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9/28/2025 Timeline Storytelling for Genealogy: Three Ways ChatGPT-5 Structures an Ancestor’s LifeRead Now  ChatGPT-5 creates a variety of flawless timelines to structure ancestral lives When writing family history, a plain list of dates can feel boring—but a fully written biography can sometimes totally overwhelm those reading who just want the key events. The perfect balance usually lies somewhere in between. For my research on Samuel Steinman (1855–1925), my official AI tester ancestor, I tested how ChatGPT-5 could reshape the same life story into three timeline-based formats:
1) Side-by-Side Timeline + Narrative Hybrid What it is: A clean two-column layout where the left column lists the dates and places, while the right column contains a short narrative for each event. Those reading can scan dates at a glance or read the story in order. Why I use it:
*Click to view
2) Timeline + Narrative Hybrid with Historical Side NotesWhat it is: Same date-and-narrative format as above, but with an added short historical blurb next to certain entries—just enough to help those reading understand what was happening in the wider world. Example: (Date/Narrative) 1860 – The Steinman family was living in Hancock County, Ohio, as farmers. (Historical Note) In 1860, Ohio farmers relied heavily on horse-drawn plows, and corn was the dominant crop in the region. Why I use it:
*Click to view
3) Ready-to-Use Book Page Version of Hybrid TimelineWhat it is: A fully formatted page that’s print-ready for a family history book. This isn’t just about text—it’s about layout, pacing, and visual flow. GPT-5 produced a version with:
*Click to view
What GPT-5 Did Better (vs. earlier ChatGPT) Older versions could produce timelines and narratives, but:
Yes--GPT-4 could produce timelines and add historical notes, but GPT-5 reduces the amount of post-editing, keeps formatting consistent across large sections, and improves the relevance of historical details. Practical Tips (if you want to replicate this)
More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI in Genealogy and other family history and genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources categories and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 MyHeritage expands Cousin Finder: Discover cousins for any ancestor in your tree, without a DNA test Earlier this year, I shared the exciting news about MyHeritage’s Cousin Finder™ in Discover Your Cousins Without a DNA Test: MyHeritage's New Cousin Finder Tool, a feature that helps you discover and connect with blood relatives—all without a DNA test. Since then, it has quickly become a favorite tool among genealogists for uncovering new family connections. And now, MyHeritage has announced an important update that makes Cousin Finder even more powerful! What’s New? With this new update, you’re no longer limited to running Cousin Finder for yourself. You can now explore cousin results for any individual in your family tree. That means you can:
Why This Matters This new functionality adds a fresh layer of depth to Cousin Finder. Instead of only seeing your own connections, you can now: ✔ Target specific ancestors or family lines when focusing your research. ✔ Complement DNA testing by identifying cousins who haven’t tested but share your ancestor. ✔ Simplify Smart Matches™ by filtering them into a clear list of true cousins. ✔ Strengthen collaboration by connecting with relatives who share your research interests. How to Access the Update The update is available now and is free to use. Just go to the profile page of any individual in your family tree and select Cousin Finder™. You’ll then see a list of their cousins, complete with relationship paths and options to connect. As always, contacting relatives requires a MyHeritage subscription, but viewing the cousin lists is free. Final Thoughts This update makes Cousin Finder an even more versatile genealogy tool. Whether you want to confirm a line of research, explore your spouse’s side of the family, or connect with cousins from a distant branch, you now have a focused way to do it. If you haven’t tried Cousin Finder yet, now is a perfect time to start. And if you’re already using it, this new feature will open even more doors for collaboration and discovery. Who knows which cousins—and stories—you’ll uncover next? More MyHeritage and Other Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more MyHeritage Features and tools, along with other family history and genealogy resources under the MyHeritage and Genealogy Resources categories of the blog and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 Ancestry’s AI Image Transcript tool now works with more record types, including certificates and newspapers. Back in March, I shared news about Ancestry’s new AI-powered Image Transcript tool, which was first introduced as a way to transcribe journals, diaries, and letters uploaded to your family tree. At that time, its focus was primarily on family-uploaded narrative documents. But recently, I noticed something exciting: the tool now seems to handle more document types than it did at launch. While still in BETA, this update shows that Ancestry is actively working to improve and expand the capabilities of the feature. What’s New? Expanded Document Types Over the past week, I tested the tool with several different records—well beyond diaries and letters—and here’s what I found:
 Ancestry AI Image Transcript Update- Example 1, Death Certificate
 Ancestry AI Image Transcript Update- Example 2, Newspaper Article
