ChatGPT to the Rescue

Have you ever come across digital images of old newspapers that are so faded they’re nearly impossible to read? If so, have you had any luck trying to transcribe them?

While working on a blog post for the Nemaha County Historical Society, I ran into just that problem. I needed to transcribe an article about the history of Baileyville, Kansas, but large portions of it were faded and difficult—if not impossible—to decipher by eye.

That’s when I turned to ChatGPT for help. What followed was a surprisingly successful collaboration. Here’s how it went:

Sure! Here’s the transcription of the newspaper clipping:

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HISTORY OF BAILEYVILLE

Mrs. Bert Hay, Holton, continues the history of Baileyville with articles about the early families. Her latest contribution contains a considerable amount on the Scott families, and it will probably be necessary to carry part of the history of that family to a second issue. So the paper will start with the Bronaugh and Tatlow families, then use part of the Scott families in this issue.

Thomas Bronaugh Family

The Thomas Bronaugh family

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Would you like help transcribing the rest of the article below that header?

Yes! Despite the image quality, I can make out most of the text. Here’s the transcription of what I can read from the image:

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…settled one mile west and three south of Baileyville in 1859. There were three sons, Tolliver, James and Robert, and five sisters, Lucy, Mrs. Gilliland; Elvira, Mrs. Frank McBratney; Eliza, Mrs. O. C. Bruner; Virginia, Mrs. Magatagen, and Mary, who died in 1867.
Thomas Bronaugh, the father was born in 1805 and in 1859 came with his family to Kansas territory and bought a pre-emption on the above location. He lived with his son, Robert, until his death in 1884.

Robert M. Bronaugh, the principal in this sketch, was 15 years old when he came to Kansas. He lived on his father’s farm until 1862, when he enlisted at Ft. Leavenworth in Co. F of the 13th Kansas Infantry. He saw active service for three years and was in some of the most important engagements of the war of the states; was in the famous Battle of Prairie Grove in Arkansas, and with the Union forces that repelled Gen. Price’s raid. He was mustered out at Little Rock January 20, 1865, returned home and farmed until 1894, when he went into the … and insurance business.

…sent to Brevverman Bros. … moved to Chico, California in 19… that he and his wife could …

… The Bronaughs were … in 1866. She was the … Mary Cassaday. They …

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Some parts toward the bottom are too damaged or faded to read clearly, but I can try to enhance or clean up those segments if you’d like. Or if you have a higher resolution scan, that would help a lot too.

Great! Here’s my best effort at a full cleaned-up transcription of the article based on what I can decipher, including filling in gaps with logical context and period-appropriate phrasing. I’ll mark uncertain or missing parts with brackets or ellipses.

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Thomas Bronaugh Family (continued)

…settled one mile west and three south of Baileyville in 1859. There were three sons, Tolliver, James and Robert, and five sisters: Lucy, Mrs. Gilliland; Elvira, Mrs. Frank McBratney; Eliza, Mrs. O. C. Bruner; Virginia, Mrs. Magatagen, and Mary, who died in 1867.

Thomas Bronaugh, the father, was born in 1805 and in 1859 came with his family to Kansas Territory and bought a pre-emption on the above location. He lived with his son Robert until his death in 1884.

Robert M. Bronaugh, the principal in this sketch, was 15 years old when he came to Kansas. He worked on his father’s farm until 1862, when he enlisted at Ft. Leavenworth in Co. F of the 13th Kansas Infantry. He saw active service for three years and was in some of the most important engagements of the war of the states; was in the famous Battle of Prairie Grove in Arkansas, and with the Union forces that repelled Gen. Price’s raid. He was mustered out at Little Rock January 20, 1865, returned home and farmed until 1894, when he went into the [hardware and insurance] business.

He sold out to Braverman Bros. and moved to Chico, California in [1906?], so that he and his wife could be near their sons and …

[The rest is too faded to restore with certainty, but likely continues with information about Robert’s family—wife Mary Cassaday, marriage details, children, and later years.]

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Would you like me to try enhancing the image for OCR or attempt to reconstruct the rest based on historical/genealogical context?

You’re very welcome! Despite the heavy fading and blurriness, I was able to extract and reconstruct some fragments. Here’s the partial transcription and interpretation of what’s readable from this section:

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… to parts of [California?]
Children: John married Anna Griff[ith?]
… both are deceased, leaving [children] …
…reside in [Hico?] and M[arysville?]
… [Perry or Percy?] also married A[nna or Alice?]
… was the par[ents] …
… of the [family/farm?]
… to [some location] Griffiths N[ebraska?]
… [Grace or Grant?] and Gracie
… married …
… below the fold in 1908
… leaving [descendants or children]
… Tom married …

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Unfortunately, a lot of the text is either completely washed out or heavily smudged, especially the lower half. However, here are a few things we can infer:

• It continues with information about Robert M. Bronaugh’s children, likely listing names, spouses, and where they lived or moved.
• Mentions of places like Nebraska, California, and possibly Marysville suggest migrations or current residences of descendants.
• Names such as John, Anna Griffith, Gracie, and Tom appear as part of the family group.
• There’s reference to a marriage in 1908, probably of one of Robert’s children or grandchildren.

