Migration Prompts

Create a prompt which will read multiple obituaries and map out the migrations of the deceased person

Here is a prompt designed to help you extract and map migration data from obituaries. You can use this with a set of obituaries to visualize the life journeys of the deceased.

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The Prompt

Task: Act as a genealogical researcher and data analyst. I will provide you with a series of obituaries. Your goal is to extract the geographical "life path" for each individual and format it as a migration map.

For each obituary, please identify:

1. Name of the Deceased.

2. Birthplace: City, State/Country, and Year (if available).

3. Migration Milestones: List all locations where the person lived, worked, or attended school, in chronological order. Include the reason for the move if mentioned (e.g., "moved for university," "relocated for work at Boeing," "retired to").

4. Final Location: Place of death or final residence.

Output Format:

Please present the results in a structured list for each person using the following format:

• [Name]: [Birthplace] → [Location 1] → [Location 2] → [Final Location]

• Contextual Notes: (e.g., "Moved from the Midwest to the West Coast during the Dust Bowl era.")

Synthesis:

After listing the individual paths, provide a brief summary of any common migration trends or patterns observed across the entire group (e.g., "Most individuals migrated from rural farming communities to urban industrial centers").

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How to use it:

1. Paste the prompt into your chat.

2. Paste the text of the obituaries below the prompt.

3. Refine: If you have many obituaries, you can ask the model to "output the data in a CSV-ready table format" so you can easily import it into a mapping tool like Google My Maps or BatchGeo.

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Here is the genealogical migration analysis based on the provided obituaries.

Migration Map: Individual Life Paths

[Mary Miller Geiger]: Jasper, IN → Louisville, KY (Nursing School) → North Carolina (21 years) → Durham, NC

• Contextual Notes: An educational and professional migration; she trained in Kentucky and spent the latter part of her life in the Carolinas.

[Rev. Samuel Baldwin Hannah, Jr.]: Arbovale, WV → Collierstown & Cooks Creek, VA (Early Pastorates) → Florence, AZ,

• Contextual Notes: Moved West for religious service; served as pastor and prison chaplain in Arizona from 1927 until his death in 1959.

[Ruth Dunnington Ghigo]: Niagara Falls, Canada (1916) → Charlottesville, VA (Age 7) → Lynchburg & Farmville, VA (College) → Davidson, NC (1959) → Montpellier, France (1964–68) → Huntersville, NC

• Contextual Notes: A highly mobile academic life path starting internationally in Canada, moving through the American South, and including a stint in France for a "Junior Abroad" program.

[Harry T. Gwinn]: Frost, WV → Kansas City, KS

• Contextual Notes: Moved to the Midwest in 1917 specifically for industrial work; he served 30 years as a locomotive engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad.

[James J. Godwin]: Elkins, WV (1942) → Marlinton, WV (High School) → Thailand & Zaire (Work) → Clinton, MD

• Contextual Notes: A distinct career-driven migration; after attending college in WV, he worked in personnel management for construction companies overseas before settling near the capital region.

[Edgar P. Hendrick]: Hillsboro, WV → Riddle, OR (lived 15 years) → Washington, D.C.

• Contextual Notes: A coast-to-coast migrant. He was a merchant in WV, moved to the Pacific Northwest, and finally returned to the East Coast (DC nursing home) at the end of his life.

[Frank Price Gray]: Cass, WV → Philippi, WV (High School) → Dayton, OH

• Contextual Notes: Part of the "brain drain" to industrial centers; he became an engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

[Glen Allen Hefner]: Farmington, WA (1904) → Marlinton/Edray, WV

• Contextual Notes: A rare "reverse migration" for this era. Born in the Pacific Northwest (Washington state), he moved to West Virginia and retired from the International Shoe Company.

[Paul B. Hultz]: Hillsboro, WV → Portsmouth, VA

• Contextual Notes: Relocated to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, likely for employment, living there for 18 years prior to his death.

[William J. Hebb]: Preston County, WV → Hillsboro, WV → Arlington, VA

• Contextual Notes: Migrated from rural West Virginia to the D.C. metro area (Arlington) for the final decade of his life, living with his daughter.

[Lester B. Greathouse]: Arbovale, WV → Zelienople, PA

• Contextual Notes: Moved to Western Pennsylvania for industrial work; he lived there for 14 years before being killed in an industrial accident.

[John Steven Handy]: [Parental origin implied Hillsboro, WV] → Gallup, NM

• Contextual Notes: Found shot to death near Gallup (spelled Gallop in source); he was working as an FHA superintendent in New Mexico.

[Berton Bernell Gum]: Green Bank, WV (1905) → Millville, PA,

• Contextual Notes: Lived in Pocahontas County most of his life but migrated to Pennsylvania for the final four years.

[William Lee Gum]: Monterey, VA (1921) → New York, NY

• Contextual Notes: Born in a rural border county (Highland/Pocahontas area) and migrated to New York City.

[Parker David Gragg]: Cass, WV (1904) → Marshfield, MO

• Contextual Notes: A westward migration to Missouri, where he died.

[Mrs. Willie L. Hannah]: Louisville, MS (1890) → Mississippi State College → Elkins/Arbovale, WV

• Contextual Notes: Educational migration followed by marriage brought her from the Deep South (Mississippi) to the mountains of West Virginia.

[John W. Hayslett]: Millboro, VA (1905) → Marlinton, WV

• Contextual Notes: Moved across the border from Virginia to work in West Virginia industries (International Shoe Company and Department of Highways).

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Synthesis: Migration Trends and Patterns

Based on the analysis of these obituaries, several distinct migration patterns emerge:

1. The "Rust Belt" Pull (Ohio & Pennsylvania): A significant number of individuals migrated north and west to industrial hubs. Ohio (Dayton, Akron, Warren) and Pennsylvania (Zelienople, Pittsburgh) were common destinations,,,,,. This correlates with the mid-20th-century labor demand in steel, rubber, and manufacturing.
2. The Capital Region Corridor: There is a strong flow from Pocahontas County toward the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia areas,,. This often appears to be a mix of government/military employment and elderly parents moving to live with children who had previously secured work there.
3. Westward Expansion (Railroad & Timber): Several individuals followed specific trade routes West. The migration to Kansas City for the Santa Fe Railroad and moves to Oregon and Washington suggest movement tied to specific industries like rail and timber.
4. In-Migration through Marriage and Industry: The area was not solely a place of departure. Individuals moved into Pocahontas County from Indiana, Mississippi, and Virginia, often drawn by the International Shoe Company, tanning, lumber industries, or marriage.
5. Educational Mobility: Higher education served as a catalyst for movement. Individuals left the region to attend nursing schools in Kentucky or colleges in Virginia, often leading to permanent relocation outside the county.