 Ancestry AI Image Transcript Update- Example 3, Probate Record
 Ancestry AI Image Transcript Update- Example 4, BIble Page How Well Does It Work? The results were decent, especially considering the wide variety of documents I tried. That said, as we all know, AI is not perfect yet, and Ancestry’s version is no exception. There were plenty of mistakes—especially with older handwriting and dense formatting. Still, I was impressed by how far the tool has already come since its initial rollout. Why This Matters This expansion is exciting because it hints at where Ancestry is headed. The more document types the Image Transcript tool can handle, the more useful it will become for genealogists working with everything from family letters to official certificates and records. Even if the tool doesn’t yet provide perfect accuracy, it can serve as a time-saving first draft, helping us decipher difficult handwriting or lengthy documents. Final Thoughts Ancestry’s AI Image Transcript tool is clearly evolving. What started as a way to transcribe family-uploaded journals and letters now appears to cover a broader range of documents—including certificates, newspaper clippings, and probate records. While it’s still in BETA and prone to errors, the progress in just a short amount of time is encouraging. If you haven’t tried this tool in a while, it may be worth giving it another test—you might be surprised at what it can handle now. Have you experimented with different types of documents in the Image Transcript tool? Share your results in the comments—I’d love to hear what you’ve discovered! More Ancestry and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more Ancestry updates, tips, tools, and features and other family history and genealogy resources under the Ancestry.com and the Genealogy Resources categories of my blog and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page. More AI Tips, Tools, and FeaturesLearn about more AI in Genealogy tips, tools, features, and resources under the AI in Genealogy category.
9/7/2025 UGA Summit of Excellence 2025 Recap: A Fantastic Three Days of Genealogical LearningRead Now  Summit of Excellence 2025 – Utah Genealogical Association’s annual virtual genealogy conference The Utah Genealogical Association’s (UGA) Summit of Excellence 2025 has just wrapped up, and what a wonderful three days it was! From September 4–6, I had the privilege of both presenting and attending this annual virtual conference that continues to be one of the premier events in genealogy education. Day 1: Getting Started Day This year’s conference began with the traditional Getting Started day—free to all attendees. I was honored to give my presentation, Writing and Publishing Your Family History: A Beginner’s Guide. It was a joy to share strategies for preserving and publishing family stories, especially with those just starting out on their genealogy journey. Since I had the day off for my presentation, I was able to enjoy all of the other beginner-focused sessions as well. With six in total, it was a full day of learning and inspiration to kick off the conference. Day 2: Diving Into Genealogy Friday, September 5th, was structured differently from past years. Instead of themed tracks (such as DNA, records, or methodology), the conference offered a wide range of topics without specific organization. There were six time slots, each with two courses, giving attendees twelve sessions to choose from. Since I worked most of the day, I could only catch the final session live—but I look forward to diving into the recordings soon! Day 3: A Full Day of Learning On Saturday, September 6th, I was able to attend the conference all day. Just like Friday, there were twelve sessions spread across six time slots, and it was tough having to choose between excellent offerings. Thankfully, all sessions were recorded and will be available to registrants until December 31, 2025, so nothing is truly missed. One of the highlights of the day was the keynote address by Peggy Lauritzen, whose warmth, insight, and storytelling made for a memorable keynote session. My Favorite Sessions (So Far!) While every session I attended offered something valuable, a few especially stood out for me:
Looking Ahead The UGA Summit of Excellence continues to be one of my favorite conferences each year. The flexibility of having session recordings available for several months means I can go back, catch what I missed, and rewatch favorites. I still have more sessions to look forward to, and I can’t wait to see what new insights they’ll bring. A huge thank you to the Utah Genealogical Association, the organizers, and the many excellent presenters who made this year’s Summit such a success. I was thrilled to be part of it again and am already looking forward to next year’s event! More Events, Classes, and PresentationsLearn about more fantastic genealogy events, classes and presentations in Genealogy Events.
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Author, Diane HenriksHi, I'm Diane Henriks, a professional genealogist, speaker, author, investigator, and the founder of Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family who... Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family: Family History and Genealogy BlogI hope my family history and genealogy blog on genealogy research tips, resources, events, and more, along with my own genealogy journeys, will help you in your research and in building your family tree to learn more about your ancestors and family history to preserve for future generations to come! Categories
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