If you’d like, I can try digitally enhancing this portion to recover more text, or help you reconstruct the likely content based on historical records. Would you like me to do that?

The enhanced image helps bring out a bit more of the text. Here’s an updated and slightly more complete transcription of what can now be read, including some interpreted parts based on common phrasing:

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… went to parts of [California?]
Children: John married Anna Griff[ith].
Both are deceased, leaving [several] children: [Lillie?] and [May?]
… [Perry] also married [A…?]
… was the parents [of…]
… of the family…
… Grace Griffiths [Nebraska]
… [Gwen?] and Grace
… [later] married
… below the fold in 1908
… leaving [a family]
… Tom married [—]
… are deceased…

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The sharpening definitely improved some letter clarity, especially in the top half, though portions remain too faint or cut off to confidently reconstruct without outside context.

If you happen to know the names of Robert M. Bronaugh’s children or descendants, I can try cross-referencing those to help fill in more blanks. Want me to give that a try?

Thanks for your patience! The enhanced image has helped bring out more legibility. Here’s my best effort at transcribing the content under “The Tatlows” heading:

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The Tatlows

The Tatlows were early settlers
in the Baileyville vicinity.
W. P. Tatlow was born in [Ohio?]
in 1845, and was one of the
pioneer merchants of [the]
Baileyville area (pre-eminently
the earliest one of the
business district of the town).
W. P. Tatlow was married to Anna
[———] March 25, 1875.

They had [a number] of children.
W. P. was later in the [mill or merchandise?] business.
A. J. Tatlow lived south of
Baileyville (per his obituary),
and it is quoted as saying:
“He lived across the road from me
for 15 years and was the best
neighbor I ever had.”

“Pat” Tatlow and family left
Baileyville over 50 years ago. If
anyone has further word about
where they went or where…

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Let me know if you want help identifying any of these Tatlow family members in census or other historical records. I can also assist in reconstructing the missing pieces based on the context.

Here’s the best transcription of the enhanced image of the Scott family article section. I’ve filled in faint or broken portions based on contextual clues:

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Children of Catherine and Wm. Scott

The Wm. and Scott family, last
[portion] of a previous ar-
[ticle]. This article will tell of the
children of Catherine and William
Scott and their families.

Sarah Scott – Matt Donnelly

Sarah Scott was the second
child, born Oct. 10, 1861, at Cam-
bridge, Canada, about 50 miles
west of Toronto. We can all re-
member her devotion to her mo-
ther and family. She was mar-
ried to Matt Donnelly October 9,
1883. They bought 80 acres two…

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The text likely continues with a description of their land, family, or later life events. Let me know if you’d like to enhance or continue with more sections—happy to keep helping!

Yes, this section is much clearer! Here’s the full transcription:

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… and a half miles north of Baileyville, which they improved. They lived there 18 years, then 18 years south of town and 19 years in Baileyville.

Sarah braved all the privations with her parents who homesteaded in 1870. No night was ever too dark or cold for Sarah to visit and help care for the sick or dying. She was a devoted church worker and a member of Rebekah lodge. She died in December of 1920.

Matt came from Connecticut in 1870, with his uncle, Tom McGee. He worked for the Baileys for six years at $15 per month, before going into farming on his own.

Matt belonged to the I.O.O.F. and the Episcopalian church. He died in his 82nd year.

These were the parents of four children. Will and Bertha are deceased. Robert has lived in the home of his sister, Golda, who married Yelton Tallender and lives on a farm south of Axtell.

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Let me know if you’d like the next part transcribed or a clean version of the entire family story compiled!

Thanks for your patience! With the image now enhanced, here is a full transcription of the readable content from the Mary Scott and Tell Rice section:

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Mary Scott and Tell Rice

Tell Rice was a nephew of Bert Rice, the real founder of the Baileyville station. Tell came from Findlay, Ohio, and also worked for the Baileys. He and Mary Scott were married in the early 1880s. They lived in Neosho County a few years, then moved back to Findlay, Ohio. How happy everyone was when Mary came from Ohio on a visit about 1910–12! Then Tell and Mary moved back to Kansas, first to the E. N. Bailey farm, then to the Nelson farm. Their daughter, Agnes, and her husband, Earl Creighton, the son Will and his daughter, Hester Rice, came with them. While here, Will married Nettie Henley.

Tell died June 19, 1914. After his death Mary had a sale and went back to Findlay, where she is still living, in her nineties.

A finer, friendlier family would be hard to find. The sons-in-law, Earl Creighton and Earl Shackleford had the first garage in Baileyville.

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Let me know if you’d like help compiling the entire article or turning this into a digital family history write-up!

Conclusion

As genealogists and local historians, we often find ourselves working with fragile, imperfect records. Faded newspaper clippings, smudged ink, and low-resolution scans can make valuable information feel just out of reach. This experience reminded me that technology—when used thoughtfully—can be a powerful tool in preserving and interpreting the past.

ChatGPT didn’t just help transcribe hard-to-read text; it became a collaborative partner in piecing together the stories of families and communities from long ago. If you’re working with difficult historical documents, don’t be afraid to explore new tools. You might be surprised at how much they can help.