Skip to content
TriedPrompts

More in Family history.

Compare four AIs transcribing a 1700s will found with FamilySearch full-text search

PartialEvidence: Screenshots or logsPosted Last checked

Dana Leeds tested Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude on a 1700s will. Claude was most accurate, but each made spelling mistakes.

How to use this

  1. Tap Copy prompt.
  2. Open Claude.
  3. Paste it into the message box.
  4. Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.
New to this? What's a prompt?

A prompt is the message you send to the AI tool. Copy the one on this page, put your own details where it asks, and read the answer before you act on it.

Prompt

Recreated prompt

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote one from what it describes. The result shown is the source's, not ours.

What the prompt labels mean

The person didn't share their exact words, so we wrote this from what they described. We haven't tested it, and they didn't use this exact version.

Here is an image of my ancestor's handwritten will from the 1700s. Transcribe it exactly as written, keeping the original spelling and line breaks. Don't correct old spellings to modern ones.

Try this in:

ChatGPT Used in sourceGemini Used in sourceGrok Claude Used in source

Sends the Recreated prompt shown above. ChatGPT and Grok open with it filled in, and ChatGPT may send it straight away. Gemini and Claude open empty, so we copy the prompt for you to paste. Every button also copies it.

Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.

These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or xAI, and your results may not match the source.

Optional stronger version

Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Transcribe an old handwritten will or record exactly as written so I can use it as genealogy evidence.

Questions to ask me first:
- Whose record is it, and where and when was it written?
- Is it one page or several?
- Which family names should appear?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Image (or a section of it): [IMAGE]
- Person, place and year: [DETAILS]
- Expected family names: [NAMES]

Rules:
- Keep every original spelling exactly, even if it looks wrong today (e.g., 'perfict', 'helth').
- Keep original line breaks and joined words such as place names.
- Mark uncertain words with [?].
- Work on one section at a time rather than a whole page if the writing is dense.

Checkpoint: Do the first section and wait for me to compare it to the image.

If you get stuck: If you're tempted to fix a spelling, keep the original and note the modern word in a separate list.

Verify before you finish: List every word you changed or were unsure of so I can check them against the image.

Output: A line-by-line transcription plus a list of uncertain words and old spellings.

Done when: The transcription matches the image, including original spellings.

AI tools

ClaudeChatGPTGeminiCopilot

Outcome

Using FamilySearch's new full-text search, Dana Leeds found records never seen before for a sixth great-grandfather, David Correy of Chester County, Pennsylvania, including a 1767 deed and Correy's will. Leeds tested four AIs on transcribing the handwritten will: Copilot, Gemini Advanced, ChatGPT 4 and Claude 3 Opus. Copilot and Gemini struggled with accuracy and longer passages. ChatGPT did well but often corrected old spellings. Claude was the most accurate and usually kept the original spelling. On the full page, both ChatGPT and Claude finished, but both changed "perfict" to "perfect," and Claude split "Newlondon" into two words. Leeds's tip is to give any AI tool smaller chunks.

Evidence: Screenshots or logsThe source shows screenshots, a transcript or the AI's output.

Known limitations

PartialThe source says it only partly worked, or had a significant problem a person had to deal with.

What went wrong: No tool kept every original spelling; Claude did best, ChatGPT modernized spellings and Copilot and Gemini struggled.

Source

Posted
by Dana Leeds (personal blog)
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

https://www.danaleeds.com/full-text-search-ai-comparison/

Context: This is a 2024 comparison with older models. Results may differ today.

More in Family history

Similar cases