Genealogists love to research. It’s the thrill of the hunt and the rush of new discoveries. It’s meeting new ancestors and learning their stories. Many of us eventually want to share what we find with others and in trying to do so can get overwhelmed with putting all that wonderful research into words. Even for those of us who love to write, just getting started can often be a hurdle we need to overcome. To help me with this, I have started using AI to get the party going so to speak.
While I occasionally leverage AI when I get hung up on how to explain certain stories about ancestors, more often the tool helps me get started on my stories for SBTS about soldiers who lost their life serving in the U.S. military during World War II. If you have tried using AI tools like ChatGPT for a similar purpose, you may find it doesn’t consistently meet your expectations. Because the World War II stories I write need to be consistent, this was occasionally frustrating for me. So I used the feature on ChatGPT to make my own “GPT” focused on writing stories about WWII soldiers. As ChatGPT has improved, the ability for it to write consistent stories according to the GPT instructions I created has improved. At this point there are usually few edits I have to make to improve the story as long as I use the SBTS GPT I set up.
I thought others might be interested in seeing how it is working so far. If you use ChatGPT, you can also access this GPT and try it out for your own story. Here’s an example of a recent story I prepared using the GPT I titled “Writing the Stories of the Fallen of WWII (SBTS).”
Preparing the research for input into ChatGPT:
As I research, I type out the basic facts I find. (I also capture the source although I have not yet used ChatGPT to prepare the source list for me.)
Here is an example of a recent story I worked on. Below is what I typed out as I researched. As you can see, some facts are simply stated in a running list of information about the soldier’s life. At this point I usually don’t worry much about how it sounds – I am just trying to get down the information.
“Leroy Albert Carbine was born on 25 January 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, to Leroy and Minnie (O’Brien) Carbine.
Leroy’s parents were married in Chicago on 19 June 1912.
In 1920 Leroy’s family was living in LaSalle, Illinois, on Second street. His father was working at the local cement company.
By 1930, Leroy’s family had moved to Oglesby and living in the Deer Park area. His father was still working at a cement company but had moved into an operator position.
Sometime about 1937 Leroy married Olga Daffara, the daughter of Charles and Katherine Daffara. They had their first child, a daughter they named Colleen, in about 1938.
In 1940 Leroy was living at 317 Walnut street in Oglesby with his wife and two-year-old daughter Colleen. He was working as a laborer at Lehigh Cement Company.
On 16 October 1940, Leroy Albert Carbine registered for the draft. At age 27, he stood 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.
Leroy and Olga had a second daughter about 1942.
Leroy Albert Carbine enlisted in the U.S. Army on 14 July 1944. Leroy Albert Carbine served in Company F in the 309th Infantry Regiment in the 78th Division in the U.S. Army.
Leroy Albert Carbine died 3 March 1945. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in 1948.“
Prompting ChatGPT to write the story
Then I go to the GPT I created at the link above and type in this prompt:
“Can you please write a story about PFC Leroy Albert Carbine using all of the following information?”
Then immediately after the prompt, I paste the list of information I created just as it is shown above.
The ChatGPT Response
“Private First Class Leroy Albert Carbine: A Life of Dedication and Sacrifice
Leroy Albert Carbine was born on 25 January 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, to Leroy and Minnie (O’Brien) Carbine. His parents had married two years earlier, on 19 June 1912, also in Chicago. By 1920, the Carbine family had moved to LaSalle, Illinois, where they lived on Second Street. Leroy’s father worked at a local cement company, providing a stable livelihood for his family. Over the next decade, the family relocated to the Deer Park area of nearby Oglesby, Illinois. By 1930, Leroy’s father had advanced in his career, becoming an operator at the same cement company.
In 1937, Leroy married Olga Daffara, daughter of Charles and Katherine Daffara. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Colleen, around 1938. By the time the 1940 U.S. Census was taken, Leroy, Olga, and their two-year-old daughter were living at 317 Walnut Street in Oglesby. Leroy was working as a laborer at the Lehigh Cement Company, likely following in his father’s footsteps. The family continued to grow, and around 1942, Leroy and Olga welcomed their second daughter.
On 16 October 1940, Leroy registered for the draft. At 27 years old, he stood 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. Although his civilian life was stable, Leroy answered the call to serve his country during World War II, enlisting in the U.S. Army on 14 July 1944. He was assigned to Company F of the 309th Infantry Regiment in the 78th Infantry Division, known as the “Lightning Division.”
The 78th Infantry Division was deeply engaged in the European theater during the winter and spring of 1945. By March 1945, the division had been fighting through the Battle of the Bulge and advancing into Germany. The 309th Infantry Regiment, part of this larger push, was heavily involved in the offensive to seize control of strategic towns and bridges along the Rhine River. These operations were critical in breaking through Germany’s final defensive lines and forcing a retreat.
It was during this intense phase of combat that PFC Leroy Albert Carbine lost his life. He was killed in action on 03 March 1945, a little over a month before the division would help capture the key city of Remagen and its famous Ludendorff Bridge, a turning point in the war against Nazi Germany. Leroy’s sacrifice came during some of the fiercest fighting of the war, as American forces pressed relentlessly into enemy territory.
