As I mentioned in an earlier post, when it comes to experimenting with AI tools, I’m definitely more of a follower than a trailblazer. Fortunately, I follow some excellent leaders—one of them being Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings. Recently, Randy demonstrated how he used Google Vids to transform a Google Notebook LM slide deck into a polished video, and his post made the process look incredibly simple.
Intrigued (and inspired), I decided to give it a try. Using the Crawford Connection slide deck created by Google Notebook LM, I generated a video titled “Crawford Network of Garrard County.” It came together quickly and easily—and I’ve uploaded the finished version to my YouTube channel for you to view.
To give you a sense of what Google Notebook LM worked from, I’m including the exact text I provided to generate the original slide deck. This is the foundation behind both the slides and the video.
Note: Numbers after names are the RootsMagic number in my genealogy file. Links are to my Ancestry tree.
One of my genealogy brick walls is my fourth great grandfather, James Crawford (219). James married Sally Duggins (1441) in Garrard county, Kentucky in 1799. This was a second marriage for Sally Duggins (1441). She had 2 sons by her first marriage to Alexander Duggins (639): Henry Duggins (481) and William A Duggins (482). Sally Duggins maiden name was Sally Smith (1441).
The area of Garrard county Kentucky prior to 1800 had several CRAWFORD families living there.
- Mary Crawford (1413) purchased land from Richard Cave and lived along Sugar Creek before her marriage to Alexander Moore (11622). The land was sold after Mary Crawford’s marriage to Alexander Moore.
- James Crawford (1443) owned land along Paint Lick Creek on the eastern edge of Garrard County. His wife, Rebecca Anderson (1444), was the daughter of John Anderson (10083). Rebecca’s first husband was John Maxwell (13444). Rebecca and John Maxwell had a son named John Maxwell (13445) before the father’s death.
- John Crawford (6251)’s wife is believed to be Rebekah Douglas (168). Rebekah (168) purchased land in Garrard County from George Douglas (10320). Rebekah (168)’s land was on the dividing line between Boone Creek and Sugar Creek.
- Moses Dooley was an original land owner along Sugar Creek. His land was the home of the “Old Sugar Meeting House”. Both Mary Crawford (1413) and Rebekah Crawford (168) likely attended events at the Old Sugar Meeting House.
- William Crawford (10065) also owned land in Garrard County before migrating to Pulaski county and then to southeast Missouri.
- Andrew Crawford (27367) is believed to be a brother to William (10065), John (6251) and James (1443).
- James Crawford (1) married Martha Knight in 1793 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. He is believed to be the son of Rebekah (Douglas) Crawford (168)
- James Crawford (1)’s probable sister, Sarah Crawford (171) married William David Sellers (5228) [son of Nathaniel Sellers (1422)] in 1796 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Rebekah Crawford (168) gave permission for the marriage.
- James Crawford (1)’s probable sister, Mary Crawford (170) married James Sellers (174) [son of Nathaniel Sellers (1422)] in 1791 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Rebekah Crawford (168) gave permission for the marriage.
- William Sellers (5228) and James Crawford (219) purchased land as tenants in common in Preble County, Ohio in 1816.
- James Crawford (219) and James Crawford (1) owned adjoining land in Preble County, Ohio. James Crawford (1) and Nelson Crawford (199) [son of James Crawford (219)] migrated to Warren County, Indiana about the same time. Descendants of both lines lived in Dodge City, Kansas and are buried in the same section of the cemetery.
- Mary Crawford (1413) is believed to be the mother of James Crawford (219). Unfortunately, no record has been found connecting Mary Crawford (1413) to a first spouse or to children.
DNA
- William Nelson Crawford (9886) is a brick wall for another researcher. DNA confirms a relationship to descendants of James Crawford (1) and Martha Knight (2)
- yDNA places descendants of James Crawford (219) in the R1b-01B Ardmillan group. Also in the group are descendants of James Crawford (1443) and James’ probable brother, John Crawford (6251).
- I have 22 matches with descendants of James Crawford (219) and Sally Smith Duggins (1441).
- I have 3 matches with DUGGINS descendants from Salley Smith Duggins (1441)
- I have 89 shared matches with the 3 matches descending from Sally Smith Duggins (1441) and her first husband Alexander Duggins (639)
- I have 1286 shared matches with the 22 matches descending from James Crawford (219) and Sally Smith Duggins (1441).
- I have 38 matches with descendants from James Crawford (1443) and Rebecca Anderson (1444) with 949 shared matches
- I have 13 matches with descendants of Rebecca Anderson (1444) and her first husband John Maxwell (13444) with 652 shared matches
- I have 56 matches with descendants of Mary Crawford (170) / James Sellers (174) or Sarah Crawford (171) / William David Sellers (5228) with 1024 shared matches
- I have 13 matches who descend from James Crawford (1) and Martha Knight (2) with 1091 shared matches
- I have 8 matches with descendants of William Crawford (10065) and Elizabeth (10069) with 791 shared matches
Exploring these new AI tools continues to surprise me—especially when a simple experiment results in something as polished as this video. While I may not be leading the charge in adopting new technology, following the examples shared by others in the genealogy community has opened doors I didn’t expect. Turning a text summary into a slide deck and then into a video was remarkably easy, and it offers yet another way to share complex family connections in a clear, visual format. I’m excited to see where these tools lead next and how they might help bring more of my research to life.