Buster vs. Dad – An AI Perspective

Buster and Dad in their early teens. 

I decided to use AI to help identify some of my unknown family photos. The first few results weren’t great—a boy was labeled as a girl, another as a man, a scratch was mistaken for a clothesline, and an attempt to create a collage ended with images that didn’t look like my family at all. But when I started using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to compare photos side by side, I finally began to get useful results.

Buster or Dad?

I have several children in photos that have always been in question—were they my father or his brother? My cousin, who originally had the photo collection, labeled all of them as “Buster.” Buster was my dad’s older brother, Hairston Albritton Bryan, born in 1906. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in 1920. While I’d already guessed that some of the photos were of Dad, there was always a bit of doubt. AI helped confirm what I’d suspected.

I started by uploading one of the questionable photos and simply asked, “Can you date this?”

AI responded with an analysis of the child’s clothing, shoes, and the overall photographic style—pointing out the sepia tone and the formal studio setup. Based on these features, the photo was dated to somewhere between 1910 and 1920.

I followed up with: “This has been identified as my Uncle Buster, who was born in 1906, but could it actually be my father, born in 1920?”

The response was clear:

“While it could be your father, the styling strongly favors your Uncle Buster (born 1906). Everything about the child’s appearance, the clothing, and the studio portrait setup points to the 1910–1912 range.”

I decided to go a step further. I uploaded another photo and asked, “Could this be the same child?”

AI responded by analyzing the clothing, backdrop, and photo mount, estimating a time frame of circa 1910-1912, which lines up closely with Buster’s childhood years.

It noted that both children had oval-shaped faces, strong jawlines, and similar eye placement and spacing. The resemblance was plausible, especially when considering age progression, fashion trends, and the photographic style. If the child in both photos was Buster, the timeline worked.

Next, I shared teen photos of Buster to see if there was a visible connection. AI noted strong continuity in features—especially eye shape, nose, and jawline—linking the child in the earlier photos to the teen in the later ones.

I added this photo and asked, “What do you think of this photo of my father—Buster’s younger brother, born in 1920? My cousin said it was Buster, but I know it’s Dad.” 

AI responded with, "The boy is dressed in a classic sailor suit with a wide collar and checkered tie, a style popular from 1915 to the early 1930s. His dark stockings and leather shoes complete the look. His straight, bowl-style haircut with a trimmed fringe was typical for boys in the early 1920s, especially before school age. Based on these details, the image likely dates to around 1923–1925, which fits perfectly for your father, born in 1920."

So I shared three known childhood photos of my father, and AI came back with, "These known photos of your father clearly show a consistent progression from babyhood to adolescence, with strong physical matches to the sailor-suit portrait. Between the features and the timeline, it’s very safe to say the child in the sailor suit is your father—not Buster."

I shared three more photos, thought to be of Dad or Buster, and received the expected results.  

Dad - Whit Criswell Bryan

Buster's Baby Photo
Dad on a Donkey

Comparing Tools and Doing My Own Research

All of the photo analysis and comparisons in this article were generated using OpenAI’s ChatGPT. I also tried Anthropic’s Claude. Claude was more cautious. It provided similar comparisons of facial features and timelines, but was less willing to commit—recommending a second look and suggesting I talk to family members. 

And while ChatGPT provided useful insights, I didn’t accept everything without question. I did my own research to confirm the clothing and hairstyle information, especially since sources weren’t cited. After conducting my own research, I generally agreed with ChatGPT’s timelines for hairstyles and clothing; however, the sources I found indicated that these trends didn’t follow strict cutoffs—there was more overlap and variation than the AI responses suggested.

Final Thoughts

This process was a good reminder of the value of revisiting old photos with new tools and a fresh perspective. AI won’t solve every mystery, but in this case, it helped me ask better questions and, more importantly, confirm what I’d long suspected.

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2025

Sources

Edward Zapletal, Publisher and Editor, More Dating Old Photographs 1840-1929 (Toronto: Moorshead Publishing, 2011).

Historic Boys' Clothing, "United States Sailor Suits: The 1920s," web page, Historic Boys' Clothing (https://histclo.com/style/suit/sailor/sailorus20.html : accessed 22 April 2025).

Jo B. Paoletti, “Clothing and Gender in America: Children’s Fashions, 1890-1920.” Signs 13, no. 1 (1987): 136–43 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/3174031: accessed 14 April 2025). 

Maryanne Dolan, Vintage Clothing 1880-1980 (Alabama: Books Americana Inc., 1995).  

Special Collections at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center, "Saluting the Sailor Suit," blog entry, 2 July 2022, Primary Selections from Special Collections, blog (https://blogs.davenportlibrary.com/sc/2022/07/02/saluting-the-sailor-suit/ : accessed 22 April 2025).