After the war, Leroy’s remains were returned to the United States, and in 1948, he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Though his life was tragically cut short, Leroy Albert Carbine’s legacy endures. He left behind a loving wife, Olga, and two young daughters who would grow up knowing their father was a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Today, Leroy Albert Carbine is remembered not only as a devoted husband and father but as a courageous soldier whose service in the 309th Infantry Regiment helped bring an end to one of the darkest chapters in history.“
At this point I usually copy the text it created and edit it because sometimes I either find more information or I prefer to say something in a different manner. For this one, I thought it could do a better job explaining the part describing the unit’s movement during the war so I input the following prompt:
“Can you improve how this paragraph reads? It was while moving through Germany from Burvenich to Sinzenich that PFC Leroy Albert Carbine lost his life on 3 March 1945. The enemy had taken advantage of the open area through which the troops traveled to bombard them with mortar shells. Several days after PFC Carbine’s death, the division would help capture the key city of Remagen and its famous Ludendorff Bridge, an action some believe shortened the war against Nazi Germany. Leroy’s sacrifice came during some of the fiercest fighting of the war, as American forces pressed relentlessly into enemy territory. PFC Leroy Carbine was initially interred in the Henri Chapelle Military Cemetery in Belgium.“
Below is the response from the GPT:
“PFC Leroy Albert Carbine lost his life on 03 March 1945 while his unit advanced through Germany from Burvenich to Sinzenich. As they moved through open terrain, the troops were subjected to a relentless barrage of enemy mortar fire, exploiting the exposed landscape. Just days after Leroy’s death, the division played a key role in capturing the strategic city of Remagen and its Ludendorff Bridge, a victory that many believe hastened the end of the war in Europe. Leroy’s sacrifice came amid some of the war’s most intense combat, as American forces continued their determined push into enemy territory. Initially, PFC Carbine was laid to rest at Henri-Chapelle Military Cemetery in Belgium before his remains were repatriated.“
At this point, I copied and pasted the story the GPT created into my WORD document and made some edits.
Final story (after my edits and without the sources and SBTS tag line)
“PFC Leroy Albert Carbine, Service Number 36904695
Leroy Albert Carbine was born on 25 January 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, to Alphonsis and Minnie (O’Brien) Carbine. His parents had married two years earlier, on 19 June 1912, also in Chicago. By 1920, the Carbine family had moved to LaSalle, Illinois, where they lived on Second Street. Leroy’s father worked at a local cement company, providing a stable livelihood for his family. Over the next decade, the family relocated to the Deer Park area of nearby Oglesby, Illinois. By 1930, Leroy’s father had advanced in his career, becoming an operator at the cement company.
In about 1937, Leroy married Olga Daffara, daughter of Charles and Katherine Daffara. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Colleen, in late 1937. By the time the 1940 U.S. Census was taken, Leroy, Olga, and their two-year-old daughter were living at 317 Walnut Street in Oglesby. Leroy was working as a laborer at the Lehigh Cement Company, likely following in his father’s footsteps.
That same year, with war raging across Europe, the United States instituted a draft. Leroy was part of the first group who registered on 16 October 1940. That year, at 27 years old, he stood 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. By the end of the next year, the United States had entered the conflict. Leroy’s brother Henry was already in the Army having enlisted earlier that summer. Their brother Joseph was drafted a year after the United States declared war and enlisted in the Army on 10 December 1942. During this time, Leroy and Olga had their second child—a daughter.
As the war continued and the Allies made their way onto the European continent, Leroy was eventually called to serve his country. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on 14 July 1944. Ultimately, Leroy was assigned to Company F of the 309th Infantry Regiment in the 78th Infantry Division, known as the “Lightning Division.”
The 78th Infantry Division was deeply engaged in the European theater during the winter and spring of 1945. By March 1945, the division had been fighting through the Battle of the Bulge and advancing into Germany. The 309th Infantry Regiment, part of this larger push, was heavily involved in the offensive to seize control of strategic towns and bridges along the Rhine River. These operations were critical in breaking through Germany’s final defensive lines and forcing a retreat.
PFC Leroy Albert Carbine lost his life on 3 March 1945, while his unit advanced through Germany from Burvenich to Sinzenich. As they moved through open terrain, the troops were subjected to a barrage of enemy mortar fire, exploiting the exposed landscape. Just days after Leroy’s death, the division played a key role in capturing the strategic city of Remagen and its Ludendorff Bridge, a victory that many believe hastened the end of the war in Europe. Leroy’s sacrifice came amid some of the war’s most intense combat, as American forces continued their determined push into enemy territory. Initially, PFC Carbine was laid to rest at Henri-Chapelle Military Cemetery in Belgium.
After the war, Leroy’s remains were returned to the United States, and in 1948, he was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Though his life was tragically cut short, Leroy Albert Carbine’s legacy endures. For his service he would have posthumously received the following medals: the American Campaign Medal, WW2 Victory Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.“
If you compare the two stories – my final one and the one developed by the GPT – you will see a few differences. Some stories like this I may edit more than others. Either way, I find having a full story I can work with and edit is so much easier than starting the story myself.