A collection of beautiful embroidered postcards discovered at a car boot sale, offered tantalising glimpses of a relationship shaped by war. Sent from the Western Front by a soldier who wrote of life in the trenches, the cards contained names, an address and military details - but establishing exactly who had written them, and to whom, proved unexpectedly difficult.

In this case study, Donna Rutherford demonstrates how she used (AI) Artificial Intelligence to interpret the handwriting and investigate the people behind the postcards. When one AI reading led to a plausible but ultimately incorrect family, the documentary evidence exposed the mistake. A second interpretation opened a different trail - and this time the genealogy fitted the words written on the cards.

Following the couple from wartime correspondence to marriage, Donna explores both the possibilities and the pitfalls of using AI in family-history research. It is a story of embroidered silk, human connection and genealogical detective work - and a reminder that AI can suggest the route, but the researcher must still test where it leads. 

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