A Lightkeeper's Daughter: The Early Years of Addie Glover at Point Betsie

Discovering AI Use in Family History

Adeline Elizabeth Glover, affectionately known as Addie, was born on February 17, 1898, at the historic Point Betsie Lighthouse in Frankfort, Benzie County, Michigan. She was the cherished daughter of Frank H. Glover and Hattie Fenn. At the time of Addie's birth, her father served as an assistant lighthouse keeper, tending to the beacon that safeguarded mariners navigating the shores of Lake Michigan.

The early years of Addie's life were shaped by the rhythms of lighthouse life, a unique and rugged upbringing along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The family home, attached to the lighthouse, offered young Addie a front-row seat to the powerful beauty of the lake and the steadfast duties of lighthouse keeping. This setting provided a distinctive backdrop to her earliest memories.

By the age of two, Addie was recorded in the 1900 United States Census, residing with her family in Crystal Lake Township, Benzie County, Michigan, where Point Betsie is located. The census document reflects the close-knit nature of the Glover family and their life in a small lakeside community.

A treasured photograph of Addie at age five captures her sweet and innocent demeanor. Dressed in a white, ruffled dress with dark stockings and polished shoes, she stands poised beside an ornate chair. Her hair is neatly styled in curls, adorned with a large white bow. The image reflects the gentle grace of childhood in the early 20th century and offers a timeless glimpse into the Glover family's history.

Though Addie's childhood at Point Betsie was brief, the lighthouse stood as a symbol of resilience and guidance—a fitting metaphor for the beginnings of her life journey. Her early years were marked by the simplicity and strength of life in northern Michigan at the turn of the century.

This blog post was created with the assistance of AI, which helped in drafting the narrative, refining historical context, and enhancing the storytelling process. AI tools contributed to organizing historical details and crafting a compelling, cohesive account of Addie Glover's early life, ensuring both accuracy and readability while preserving the personal essence of the family's history.

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Recently, I spent some time catching up on Legacy Family Tree webinars. One that I found particularly helpful was Andrew Redfern's 10 Practical Uses of AI in Family History. I had experimented with AI on my own and my first blog post was about my father.

I used two of Andrew's ten tips to create the above blog post. I used his idea to "write a biography" using this prompt 

write a biography for Adeline Elizabeth GLOVER, Addie, who was born on 17 Feb 1898 in Frankfort, Benzie, Michigan, United States to Frank H Glover and Hattie Fenn. Include the fact that she was born at Point Betsie lighthouse while her father was an assistant lighthouse keeper. She can be found in the 1900 census in Crystal Lake Township, Benzie, Michigan, United States. Do not go beyond the age of 5 years old for Adeline.

Then, using the prompt,

Here is a picture of Addie, age 5, describe this image providing a paragraph that could be useful when publishing the story in a family history blog. Incorporate that information into the biography.

Next, I asked AI to 

        Write five blog post titles for this.

Lastly, I created this prompt:

Add a paragraph explaining the use of AI in the creation of this blog post.

I was pleased with what was returned to me. This entire blog post from title to the post itself up to the star break was created using ChatGPT. I won't make a habit of writing my blog posts with AI, but one can see how it is helpful in family history. 

This is the first of a series of posts, Discovering AI Use in Family History, I plan to write. How do you use AI in your family history, please leave a comment.  

Disclosure

This blog posts used the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While the content reflects my facts, photograph, and research. AI was used to write the blog post and describe the photograph. The writer checked for facts and edited the post where needed.

Photo Credit The photo of Adeline Glover, age 5, was contributed by one of Addie's family members (tomipaige) and found online at Family Search.