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AI has changed how much genealogy you can get done

Starting today, Goldie May has an AI assistant made for genealogists.

  • It's tuned specifically for genealogy research.
  • It can directly reach sources that other AI services can't.
  • Your data is protected and private, not used for training.

It's available now for Goldie May subscribers.

I think it's incredibly fun to research this way. It analyzes ancestors, searches records, evaluates results, and suggests your next move.

The AI assistant's opening prompt: "Let's start researching. Who should we research?"

As always, I love hearing from you with any comments or questions!

Best wishes,
Richard

Newsletter

Jim Beidler's column, full-size screenshots, and genealogy news

It's cooling down in Provo, Utah, and we are raking leaves. I hope you are doing well!

Here's the latest news, including Goldie May appearing in Jim Beidler's column, the latest product updates, and other genealogy news.

Recent Appearances

Product Updates

  • Windows & Tabs has a new design, including logos next to the links.
  • In the past, Windows & Tabs could be saved separately from a project, but now they are always saved to a project. If you previously used Windows & Tabs outside of a project, I created new projects in your account to hold them. You can of course edit or delete.
  • Full-size screenshots (Plus only): As an alternative to manually selecting a portion of the screen with the yellow box, you can take a screenshot of the entire page. This includes portions of the page below the fold (out of view). Right-click and choose "Goldie May" -> "Take full screenshot (beta)". A few seconds later you should see the full image in your research log.

Windows & Tabs design with logos

Take a full screenshot

Full-length screenshot in research log

Full-length screenshot including below the fold

In Other News

One Request

As always, reply directly to this email to get in touch!

Best wishes,
Richard

Newsletter

Ethnicity options / DNA citations / AI video / Newspapers video

Here's the latest on Goldie May. I hope you are doing well!

Product Updates

  • The Catalog now has 3 ethnicity filters — African American, German, and Jewish — making it an even better newspaper finding aid.
  • Research log screenshots now appear in a carousel so you can jump between them with your mouse or the arrows on your keyboard.
  • You can click a link to add a FamilySearch person to a project without needing to copy and paste the ID. Try it by opening a FamilySearch person on the left and a Goldie May project on the right.
  • [Pro feature] Automatic citations for AncestryDNA match pages. If the Goldie May privacy feature is enabled at the time, the citation is privatized. If the privacy feature is off, the citation includes the full name.
  • Various improvements to dark mode. Goldie May follows your system preference for light or dark mode.

Ethnicity filters now available in the Catalog

Buttons to switch between images in the carousel

A new link on the project page to add a FamilySearch person to the project

An automatic AncestryDNA citation, with the match's name privatized

Videos

As always, you can reply directly to this email to get in touch.

Best wishes,
Richard

Goldie May as a Newspaper Finding Aid

A recording of my webinar at the BYU Library Family History Center, presented October 15, 2025, explaining features of Goldie May and demonstrating how they can be used to find newspapers in genealogy research.

Newsletter

Update on genealogy research with Goldie May

Here's an update on Goldie May, the genealogy research software.

Updates from the last 2 months

  • There's a new breadcrumb system to navigate between pages. You can click the up/down arrows to switch projects or switch tools.
  • On the Account page, you can choose which emails you'd like to receive.
  • Under-the-hood code changes make Goldie May feel buttery smooth, less jittery.

The breadcrumb bar, with the tool switcher open on Canvas, Research Log, Subway Map, and Windows & Tabs

Upcoming features

  • Updates to the newspaper listings
  • Organize your projects into folders and with tags (Plus only)
  • Multiple canvases per project (Plus only)

Events

As always, you can reply directly to this email to get in touch.

Best wishes,
Richard

7 Productivity Tips for Google Chrome

I presented "7 Productivity Tips for Google Chrome" at Legacy Family Tree Webinars on May 7, 2025.

The #1 genealogy software is probably... Google Chrome! Statistically, Chrome is the #1 browser, and so much genealogy research happens in a browser. Learn 7 ways to make your genealogy research more productive while using Google Chrome.

More genealogy in less time

Goldie May is genealogy research software to help you do more genealogy in less time. Here's a three-minute tour of how it can help you.