TPR, "The Bowl Haircut," blog entry, 2 January 2020, The Past Recedes, blog (https://tpr76797.wordpress.com/2020/01/02/the-bowl-haircut/ : accessed 22 April 2025).

Friday's Photo: My Great-Grandmother, Lodema Criswell Hairston with Family in Falls County, Texas 1919

The above photo shows my great-grandmother, Lodema Criswell Hairston (right), with her sister-in-law, Amy Myrtlene Manning Criswell. The photo is dated 1919 and is said to have been taken on the day of Amy's husband's funeral. Amy's husband was John Carson Calhoun Criswell, son of William M. and Mary Ann Evans Criswell and brother to Lodema. John died on 25 February 1919. John and Amy lived in the Odds Community in Limestone County, but their brother Thomas LeRoy "Whit" Criswell lived a few miles away in Marlin, Falls County. He is pictured with Lodema in the next two photos. 

I suspect that the following two photos were taken in Falls County, as I remember being told about the water tower by Whit Criswell's home that can be seen behind Lodema in the second photo below. The children's identities are unknown. 

Lodema spent some of her youth, was married, and had her children in Falls County. I imagine this was her last trip home. In the fall of that year, she fell ill and died on 3 October 1919 at home in Seymour, Texas. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2023 

Lodema Criswell Hairston, photographs,1919; scanned images, from the privately held photo collection of Lena Stone Criswell, NM, 2001.

Friday's Photo: Henry Creswell, a New Large Project, and My First Steps

Thank you to my sister for this photo of her son standing near a monument
to Henry Creswell at the Sinking Springs Cemetery in Abington, Virginia. 
Click on the photo to enlarge. 

I have been told that Henry Creswell, buried at the Sinking Springs Cemetery in Abington, Virginia, was my direct ancestor. If correct, he would be my 5th great-grandfather. My great-grandmother, Lodema Walker Criswell, was the daughter of William Moore Criswell and Mary Ann Evans. William Moore Criswell is said to be the great-grandson of this Henry Creswell. 

A New Large Project 

I have never spent much time looking for the Criswell family. My cousin Jackie sent me what she had. A distant cousin's wife, Lena, shared fabulous stories, letters, and photos. Other distant relations sent me photos and family trees, but I never took the time to research and make sure I had documentation for each family line. 

Today, the Criswell line has been added to my "Large Projects" list. This list consists of five family projects. When I work on my family tree or visit a repository, I choose from only these projects. When I finish a project, I add another. This "Large Projects" list helps me stay focused and keeps me out of many rabbit holes. 

My First Steps 

I have three full Criswell binders and a large amount of digital files for this family. Most of the information I have collected involves William Moore Criswell, Mary Ann Evans, and their many children when living in Falls County, Texas. My first steps will be to read and organize the information in my binders and digital files, add documented information to my family tree, make any necessary corrections to my tree, and begin a timeline for William M. Criswell. As I find new or interesting Criswell items, you may see them in a blog post. 

If you want to know more about the Criswell family or about other families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2023 

Henry Criswell Memorial, photograph, 2023; digital image, original photograph from the privately-held collection of C. Trujillo, AL, 2023. 

Family notes from the Baylor County Banner, Baylor County, Texas - 1909

The following 1909 excerpts were found in Baylor County Banner issues on a microfilm reel labeled "Baylor County Banner Jan 01, 1909 thru Jun 24, 1910." These excerpts were recorded on my web pages almost twenty years ago. 

Those web pages have not been updated since about 2012 but can still be found at my Rootsweb Freepages site. However, Ancestry, who now owns Rootsweb, is retiring the pages in 2024, and when returned, they will be static (I will not be able to make changes). In case the pages get lost, I am adding the content to this blog.

An asterisk * indicates that all of the information from the article is included in the notes below. To search for your family name, use your browser's "Find" function. 

If you would like to see the actual article, all 1909 issues can be viewed at the free The Portal to Texas History. 

* indicates that the entire article is included in the notes below.

  

January 1, 1909 

(This paper is not dated, but from dates within the paper, appears to be January 1)

Died - Carl Otis Merrick, child of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Merrick

Died - G. W. Malone

Mrs. Geo. Ryder's husband shot in Fort Worth

Charlie Harper Died (see January 8 issue for "Charles Harper Alive Again") - Charlie Harper died Thursday morning of pneumonia. The news came as a surprise as he was up Wednesday. He has been working in the freight depot for quite awhile. Mr. Harper was a jolly good fellow.  He had no relatives here and his remains will probably be shipped to his home.

