Kathryn Grant presented this class at the BYU Library Family History Center on July 23, 2026.
Her presentation explains the features of Goldie May and how it can help organize and streamline your family history research.
Newsletter
It's been a long time!
Our biggest news: my wife Hilary delivered a baby boy two months ago. We're excited and grateful.
As such, I've been slow to respond to emails. If I missed anything, please let me know!
Best wishes,
Richard
I presented "Find historical places near you using a hidden feature of Wikipedia" at Legacy Family Tree Webinars on June 12, 2026.
Whether on a roadtrip, traveling abroad, or just walking around near home, you can open Wikipedia on your phone to find historical places near you. This feature is not readily seen on your computer but you'll find it quickly on your phone, leading you to interesting places nearby.
No Goldie May at all — this was a short tech presentation.
I joined Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer on Research Like a Pro episode 406 to discuss Goldie May's new AI tool, and how AI helps genealogy more generally.
It was a lot of fun talking with them.
I joined the RootsTech Innovation and Tech Forum on March 6, 2026, demoing the Goldie May AI assistant.
In FamilySearch's words, the forum is where "industry innovators gather to reveal the latest developments created to simplify your family discovery experience." The session was streamed and recorded.
Newsletter
We're at RootsTech this week and love seeing many of you. To keep everyone in the loop, here's a short video on the latest updates: New genealogy AI features announced this week at RootsTech 2026.
Today I joined others at the RootsTech Innovation and Tech Forum, demoing the Goldie May AI assistant.
Best wishes,
Richard
This RootsTech 2026 recap covers one-click transcription with Gemini, attaching any source to the FamilySearch Tree, and using Goldie May with RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker, or Ancestral Quest via Tree Crossing.
It closes with the privacy policy, including zero data retention when using Claude or Gemini on Goldie May.
You can now connect your Tree Crossing account to Goldie May! Once connected, Tree Crossing persons show up on the Subway Map with their life events plotted alongside your FamilySearch data. You can navigate between relatives — click a parent, spouse, or child to add them to the map and explore the family visually.
Your AI research assistant can also search and read Tree Crossing profiles directly during a chat, giving you another data source without leaving Goldie May.
To get started, visit your Account page and click "Connect Tree Crossing."
We've added GPT-5 and GPT-5 Mini to the AI model lineup. GPT-5 Mini is now the default model for new research chats — it's fast and capable for everyday genealogy questions. GPT-5 is available when you need more depth. You can still switch to any model (Claude, Gemini, and more) from the model picker when starting a chat.
The model picker now shows a 5-star pricing guide so you can see at a glance which models cost more credits and choose the right balance of power and cost for your research.
Newsletter
We always love seeing you at RootsTech! Join us for any of the following.
One of my favorite parts of RootsTech is available online: Relatives at RootsTech
Genealogy's Star: Goldie May AI will supercharge your genealogy research
The landscape of genealogy is shifting under our feet once again, and this time, the catalyst is the integration of specialized Artificial Intelligence. I recently spent time analyzing a significant video demonstration regarding the Goldie May AI assistant, and it is clear that we are moving past the "novelty" phase of AI into a period of high-utility application.
GenFriends: New AI Feature on Goldie May with Richard Miller
Genealogy Gems: "... it really is something and it's a wonderful addition..."
[Genealogy Gems](https://lisalouisecooke.com/)
Best wishes,
Richard
This unedited session starts with installing Goldie May and signing in with FamilySearch, then works through asking about an ancestor in the Family Tree, evaluating sources, choosing among Claude, Gemini, and other models, and managing costs.
Skip ahead to 16:41 for FamilySearch, 45:49 for Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Geni, and WikiTree, and 49:12 for desktop programs like RootsMagic and Legacy Family Tree.