History Hour

The History Hour podcast began as an exploration of the AI voice tools in NotebookLM.

The prompt came from Steve Little of The Family History AI Show, who challenged us to use AI support for a biographical sketch. This challenge was posted in the Genealogy and AI Facebook Group.

Friday PROMPT Fun: Try this at Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini, or your other AI favorite:

<prompt>
Write a biographical sketch about [PERSON]. Search your training data about [PERSON] and their importance and life. Write a script for a radio host to read on [PERSON]'s birthday; it should be a three- to five-minute segment, engaging and informative, general (placing [PERSON] in various contexts), and specific (illustrating points with appropriate detail).
</prompt>

I used a combination of my favourite AI tools to assist with this project.

Step 1: Perplexity.

I used a series of prompts to learn about a person from Scottish history. My current research is focussed on the Leith and Hay families of Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire,, and in particular, the history of Leith Hall. Prompts included:

I am seeking the history of Leith Hall and its owners, in particular its first owner.
Tell me about Leith Hall in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and the people who lived there. What role did the Hays of Rannes play in the history of Leith Hall?
Copy information to a Google document and download it as a PDF. Here is a copy of that first PDF. History of Leith Hall, Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Step 2: Chat GPT Canvas

I used Steve’s prompt from above, with variations.

I am researching John Leith II, the second Laird of Leith Hall, who married Mary Hay, daughter of Charles Hay of Rannes, in 1730. Write a biographical sketch about [John Leith 11]. Search your training data about [John Leith 11] and their importance and life. Write a script for a radio host to read on [the anniversary of the Battle of Culloden]; it should be a three- to five-minute segment, engaging and informative, general (placing [John Leith 11 with Charles Hay of Rannes] in various contexts) and specific (illustrating points with appropriate detail).

Copy the script to a Google document and download it as a PDF. Here is a copy of that second PDF. Podcast Script: John Leith and Leith Hall.

Step 3: Claude Sonnet

I also used a similar prompt in a Claude Project where I uploaded the PDFs to the project knowledge base and requested a modified script using this prompt:

To appeal to my genealogist audience, I am now including more of John Leith 11's relationship history, such as his marriage to Mary Hay, daughter of Charles Hay. See the additional uploaded content. Recreate the script (this time made for two voices), Steve and Mark, both historians, genealogists and podcasters. Feature Andrew Rannes who stayed at Leith Hall. Leith Hall has witnessed significant events, including being a refuge for Andrew Hay of Rannes after the Battle of Culloden in 1745.

Step 4: NotebookLM

I uploaded the new PDF documents to a new notebook space and used the Notebook Guide to generate an audio overview.

The final step was to review and download the completed WAV file in which the two AI voices discussed the story of Leith Hall and the impact of the Jacobite Uprising, in particular the Battle of Culloden of 1745. Here is the summary that NotebookLM provided.

Summary

The source for this podcast (created with NotebookLM) is a script about the connection between the Leith and Hay families during the Jacobite uprising. The theme of the story revolves around strategic marriages between powerful families in the 18th century. In particular the marriage of John Leith II (Laird of Leith Hall) who married Mary Hay (daughter of Charles Hay). The script focuses on Andrew Hay (brother of Charles Hay) of Rannes, who was a Jacobite supporter who sought refuge at Leith Hall after the Battle of Culloden. The script later outlines how the families' relationship deepened when Alexander Leith inherited the Hay estates and took on the Hay surname. The script uses a conversational tone to engage listeners and emphasises the impact of historical events on personal lives.