Grandma M.A. Scott returned Sunday from Knox City has been visiting her daughter, Mrs. Keeders for three months. *

Marriage Licenses issued in December

     Carlisle - Davis

      Elam - Allison

      Mann - Lambert

      Word - Hinds

      Holmes - McWhorter

      Kuykendall - Snody

      Harlan - Cayce

      Jones - Gulick

      Mosely - Packwood

      Kubloa - Krenek

      Cochran - Stephens

      Bowden - Bartoo (Eula Mable Bowden married Charles S. Bartoo)

Married - Willie May Williamson and J. P. Collins

Married - Corrie Davenport - T. J. Bolger

Ogden -  Born: A little girl to Mr. and Mrs. Blake Maxfield on the 15th.  Two boys to Mr. and Mrs. L. Howe on the 27th.

Finding my Criswell Family in Vertical Files

Vertical files are collections of documents relating to a particular subject, such as a surname, location, topic, organization, or event. These vertical files can be found in repositories of all sizes. Look in archives, libraries, historical and genealogical societies, university archives, and other repositories housing archival records. 

 

The contents, often found in filing cabinets, are not usually cataloged or digitized, and new content is added when received. Vertical files for a particular surname may contain family trees, family histories, copies of family Bible pages, letters, photos, newspaper clippings, genealogy-related correspondence, and even genealogical queries. Researchers must look through the files to determine the contents. The number and kind of items found in each file will vary.  

Several years ago, I visited West Waco Library & Genealogy Center in Texas and found a vertical file for Criswell containing family letters, obituaries, and transcriptions of newspaper articles. Criswell found in the Surname Vertical File Index at the Tennessee State Library and Archives netted much-wanted articles about the Criswell [Creswell] family published in 1928.

Most repositories will have an index of their vertical files to access in person. Some have their indexes available online. Here are some examples of U.S. repositories giving access to online vertical file indexes. 

 

The materials in the Library of Congress vertical files do not appear in the Library of Congress Online Public Access Catalog. Visit the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room to view the files.

 

The California Genealogical Society's index is a great finding aid. Not only do you see the surname, but a summary of the information in the file is included. 

 

The Manteo Library in Dare County, North Carolina, has a local history collection that includes vertical files. The subject index is online. Look under genealogy to find surnames. 

 

Look at the Margaret Martin O’Bryant Research Library page of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society to find a nice index of their vertical files. 

 

Although the Texas State Library and Archives Commission no longer accept additions to their vertical files, they maintain a large vertical file index. 

 

A search on Google for Virginia genealogy "vertical files" resulted in abundant resources in Virginia and other states. Try this search for other locations.  

To learn more about vertical files, read Lisa Lisson's blog post Vertical Files in the Archives and A Valuable Genealogy Resource and Vertical Files: Like a Box of Chocolates by Melissa Barker at Legacy News. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2023 

Family notes from the Baylor County Banner, Baylor County, Texas - 1906

The following 1906 excerpts were found in Baylor County Banner issues on a reel of microfilm labeled "Baylor County Banner misc scrapbook 1905 thru 1929." The newspaper issues were sometimes in small pieces and missing pages. All marriages, births, and deaths found were recorded on my web pages almost twenty years ago. 

Those web pages have not been updated since about 2012 but can still be found at my Rootsweb Freepages site. However, Ancestry, who now owns Rootsweb, is retiring the pages in 2024, and when returned, they will be static (I will not be able to make changes). Just in case the pages get lost, I am adding the content to this blog.

An asterisk * indicates that all of the information from the article is included in the notes below. Some issues can be found at The Portal to Texas History. Click on the link next to each issue date to see the available newspaper. 

If an article cannot be seen online and you would like to see the entire article, I will take a photo of the microfilmed article. To request this, please comment below this post, or comment on my Facebook page, or send me an email (go to the "About Me" tab at the top of this page). 

~~~

Feb 16, 1906 - This entire issue is available at The Portal to Texas History

The daughter of Mrs. J. S. Shaffer of Indianapolis, Indiana, died on the train between Dallas and Hillsboro.

D. H. Mayfield died after falling under a train.

John B. Hall of Harrison County died.

 

Under “Level View Items”

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cox, February 5, a baby girl. Mother and baby doing well.  

The infant child of Mr. and Mrs. George Tyler has died. Burial in Henson Cemetery.

 Obituary for Mrs. Julia Maris (nee Hill) 

