How big is your family tree? Do you track descendants, collateral lines, or even build out the full FAN club—friends, associates, and neighbors? If you answered “yes,” chances are your genealogy file is vast and complex. Like many researchers, I’ve worked hard to document my findings—but that documentation spans many years, which means the quality and accuracy can vary. Some sources are solid; others… not so much.
So how do we spot the weaker links in our research? As I’ve been exploring AI tools, I recently turned to Google NotebookLM to create audio overviews of key ancestors. One such overview—for Sally Smith Duggins Crawford—unexpectedly pointed out a few discrepancies that led me to re-evaluate parts of my tree.
For instance, the overview implied that Sally’s first husband, Alexander Duggins, was still alive when she married her second husband, James Crawford, in 1799. That raised a red flag. A quick check of my records revealed a tax record from 1796 placing Alexander Duggins in Madison County, Kentucky—three years before Sally’s remarriage in neighboring Garrard County. While that record confirms the Duggins family was in Madison County in 1796, it does not prove Alexander was alive at the time of Sally’s second marriage.
The AI tool also mentioned a 1794 deed in Amherst County, Virginia involving land sold by Alexander Duggins. Curious, I pulled the record. It was, indeed, a sale by someone named Alexander Duggins—but there was no mention of a wife, and no signature from Sally Duggins. Since Sally and Alexander were married in 1788, this suggests the 1794 deed likely involves a different Alexander Duggins altogether.
Without the AI-generated audio overview from Google NotebookLM, I might never have questioned the land record or noticed the inconsistencies in my file. This experience reminded me just how valuable it can be to revisit our research with fresh eyes—or in this case, fresh ears. Tools like NotebookLM aren’t just for summaries—they can help us uncover overlooked details, challenge old assumptions, and ultimately strengthen the accuracy of our family trees. If you haven’t tried creating an audio overview for one of your ancestors, I highly recommend giving it a go—you might be surprised at what you discover.
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