WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – A Winter Haven woman turned to artificial intelligence to uncover a 140-year-old family mystery hidden inside a vintage edition of Shakespeare’s complete works.
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Winter Haven Vintage Shakespeare Discovery
What we know:
Elle Carter received an 1884 copy of Shakespeare’s Complete Works as a gift from her Harrison theater professor, Paul Hughes. The sentimental book was tied to her audition piece to enter the school.
Inside the cover, Carter found an inscription reading, “This is a present to Harry E. White on his 17th birthday by his mother.”
Minneapolis Address Solved With AI
The backstory:
Carter and her husband initially mistook handwritten numbers inside the cover for a phone number. Her husband entered the writing into ChatGPT, which clarified it was an address in Minneapolis that currently serves as a university apartment complex.
Subsequent research showed White’s prominent family migrated from Illinois to Sherburne County, Minnesota, where they established a farm as early settlers. White attended the University of Minnesota and may have worked there as a professor.
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Preserving History in Town Museum
What they’re saying:
“This was an example of where technology was able to connect us through generations at such a fast pace, bridge that gap, do some of the research, and preserve history, essentially,” Carter said. “I think sometimes we forget there are some good things with technology.”
Carter added that holding the 140-year-old gift remains meaningful in today’s fast-changing world. “At this point, this was a special gift from his mom. Now we’ve evolved so much as a society, so I think just holding something like this that was so meaningful—and the world we live in now is so different,” she noted.
Unclear Heirs For Historical Book
What we don’t know:
Officials and researchers do not know if Harry E. White has any living heirs who could claim the historic volume.
If no direct descendants are found, Carter plans to donate the book to the town’s museum, so the community can view the historic piece.
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