This is a story about genealogy research breakthroughs using FamilySearch.com’s recently released Artificial Intelligence (AI) program. A recent search with AI located two deeds with high value information.
Background – A Missing Birth Record
I first applied to the lineage society SAR (Society of the Sons of the American Revolution) through descent from my third-great-grandfather Thompson J. Wright, a son of Solomon Wright, a Revolutionary War soldier. The problem was I had no record of Thompson Wright’s birth. Since I had no proof he was Solomon’s son my application was rejected.
I later concisely documented Thompson’s land purchases and migrations with the Wright family. They moved together from Williamstown Massachusetts in 1813 to Wolcott in Wayne County New York, to Michigan in the 1830’s. Based on a concise presentation of those facts my descent from Solomon Wright was approved by the SAR in 2015.
Even after validation of descent by professional genealogists at the SAR I remained curious about Thompson. Was there a record of his birth? What was the year of his death? Where is he buried? What was his full name?
Thompson Wright moved to Michigan from Wolcott New York in the late 1830’s at the same time as his brothers Frederick and Solomon Jr. Thompson’s brother Solomon Jr. located on his War of 1812 bounty land as the first settler of Alpine Michigan. Thompson and his brother Frederick located close to each other in Concord and Parma Michigan respectively.
Fast Forward to 2025 – AI Finds the First Deed
FamilySearch.com released an amazing AI tool that can read cursive and query unindexed databases. Family Search has a vast multitude of records that are unindexed, meaning the records could not previously be queried en masse but had to be read one record at a time, page by page. Today their AI tool can read those records and produce answers to user queries.[1]
Using AI I located an unexpected deed in an unexpected county of New York. The deed had Thompson Wright’s full name, his brothers names and the name of their father. AI found the evidence that I had searched for over 10 years and AI found it quickly. That Cayuga County deed to lot 60 in Wolcott named Joseph Thompson Wright as the son of Solomon Wright, and the brother of Frederick and Solomon Jr. – Bingo!
The Rapid Growth of Early New York Counties
Looking for very old court documents in early New York counties requires looking at neighboring county records. In the Wolcott area of New York at least eight counties could be locations of relevant records. Ontario County was formed in 1789 from Montgomery County. Cayuga County, was created in 1799 from Onondaga County. Seneca County was formed in 1804 from Cayuga county. In 1817 Tompkins County was created from portions of Seneca and Cayuga County. Wayne County was created in 1823 from Ontario and Seneca Counties. This list of counties and their quick sprouting from each other testify to the rapid growth of early New York.[3]
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The rapid growth of New York’s early counties makes early New York genealogy searches difficult. It is rare to find a land deed like this that fills in gaps in family relationships. In my earlier Wright family search there appeared to be no reason to search Cayuga County records. This was like finding a needle in a haystack!
AI Finds a Second Deed
Thompson Wright, age 56, appears in the 1850 U.S. census for Jackson County Michigan with his wife Jane and six of his children, next to his son Franklin. In another example of AI’s amazing ability to locate relevant records AI located a February 1856 deed that I had never seen before despite many online searches. The deed involved Thompson’s farm and mentioned that his children were in guardianship in early January 1856, meaning that he died shortly before that date.[6]
Conclusion
AI is an amazing tool that can crack open difficult genealogy cases. AI helped me find answers to puzzles that I searched for repeatedly for years. Family Search’s AI tool searched more broadly than I did, locating information in a completely unexpected New York county. In my case, AI found a deed that ties Thompson Wright to his father Solomon Wright and names his brothers Solomon Jr. and Frederick, proving family descent beyond a doubt for once and for all. AI also located a second deed showing the likely death year of Thompson Wright was 1855 when he was 61 years old, and that some of his children were placed with a guardian.
I am mystified as to how interesting family history like this gets lost and forgotten over time. I am delighted to resurface it, show how I found it, and memorialize the facts for others to read about.
Copyright Bruce A. Wright, Esq. 2025 ©
[1] Familysearch Labs, https://www.familysearch.org/en/labs/
[2] Cayuga, New York, United States records, images, FamilySearch image 614 of 692; New York. County Court (Cayuga County), Image Group Number: 007167310. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9WK-7VT7?view=explore
[3] Caleb Pike, New York County Maps: Interactive History & Complete List. https://www.mapofus.org/newyork/
[4] New York Water Science Center, New York Counties Map. https://www.mapofus.org/newyork/
[5] Caleb Pike, New York County Maps: Interactive History & Complete List. https://www.mapofus.org/newyork/
[6] Jackson County Michigan, Register of Deeds. Image Group Number: 008310209. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSRV-BQTW-7?view=
The Boating Genealogists 