The ability to use AI to find evidence was released by FamilySearch at Rootstech 2024. Artificial intelligence is not only transforming technology, it is changing how we search records for genealogy. It is quickly becoming a go-to tool to search a lot of records to find genealogical evidence quickly.
My Langford Descendancy research project has been challenging. The James Langford family had very few sources attached to their profiles in FamilySearch. To research lines of descent, it was necessary to try and validate James’ children, including finding evidence of the children’s marriage relationships. The family lived in Lexington County, which is a burned county. This means there are not as many records available that could provide evidence. However, with the assistance of AI, I was able to find some.
Table of Contents
Martha Langford
According to FamilySearch, Martha is the daughter of James Langford. She was born on 16 November 1814 in South Carolina. She died July 1859 in Lexington, Lexington, South Carolina. These facts are mostly unsourced. There is an 1850 U.S. Census record that provides an approximate birth date of 1815 in South Carolina.1 Before moving forward, some kind of evidence is needed to help confirm Martha is the daughter of James Langford.
James Langford’s will is a previous example of using AI to find evidence. The will clearly states that Martha is the daughter of James Langford:
I also give to my daughter Martha Harman and the heirs of her body one hundred dollars in place of land to that amount, which will make Nancy & Martha portion equal to that of Susanah Snelgrove which I gave her that amount in land after her marrying Snelgrove.2
This record states that Martha is the daughter of James Langford and indicates Martha is married since her last name is Harman. The will does not mention her husband’s full name, but it gives a starting point for looking for additional records.
John Harman
FamilySearch shows Martha Langford’s husband as John Harman. They have an approximate marriage year of 1836 with 8 children. The 1850 U.S. Census shows a John Harman with an inferred wife Martha, and three children. The 1850 U.S. Census does not have relationship statements, so their marriage relationship is implied. Still, the census does provide evidence that what appears in FamilySearch is probably correct.
According to FamilySearch John Harman was born on 10 May 1807 in Lexington County, South Carolina, and died on 15 June 1892 in South Carolina. The source for these dates comes from Find A Grave. There is no picture of a headstone, so these dates need additional verification.
FamilySearch also has two sets of potential parents. His parents are either John Lawrence Harman and Barbara Rebecca Corley or Christian Harman and Mary Margaret Weiss. Both potential fathers are descendants of Milchor Harman. A fair amount of research will be needed to identify his correct father, so I’ll leave this to another researcher.
South Carolina Marriage Records
South Carolina did not begin recording marriages until 1911. There were marriage records before this date, but government officials did not record them. In the country’s early days, marriages in the colonies were recorded by the Church of England. This practice continued after the American Revolution and marriages were recorded by local congregations, including congregations other than the Church of England.
There are state-wide marriage record collections from a variety of sources and date ranges. The collections are not comprehensive, meaning the collections are missing marriages. There are also marriage record collections in books that are not available for online viewing. Finding evidence of a marriage in South Carolina can be a bit challenging.
Since many marriages were recorded at a church, it is necessary to identify an individual’s religious affiliation. Langford’s descendants appear to have been either Baptist or Lutheran. I would guess the Harman family was likely Lutheran since the family’s origins appear to come from Germany. Still, it would be necessary to search records of both faiths to be sure.
Marriage records for 1835 may also be found in:
- Family Bibles
- Newspapers
- Church marriage registers
Just as a will provides evidence of a father-daughter relationship, other record types can be used to provide evidence of a marriage relationship. Wills, probates, and land records may provide evidence of a marriage relationship. Some records will clearly state “wife” or “husband”. Court records are another possibility.
Using AI to find evidence of a marriage
With all this background, it was now time to try the FamilySearch Full Text Search and use AI to find evidence of the marriage relationship between Martha Langford and John Harman. The search could be done for either Martha Langford or John Harman but the search with John Harman. The search was narrowed to find results in Lexington County, South Carolina.
The search returned a lot of results for John Harman. The majority of the results were for land records. The land records consisted of the buying and selling of land between Harman family members. The ancestor of John Harman was Milcher Harman. Milcher’s original property was divided between several of his descendants. These land records could be used to help identify John Harman’s correct parents by tracking the family members mentioned.
One record, in particular, specifically mentions John Harman’s wife Martha Harman. Martha had to release her dower, or ownership interest, in the property. By signing this document, the property sale could proceed and Martha would have no future claim on the property. The relevant part of this research objective is that Martha is identified as John Harman’s wife, providing evidence of their marriage relationship.
Even though a typical marriage record such as a marriage license, certificate, Bible, or register, has not been found for the marriage of John Harman and Martha Langford. It is possible to connect the two with both James Langford’s will and the land record. Martha Langford was referred to as Martha Harman in the will. The Langford family lived in Lexington County, South Carolina. The land sale in Lexington County between John Harman and Godfrey Harman, mentions John Harman’s wife Martha Harman. The connections through these two records provide the evidence and this evidence was more easily found because of AI.
Sources
- 1850 U.S. Census, Lexington County, South Carolina, population schedule, Lexington District, p. 384 (stamped), dwelling 654, family 654, John Harman household; digital image, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 11 May 2024); citing NARA microfilm publication M432. ↩︎
- “South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980,” Lexington County, Will Books, 1865-1908; Index to Estate Papers, 1865-1940, database with digital images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 11 May 2024), entry for James Langford, 17 April 1847, pages 121-122, images 77-78 of 367. ↩︎
