a distant relative, truth be told)
whose corn always looked yellow and sickly every year. Dad’s and my
Granddad’s was always green and looked healthy. We'd drive by it every
Saturday when we went to visit my maternal grandparents. The farmer south
of town had stopped farming by the time I was probably fifth grade or so,
but one day I must have asked about it one day when we drove by it with Dad
in the car. The response: "He still does things the old way and that's why
it looks like that and he doesn't get as many bushels as he could."
Dad would never have a horse because to him that represented the old way of
doing things and he wouldn't have any of it. Dad didn’t always adapt every
technology (he did the books on paper and said “you don’t need a computer
to tell you if you’re making money.”). But Dad didn’t farm the way his Dad
did. And neither of my grandfathers farmed how their dads did…they simply
couldn’t. Looking at equipment inventories from the probates of my farming
ancestors has told me that times change.
What does this have to do with AI? It's impossible to ignore it and one
cannot deny that it exists. So while I'm not a fan of AI across the board
and I don’t use it to write for me or create illustrations, there are times
and places where it can be helpful and, like any tool, responsible,
reasonable, and creative use is the best way to go–keeping in mind that
tried and tested ways that work should not be thrown out, but augmented
with the judicious use of new tools.
Check out our 4 week class on using the Notebook suite of AI tools for your
genealogy research–using your own problems…because people get tired of
hearing about mine.
Details at
https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2026/08/12/notebook-for-genealogy-four-week-class/
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Notebook for Genealogy Class Meetings are at 7 PM Central Daylight Time
(and will be recorded for those who cannot attend live).
-------------------------------------
*Announcing!*
Due to several requests, we've developed this class on using Notebook for
Genealogy.
Notebook for Genealogy–A Four Session Pick Your Own Problem Course
With Michael John Neill
Our focus is on being practical, exhibiting sound genealogy methodology,
and demonstrating responsible use of Notebook (Google’s suite of AI tools)
in genealogy research. This course is for those who would like guidance and
suggestions in how to use Notebook and have a place to get feedback and
additional direction.
Course Prerequisites & Required Materials You should have digital records
for one ancestor or a father-mother-children family, including every extant
record available.
-
Format: PDF or JPG for images; PDF, Word, or raw text for transcriptions.
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Preparation: Be familiar with the specific ancestral research problem
you plan to work on to get the most from Notebook LM and AI concepts.
Gather all materials between registration and the start of class.
Course Format & Zoom Sessions
-
Pre-Recorded Lectures: Students will view two hours of presentations
before group sessions begin.
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Live Zoom Sessions: Held on Sunday nights (and recorded for later
viewing). Sessions combine live demonstrations by Michael working through a
set of family records alongside group discussions where students share
prompts, results, challenges, and questions.
Class Focus & Weekly Assignments
-
Weekly Assignments: One assignment per week focused on Notebook's media
outputs using your own research problem.
-
Scope: The course focuses on mastering the tools and capabilities of
Notebook rather than providing individual research advice, making it
accessible to participants working on problems from any region.
Community Discussion & Communication
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Private Google Group: Used for asynchronous discussion, peer
interaction, Q&A, and prompt sharing outside of live sessions.
-
Email Requirement: A Gmail account is strongly recommended. Accounts
with AOL, Yahoo, or Hotmail frequently experience delivery issues with
group emails.
Important Dates
-
1 September: Pre-recorded lectures become available for download, and
the private Google Group opens.
-
Live Zoom Discussions (Sunday Nights): 13 September, 20 September, 27
September, and 11 October. Meetings are at 7 PM Central Daylight Time. They
will be recorded and posted for those unable to attend live.
Registration & Tuition
-
Fee: $70–register now to save your spot
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EAYH3Z2FWUR9S>
.
-
Availability: Registration is limited.
Develop your AI skills today!
<https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EAYH3Z2FWUR9S>
---------------------------
A Trade, A Loom, and Entertaining Cattle
---------------------------
I don’t think Joseph Sargeant entertained his cattle in the 21st century
sense, but that is the word John Sargent uses in his will to describe his
son’s use of John’s property to raise his cattle. At least I really doubt
the Sargeant family provided fun and games for their cattle in the early
18th century.
The will of John Sargeant from Middlesex County, Massachusetts in 1716
provides significant detail about his bequests to his children, along with
his reasons for giving them what he did. The clause discussing his son
Joseph is representative.
.
<http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1tB3kn-UEE/VD0nZyP6zCI/AAAAAAAAONs/ymLzH128YKo/s1600/john-sargent-1716-middlesexwill.jpg>
Will of John Sargeant[part], Middlesex County, Massachusetts, file 19883;
digital image from AmericanAncestors.org, obtained 13 October 2014.
—–[begin transcription]——–
ItemI Give to my Son Joseph Sargeant forty Shillings in currant pay to be
paid him by my Executors within twelve months after my decease–The reson
why I give him no more now is because I have Given him a good Trade and a
loome to work in he also had his share or more than his share in my Son
Jabiz his estate which was considerable and the Gratest part of my children
had not any part of it Also when he lived with me He Raised up Severall
Cattle and I Entertained them:
—–[end transcription]———–
It would appear that the [Trade?] reference is indicating that John
Sargeant either taught his son a trade himself or paid someone to do it.
Wills frequently indicate that a parent has already given a child money,
but John Sargeant’s will is a little more specific than most. There is also
no mention as to why Joseph received the bulk of Jabez’s estate.
The use of the word “entertaining” in reference to the cattle is also a
little unusual, but the reference here likely is to John’s providing son
Joseph a free place on which to raise his cattle. I’m not entirely certain
what the letters or symbol after the word “free” in this part of item refer
to.
The mention of Jabez’s estate does mean that I need to see if there are any
probate records for him in Middlesex County as well.
John mentions all his children in his will and provides for them but the
clauses devoted to his sons are more detailed than those devoted to his
daughters.
John is one of my New England ancestors whose been written up in several
genealogies, but I’ve made the best discoveries about him and several of
them by looking for them in actual records. Wills, probate records, and
land deeds often provide clues that compilers of large genealogies simply
don’t have the time to include. And it is those details that often provide
the best glimpse into our ancestors’ lives.
----------------------
*Is Your Process the Problem?*
*----------------------*
We're updated and revised this presentation from years ago.
[image: image.png]
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Process the Problem?, professional genealogist Michael John Neill breaks
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We will look at common research pitfalls, ways to avoid those pitfalls, and
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Genealogical breakthroughs require shifting from passive data collection to
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--------------------------
*Full-Text Searching Webinar*
-----------------------------------------
No Monkeying Around!
[image: image.png]
** FamilySearch Full-Text Webinar August 2026 Version Released
We're excited!
We have finally released our updated webinar on using
FamilySearch's full-text search. If you pre-ordered this presentation and
did not get your download link, please let me know.
We talk about various ways to use the advanced search--keywords, wildcards,
places, dates, searching versus filtering, and more.
This updated presentation is an hour long, includes discussion on full-text
search strategies, options and includes an extensive handout. Presentation
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Learn how to get the most from full-text search and what search options are
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<https://michael-john-neill.dpdcart.com/cart/add?product_id=246272&method_id=268990>--regularly
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------------------------------
*Upcoming Trips*
------------------------------
Join me on one of these research trips:
- Midwest Genealogy Center–October 2026
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/mid-continent-genealogy-library-october-2025-research-trip/>
- Library of Virginia–March 2027
<https://genealogytipoftheday.com/index.php/2025-library-of-virginia-research-trip-richmond-virginia/>
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
PO Box 17
Henderson, IL 61439
--
------------------------------------
Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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