 ~~~

The fuzzy photo on the right was found in a Baylor County Banner issue with the date torn from the page. It was from the same film as the 1906 issues. The house in the fuzzy photo belonged to W. A. Bennett at the time of the photo. Many years later, my grandfather bought the Bennett property and was planning to move the house to another lot where he would combine it with another purchased house. I wonder if parts of this Bennett house were used to make the house on the left. 

~~~

Spring 1906 

There is no date for this issue. It appears to be in the spring of 1906. The May 11 issue of the banner is available on The Portal to Texas History; however, it is missing parts of pages, and with the exception of the Banner being sold, none of the other articles seen below can be found in that issue. These articles might have been found in a different spring issue. 

A letter was printed in the Banner from Mr. W. T. Foreyth, of Santa Cruz, CA, to his father,  Mr. L. A. Donnell of Seymour. The letter was dated April 29th and gave a lengthy description of the San Francisco earthquake of that year.

J. W. Stone, a real estate man from the Falls, came over with three prospectors. There are lots of people who have their eyes on this country. *

Under "Additional Local," the following names were mentioned: Edna Randal, Frank Hursh, Carl Williamson, E. A. Rogers, Stella Tugwell, Dr. John Richardson, Dave Palmer, Judge Britain, and J. Q. Word.

J. T. Branch and J. F. Lewis are late arrivals into the community from Collin County.

Mrs. Dr. Burnett is going to Tennessee to visit family.

Sam Harm, an immigration agent from Oklahoma, was locating people into the county.

George Richardson and his wife of Erath County visited the home of J. L. Knight.

The Baylor County Banner has been sold to O. C. Harrison.

~~~

 

June 1, 1906 - Eight pages of this issue are available at The Portal to Texas History

Deaths of John D. Warren and wife, formerly of Hillsboro 

Baskin – Burnett   Marriage 

Little–Mayo Marriage 

Charlie Caldwell is a proud father of a new boy.

Buie – Landess  Wedding

~~~

 

June 15, 1906  - Twelve pages (some partial) of this issue can be seen at The Portal to Texas History. 

E.R. Brice died 

In Memoriam (for those listed on behalf of Shady Grove Baptist Church)

            Julia Maris, who died on February 10, 1906

            Alice Wren, who died on November 18, 1905

            Jennie Bell, who died on February 27, 1906 

 Bomarton Briefs  

Born – To Mr. and Mrs. Brooks Smith, a boy, Wednesday night.*

Obituary for Mrs. Emma J. Cartwright

Bomarton Boomlets -  Born – To Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Posey Monday night a fine girl.

 ~~~

July 6, 1906 - Ten pages of this issue are available at The Portal to Texas History

Mrs. M. A. Scott, the mother of J. G. Scott, the weigher, left this week for Estelline to visit her daughter, Mrs. Nick P. Green. *   Note - MaryAnn Scott was a Selman and a cousin of my great-grandmother, Lodema Criswell Hairston.

 

The following 1906 issues were found mixed in with the 1907 issues on a microfilm reel labeled "Baylor County Banner Jan 04, 1907, thru Dec 25, 1908." All marriages, births, and deaths were recorded. Note that some of the online sources may have more marriages, births, and deaths as the issues I looked at did not appear to be complete. You cannot view the links at Newspaper Archive unless you have a subscription to the site. 

~~~

October 12, 1906 - This issue cannot be found online. 

Mr. Charles Taylor married Leona Ellison

Clivey Parham married Miss Addie Robertson

Lonnie Spears married Miss Lee Fish

Vera and Truscott – Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Horn are the happy parents of a fine girl.*

Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - February 11, 1926

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family, who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  

I did not copy the full front page of this issue but felt the partial obituary for Dan Bellows paired with the picture warranted posting. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2023

Sources 

O. C. Harrison, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 11 February 1926, Vol. 31, number 21, print; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas, 2019. 

Clippings from The Baylor County Banner - Seymour, Texas - November 29, 1923

My grandparents, Redic E. Bryan and Myrtie Hairston, and my great-grandparents, Phillip A. Hairston and Lodema Criswell, moved to Baylor County in 1905. My father, Whit Criswell Bryan, was born in Seymour in 1920. He was the youngest of seven children born to Redic and Myrtie. 

In April 2019, I visited the Texas State Library and Archives to read Baylor County Banner issues that could not be found online or on microfilm. I photographed articles with information about my father's family, who lived in Seymour. While sorting through my family finds, I realized I had photos of articles that might interest others looking for family. I have pictures of numerous articles from 1923 and a few from other years. I will post as time allows. 

Thank you to Matt Gwinn at the Baylor County Banner for giving me permission to post these clippings.  

__________

These are the last of the 1923 articles. I made some copies of 1926 issues on that same trip and will begin posting those in March. 

R. E. Bryan was my grandfather. He was Redic Eli Bryan and lived in Baylor County from 1905 until his death in 1929. He never really settled on an occupation. He was a teacher, a farmer, a merchant, a bartender, and a restaurant owner. I know that he did business in the oil fields and my father said he was a truck farmer.  He also served as the Tax Assessor for two terms in Baylor County. However, I never knew he worked for a newspaper until I found the following article. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2023

Sources 

Redic E. Bryan, photograph, ca. 1910; scanned image, original photograph from the privately-held collection of Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2023. 

O. C. Harrison, The Baylor County Banner (Seymour, Texas), 29 November 1926, Vol. 8, print; Texas State Library and Archives, Austin, Texas, 2019.