I’ve combined Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge, and Steve Little’s The 2025 AI Genealogy Do-Over, to create a unique 52 AI ancestors in 52 weeks party!

52 AI Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 31: Earliest Ancestor

Introduction

“How far back have you gone?” It’s a common question from non-genealogists. But I’m excited to discuss it today with genealogists! My earliest known ancestors are Philippe du Trieux, and his wife Jaquemyne Noiret. Philippe was born 1586 in Roubaix, Flanders, then Belgium, and Jacquemine in 1593 in Lille, France.

Discussion

As a Walloon, he moved often, first to Leiden and then Amsterdam in the Netherlands (where Jacquemine died, and Philippe remarried to Susanna du Chesne) and finally to New Amsterdam in 1624. His descendants have invented many “facts” and it’s a challenge sorting it all out. The 1926 article cited below is still an authority, and much more credible than most of what is floating around online.

Philippe, his children and his second wife were among the very first settlers in what is now Manhattan. He erected a house on the Bever Graft, the article says, and later lived on Smits Vly (valley). Philippe was appointed as a court messenger, or marshal, by Governor Kieft in 1638.

Philippe is thought to have been killed with his son in an “Indian attack” between 1649 and 1653.

The really intriguing thing is we have a lead on Philippe’s possible parents! There is a Jaquemyne du Trieux widow of Philippe (not to be confused with our Philippe and his first wife Jacquemine) mentioned in Leiden records, as being from Norwich England.

How AI can help

Researching ancestors from the 1500s might sound like trying to solve a cold case with half the clues missing – and most written in languages we don’t speak. Here’s where AI can lend a hand:

1. Language Translation Made Easy
   AI tools like Google Translate or DeepL can quickly translate Dutch, French, Latin, or old Walloon records. While not perfect, they’re a great first pass to understand what a document says before consulting a professional.
2. Reading Between the Lines (Literally)
   Many old documents are hard to read because of handwriting. AI handwriting recognition tools, such as Transkribus, can help transcribe and interpret those difficult letters and notations – especially helpful in 17th-century church or court records.
3. Sorting the Fact from Family Folklore
   Generative AI can look at multiple versions of a family story or online tree entries, note patterns and outliers, and point you toward the most supported facts. It’s like a polite cousin who says, “Yes, but according to actual sources…”
4. Timeline Generation
   With basic info and dates, you can use AI tools (like ChatGPT or free timeline generators online) to auto-create a visual or text-based timeline. This helps you spot gaps, contradictions, or opportunities for new searches.
5. Hypothesis Testing
   For Philippe’s possible parentage, AI can help you outline different possibilities and suggest what records you’d need to explore each one. Think of it as a brainstorming buddy for brick walls.
6. Research

Yes, really! There are some very good researcher agents out there. They can provide a good start to your own research. Try Microsoft Researcher (I love it, but have to prompt hard to get it to be less wordy) or Perplexity (Mark Thompson and Steve Little talked about its Comet in this podcast).  

Challenge for Readers

Who is your earliest ancestor? How much documentation is there on them? Consider creating a timeline to firm up their known facts – I found the one in the Record article to be very useful.

Already created a timeline for your earliest ancestor? Excellent. Let’s build on that using AI:

1. AI-Powered Timeline Prompt
   Enter the known events and dates for your ancestor into ChatGPT and ask:
   “Can you create a basic timeline of events for [ancestor’s name], and suggest what kinds of records I might look for at each stage?”
2. Compare Online Trees Cautiously
   Use AI to review summaries from different online trees (e.g., WikiTree, Ancestry, FamilySearch) by copying and pasting entries. Ask:
   “Can you summarize key differences and potential errors in these family trees?”
3. Geographic Migration Map
   Upload your ancestor’s locations to a free AI-powered map tool like MyHeritage’s PedigreeMap or even Google’s My Maps. Let AI help visualize migration paths and see patterns that might point to more records.

Want to Learn More?

I did blog about the House of Truax in a series of twelve blog articles ten years ago, starting at https://janetbgenealogy.wordpress.com/2015/07/19/house-of-truax-etymology/ (links to the whole series at the bottom).

Figure 1 View of New Amsterdam

By Jacob van Meurs – This is an image from the Atlas of Mutual Heritage and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the Dutch National Library.The metadata of this file is public domain under a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC-ZERO). This permission has been archived as ticket #2014051410008887, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33308107

Next Week’s Topic: “Wide open spaces”

AI Disclosure

This post was created by me with the help of AI tools. While AI helps organize research, the storytelling and discoveries are my own.

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[1] Howard S. F. Randolph, editor, The House of Truax (The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record: vol. 57, no. 3 (1926)), p. 208.