Do you have any photos of family members by their cars? What can you add to a family’s story by analyzing the make, model, and price of the car? It turns out, this is another great use of artificial intelligence. For this 52 Ancestor blog post around the theme of “Wheels,” I chose a photo of my mother, Anna Mae Kelsey, where the family car is the backdrop. Using AI to help with the analysis, I learned more about the Kelsey family.

Custom GPT for Photo Analysis

For this photo analysis session, I decided to use a Custom GPT developed by Steve Little accessed through ChatGPT. A custom GPT allows a user with a paid plan to create a focused series of prompts that work behind the scene. Steve’s GPT is titled “Genealogy Eyes,” and anyone can access it by going to ChatGPT > Explore GPTs > Genealogy Eyes (type in the search bar). When you click on start chat, you’ll see the screen below which gives ideas for prompts.

Prompting AI

I uploaded a photo of my mother, Anna Mae, about two years old, seated on a sheep in front of the family car. I used a simple prompt since Steve had already given the custom GPT instructions for photo analysis.

The Analysis

Part of the benefit of using AI for photo analysis is it’s ability to take in all the details. For example, I had never noticed the person crouching in the background to the left of the sheep! This makes perfect sense that my grandfather would not have perched his young daughter on an animal without being there to hold it.  AI gave me the following description.

My grandfather was a livestock man and was known for his expertise in raising sheep and cattle. In 1971 he was inducted into the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame and a newspaper article describes this part of his life.

In 1917 Kelsey purchased his first purebred ram and since that time has been a prominent figure in the livestock field. . . In the early 1920s Kelsey purchased one of the first English-bred Hamshire rams allowed into the United States, from Henry Finch, famous breeder from Soda Springs, Idaho. ¹

Perhaps the sheep was one of Ed’s prized sheep or maybe it was just one well-mannered enough to perch a child on.

Identifying the Car

I was curious about the car’s model, and this is where AI excels: it compares the image to that of others in its knowledge base and available online searching. AI gave the following explanation.

🚗 Car Identification and Features

From the visible features, the car appears to be a late 1920s to early 1930s sedan, likely an American-made model. Here’s a breakdown of what stands out:

Body Style

• Boxy silhouette with a high roofline, straight side panels, and a rear-hinged back door.

• Four-door “sedan” configuration, a common family or utility vehicle style at the time.

• Running board visible, a feature phased out by the late 1930s.

Fenders and Wheels

• Distinct bulbous fenders, consistent with the 1928–1931 Ford Model A, Chevrolet Series AD (1930), or similar cars from Dodge Brothers or Plymouth.

• Spoked wheels suggest the car still retained wood or metal spokes, rather than the pressed-steel wheels that dominated by the mid-1930s.

Windows and Trim

• Windows have a clear rectangular profile, and the rear passenger door has a small quarter window, typical of the era.

• There’s a visible chrome or light-colored trim line along the beltline of the body, a stylistic touch from cars of the period.

Probable Model

While exact identification can be tough without grille or hood ornament detail, this car closely resembles a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor or Fordor Sedan. These were:

• Mass-produced,

• Affordable to the average American family,

• Widely photographed and still common in rural and urban settings alike during the early Depression years.

The part of the car we can see in my photograph certainly looks very similar to the 1928 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan pictured below.²

Chatting more with AI I learned more specifics:

Tudor Sedan (2-door):

• Body Style: Two doors with seating for up to five passengers.

• Weight: Approximately 2,375 lbs.

• Production: 376,271 units in 1930 .

• Price: Around $495 new.

• Features: Compact design, popular among families for its affordability and practicality.

Cultural Context

My mother, Anna Mae, was the youngest of six children. She compiled her father’s history and wrote:³

In 1911, Dad bought forty acres of ground in Burley, Idaho from his father who had bought it at a state land sale around 1907 or 1908. In 1914, Dad sold this land which he’d never seen. In the fall of 1914, he decided to go to Idaho and try to get into some kind of livestock business which had been the big ambition of his life. He bought forty acres of land in a different location at Burley.

On February 16, 1915, Dad left Springville with a team and wagon, traveled alone and arrived in Burley February 25th. He cleared the land of sagebrush and raised a crop of wheat and barley that same year. In the fall of 1916, he purchased another forty acres joining the first forty on the west and in 1918 he purchased still another forty acres on the south.

My mother’s statement that the livestock business was Ed’s big ambition gives additional insight into this photograph. I have to agree with AI’s statement that “in the early 1930s, owning a car like the Model A was a significant achievement for many families, symbolizing progress and modernity. Photographs featuring family members with their vehicles were common, serving as a testament to their hard work and success during challenging economic times.”

The photo of my mother, the sheep, and the car represents family, career, and prosperity – a testament to my grandparents’ sacrifice and hard work.

Using AI to research more about my grandfather through the lens of his car adds one more piece to his story!

Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!

1. “Declo Pioneer Stockman To Be Feted by Hall of Fame,” South Idaho Press, Burley, Idaho, 10 February 1971; imaged Edward Kelsey, KVG6-JWB, Memories, “1971 Hall of Fame Induction”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/memories/memory/24276317?cid=mem_copy : accessed 18 May 2025).
2. Ford Motor company, photographic department, 1928 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan outside the Ford Engineering Laboratory, November 1927, imaged, the Henry Ford (https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/112098#slide=gs-184128 : accessed 18 May 2025).
3. Anna Mae Kelsey Shults, compiler, “Edward Raymond Kelsey, ” memories, Edward Raymond Kelsey (1886-1972) KVG6-HWB, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/4172779 : accessed 17 May 2025)