talking behind Know it All’s back…
I’ve used Grok 4 for a couple months now…shortly after the roll out. I am obsessive compulsive to a fault (it gets expensive), as an example: I took up learning how to prepare sushi and can now sharpen japanese knives that I can easily shave with and have all of the cool stuff… I could probably get a job as a sushi chef. I can make an acceptable Mexican Mole…(my daughter ran it by a coworker who is Mexican and she loved it). I now own a non glazed ceramic Mexican cooking pot, and I got one for my daughter also. It is not big enough for a good pot roast but it is great for mole. I could go on. Its hell being OCD. I have lost interest in my garden and it has turned into a freaking jungle.
I just imagine my daughter looks at that clay pot every once in a while and shakes her head. She did like the mole however.
Meanwhile I have taken up with the Know it All, and now think it is best described as an Idiot Savant. I realize that term is taboo now but I don’t care …scold me if you want for being insensitive but it will fall on deaf ears. Call me insensitive and I will answer…”So?” The AI thingy is not worth a damn for accurate genealogy because it just steals info wherever it finds it and runs with it “as if” it is pure gospel truth. It brazenly lies in other words. (similar to Ancestry.com who seems to encourage raging lunatics to offer opinions… proofs be damned).
But here is the thing about Grok 4 (and why I pay the $40 a month and for God’s sake by me a lousy cup of coffee once in a while to help me pay for this hobby because I do not want to get a part time job sacking groceries at Publix)… the Know it All can pick up vast amounts of information at blazingly fast speeds and present it in coherent form. You just have to expect and realize that it may be packed with lies and half truths. And the creepy and eerie part is it will anticipate its errors and make silly excuses when it damn well knows, or at least suspects, it is lying… it ain’t paranoia if the creepy SOB (or son of Elon) is out to trick ya.
I have begun tossing in quotes from the Know it All in my “Studies” of folks. (these are my notes to myself to figure out how to place a patent where it was in Colonial times). In this case it is about the BLOUNT family who lived near modern Woodville/Lewiston area of Bertie County, NC. I have not formulated an idea of who these folks were that I can hang a hat on, in other words, I do not know much at all. So I started asking the Know it All what it thinks… and it is not at a loss for opinions… they flow like water from a faucet. I will add one of my “studies” for James Blount… and it will have some notes from Grok 4. Grok is hell bent to connect these West Bertie Blounts with the East Bertie Blounts near the Chowan River. I admit my ignorance of the history but Grok really attempts to make it’s case that all the Blounts are related. Needless to say, I am still skeptical and want some damn proof. (did I say dammit!) Feel free to comment, even if you tend to lunacy. I will add a snippit of my map for context:
Here is some details on these Blount guys… this is unfinished research… mainly I am just curious and looking for clues in the comments (‘course most of you peeps have zippered lips) but I try to coax it out anyway. Remember, I am pointing out the creepy Grok comments… Did I say I do not trust the Know it All?
…as usual, click on the blue filename below the graphic for a better view (to zoom in)…
Bertie County native here, issues I have with quotes from Grok 4 I quickly noticed
“….mordern Woodville and Lewiston-Woodville, located in northeastern,…” The area of Wodville-Lewiston is located in Northwestern Bertie, not Northeastern.
“John Blount Sr. (c. 1669-1726) …640 acres on Albermarle Sound…owned land on Salmon Creek in Bertie County (near the Roanoke River)….”
The problem is Salmon Creek empties into the Chowan River, not the Roanoke on opposite sides of the county. The Roanoke and Chowan are the western and eastern boundaries of the county, it is 60 miles more or less between the two areas being discussed. Gork 4 also missed the fact that Salmon Creek in the area is believed to be where some of the Lost Colonists re-settled after abandoning Roanoke Island. Easy to Google this information.
“William Blount 1749-1800 was born in Windsor…” The problem here is Windsor was not even voted to be established by the NC General Assembly until 1768. He might have been born in the area, but not in Windsor as it didn’t exist. Sorry Gork 4 didn’t Google that fact.
And a question for you. Is this not the Thomas Busby, who you believe to be an Indian trader who is listed in the various Blount deeds as Thomas Busby or Bousby?
