I’m having some Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (#SNGF), with help from Randy Seaver and his prompts! Feel free to join in.
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: October 17, 2026
Prompt: “MyHeritage introduced the Scribe AI tool to analyze, transcribe, translate, and provide historical context to a record or photographic image in the past year. Have you used it? Pick one record image or photograph image from your collection and ask Scribe AI to do its task list for you. How did it do?
“NOTE: If you cannot access Scribe AI, please access another AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Transkribus) that can transcribe, translate or analyze a record or photograph image.”
SNGF: A Parade, a Pearl, and a Puzzle
Introduction
My Grandma (Edith Makey West) left many unidentified photos. They offer glimpses of a happy, active family. If only I knew more about them!
The Parade
“The Parade” photo, likely Staten Island, NY, date and subjects unknown
I selected this photo because it makes me curious as to the event – and, for that matter, the car.
I suspect this involves Grandma’s stepmother, or Grandma’s aunts, or both. I would love to know more about the people or event.
What Did Scribe AI Find?
I uploaded the photo to Scribe AI, which happily told me:
Key findings: The image is a black and white photograph showing five people seated in a large, open-top touring car parked on a paved street. The car is heavily decorated with American flags, including one draped over the hood with a sign reading “OFFICERS CAR“…
Historical background: This photograph likely captures a moment during a patriotic parade or civic event in the United States during the World War I era (circa 1914-1918). The designation “OFFICERS CAR” and the heavy use of American flags suggest the occupants were dignitaries, local officials, or military officers participating in a public demonstration of support for the war effort, such as a Liberty Bond rally or a parade for departing or returning soldiers…
Estimated date: Date: Circa 1914 – 1918 Confidence: High …
Estimated location: Location: United States (Specific city/state unknown) …
Visual clues:
- Text: A sign on the flag draped over the hood reads “OFFICERS CAR”. A license plate is visible on the front bumper, but the text is difficult to read clearly; it appears to have a dark background with light numbers/letters.
- People: The driver (front left) wears a tweed-like suit and a flat cap…
- Objects: The vehicle is a large, dark-colored touring car with wooden spoke wheels…
- Environment: The car is parked on a paved road with a visible curb…
Technical details: The image is a black and white photograph, likely a gelatin silver print or a similar process common in the early 20th century…
Excerpts from Scribe AI’s analysis, shortened for readability.
What Did It Get Right?
I’m quite happy that it caught Officers Car, as I wasn’t quite able to make it out. I would have been a little more impressed if it had attempted to identify the vehicle.
Google Images suggested that the church in the background might be Christ Church in New Brighton, Staten Island. If that’s correct, it could help establish where the photograph was taken, although I’ll need to compare historical photographs before drawing any conclusions.
Scribe AI thought it recognized a 48-star flag, suggesting a date after 1912. I’m not certain the stars are clear enough to count, but the car and clothing do seem consistent with the early twentieth century.
And Then There’s Pearl…
But here’s where things get interesting. According to my notes, this same photograph was submitted to the Richmond County NYGenWeb website by the late Bill Staples, who identified the woman in the foreground with her hand on the car body as “Pearl.”
So who was Pearl? Did our families know one another? Or was this a photograph distributed to participants or sold as a postcard? I seem to have more questions than when I started!
Was It Worth Trying?
I’m glad Randy suggested this challenge. I hadn’t tried Scribe AI before, and I didn’t realize I could experiment with it for free.
It didn’t solve the mystery of Grandma’s photograph, but it did help me see a few details I had overlooked. And between the possible church identification and the mysterious Pearl, I now have some interesting leads to pursue.
Sometimes that’s enough to make an AI experiment worthwhile!
AI Disclosure
This post was written by me with assistance from AI tools. Scribe AI was used to analyze the historical photograph, and its findings are presented as suggestions rather than verified facts. The family history, observations, and conclusions are my own.
