I recently discovered an amazing way to organize my ancestor Matthew J Dickson’s family census data using ChatGPT 4. The process was quick, easy, and the results were impressive!
Step-by-Step Guide: Turning Census Data into a Spreadsheet
Here’s how I did it:
- Access the data: I used the original census images on Ancestry as my source.
- Input the data: Utilizing the dictation tool in the ChatGPT mobile app, I transcribed the census information by speaking directly into the app, which converted my words into text.
- Create the initial file: I instructed ChatGPT to generate a spreadsheet with columns for year, name, age, birthplace, occupation, real estate, and personal estate. However, I initially forgot to include a column for relationships.
- Dickson Census Data with Headings, created by ChatGPT
- Prompt ChatGPT for CSV: I asked ChatGPT, “Create a CSV file showing the different people across the different census years,” focusing on the name and age data for simplicity to analyze each person’s ages across the census years.
- Save and refine the data: After ChatGPT provided the commands, I copied the output into the “Notebook” app and saved it as a CSV file, ensuring to name the file and add the “.csv” extension.
- Dickson Census Data by Year, created by ChatGPT
- Edit in Excel: I imported the CSV file into Excel, where I organized the family members’ data. I moved rows to prioritize Matthew, his wife, and children, then followed with his father and grandsons. I also added a column for relationships and made necessary corrections, including merging one person whose name was spelled three different ways: Julia, Judea, and July.
Organizing the Family Hierarchy
To make the spreadsheet more user-friendly, I arranged it so that Matthew, his wife, and children were listed first, followed by his father and two grandchildren. This restructuring in Excel was simple, involving moving rows and adding relationship data.
Explore More on Census Records
Over the years, I have written quite a bit about census records—a cornerstone in genealogical research. Below are some selected posts that you might find particularly helpful:
- AI: Introducing My FREE Census Bots: Discover how these custom ChatGPT bots can calculate birthdate ranges from census records, simplifying your genealogical research.
- Tip: Working Around Wrongly Transcribed Families in Census Records on Ancestry.com: A case study demonstrating how to uncover and access incorrectly transcribed census records on Ancestry.com.
- Resolving Discrepancies: A Census Example: Learn how to navigate and resolve conflicting information within census records, enhancing the accuracy of your research.
- Tip: Use Occupations to Help Locate Census Records: Find out how an unusual occupation led to the discovery of a specific census record.
- Census ‘Trick’ Works Again: Another case study illustrating a successful strategy to uncover elusive family records in census data.
- Success! Finding Wrongly Transcribed Names on Census Records Part 1 & 2: A two-part guide on identifying and correcting wrongly transcribed names in census records to refine your genealogical search.
- Finding Two ‘Missing’ Children from the 1910 Census: An intriguing story of how newspaper records were used to find “missing” children from the 1910 census.
Try This Genealogy Hack for Yourself
I hope this genealogy hack helps you organize your family history data more efficiently. Give it a try and share your experiences, questions, and insights! How did it work for you? Happy organizing!
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