Interestingly, in Bertie the early McDaniels as well as the Butlers are purported to be “mulatto”, likely Indian and white. Some lived next to the Indian Woods Reservation between Woodville (called Hotel in earlier days) and the present Kelford/Roxobel area, not far from the Thomas Busby in this posting.
E. L. Gregory Tyler
September 14, 2025 at 4:51 pm
I am fascinated by Grok… as a research assistant it is quick to grab all kinds of info and just toss it all together like a word salad. Those of us nuts enough to attempt to use it for genealogy are just asking for trouble.
But I am just nuts enough. I too caught the ease with which it just dismissed that 60 mile distance and threw all the Blounts together.
A commenter, Justin, and I have been bouncing around the idea that this Thomas Busby may be the illegit (half breed in former terms) son of the Interpreter from Virginia. But we have not dug that deeply into records. Where did the Bertie Thomas Busby come from?
Interesting that you entertain the idea the McDaniels may be mixed, I have not gone there as I have nothing to cause my suspicion. However, I have a clue to suspect the Owen McDaniel of Bertie (near Woodville) may have came from the east side of Chowan River near the Nansemond line.
I am currently working to identify exactly where “Snowfield” near Woodville was located and the surrounding settlers. It is challenging.
Thanks for stopping by.
anderson1951
September 14, 2025 at 5:25 pm
I have a friend who descends from the McDaniels, I will need to check with him to verify the impression I got that his McDaniels were the same Bertie County ones and mixed race.
I do know where Snowfield was located. First there was this link to the “Snowfield Family Bible” posted by Claudia Harrell Williams
http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/bertie/bibles/bond.txt
The first page states “William Thomas Bond’s Bible, Mary E. Harrell’s book brought from Snowfield Dec. 28, 1867 after the death of her brother W. T. Bond”. William Thomas Bond was the great great grandson of Thomas Bond who had purchased 200 acres in Indian Woods about 1735 next to Needham Bryan’s “Snowfield”. I have a tree with Thomas Bond (I) descendants, here is a link to the profile page of John Thomas Bond who died at “Snowfield”, the associated names match with the Bible records and census records, etc.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/161860504/person/122235110311/facts
Then there is the Civil War 1863 Gilmer Map of Bertie County
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00337/
If you look on the left side of the map you will see an area that says “All Woods Except Small Clearings”. This area is Roquist Swamp that you have no doubt seen mentioned many times in deeds. To the left of the last “t’ in the word “Except” you will see the name “T Bond”. This is the location of “Snowfield”.
You can also see the location on this version of a 1863 Gilmer Map
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gvhs01.vhs00382/?st=image&r=0.388,0.606,0.184,0.078,0
Where he is simply listed as “Bond” below Smallwood and above G W Mitchell. Again this would be the location of “Snowfield”.
As you no doubt know, the graveyard at “Snowfield” was plowed over in the mid 20th century.
E. L. Gregory Tyler
September 15, 2025 at 6:53 am
Fascinating…
The area you designate is a couple miles south of where I have been struggling to place the Snowfield land… I will study your notes
also the bible… and your McDaniel friend is interesting..
thanks for the input… it is timely. Would you know of any photos of the cemetery or properties? All this Bond info is new to me.
anderson1951
September 15, 2025 at 7:36 am
Unfortunately I know of no photographs.
E. L. Gregory Tyler
September 15, 2025 at 8:22 am
Glad it did,! If you would like a place to start looking you might try the Bertie County Deed Books. Book B Page 131 is for William Gray selling to Needham Bryan 210 acres called “Snowfield”. Book E Page 231 is Isaac Williams selling 200 acres to Thomas Bond (this is the only land Bond ever purchased in Bertie). Book E Page 487 and Page 513 give descriptions of properties that adjoin Thomas Bond’s in Indian Woods.
E. L. Gregory Tyler
September 15, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Well, since you so kindly jerked my chain…
I will work up a post of this area of my map and perhaps you can steer me in the right direction…
Marc
anderson1951
September 15, 2025 at 7:54 am
I added that deed of Bond… shall we move to a newer Post…
https://andersonnc.com/2025/09/15/searching-for-snowfield/
anderson1951
September 15, 2025 at 5:10 pm
No doubt a good idea. I can tell you all I know of Thomas Bond, his ancestors and descendants. Can you email directly so we can discuss this?
E. L. Gregory Tyler
September 15, 2025 at 5:29 pm