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9/27/2026 Testing ChatGPT Deep Research for Genealogy: Can It Create a Professional Locality Guide?Read Now Testing ChatGPT Deep Research for genealogy to create a professional locality guide for family history research. Testing ChatGPT Deep Research for Genealogy: Can It Create a Professional Locality Guide?One of the first things I do when researching in an unfamiliar place is learn the locality. When was the county formed? Did the boundaries change? What records survive? Where are they held? What isn't online? Were there courthouse disasters? Which neighboring jurisdictions matter? In other words, I don't want to start by randomly typing an ancestor's name into databases. 😉 So for another ChatGPT test, I decided to see whether Deep Research could build a professional genealogy locality guide for me. Deep Research itself isn't new—it was introduced in 2025 and is designed to search, analyze, and synthesize information from many sources into a documented report. What interested me in 2026 was combining that research ability with ChatGPT Work's newer ability to turn information into finished documents and reports. My Test Locality: Gentry County, MissouriNaturally, I went back to Samuel Steinman. 😂 Much of Samuel's adult life was spent in Gentry County, Missouri, so I asked ChatGPT to create a professional genealogy locality guide covering approximately 1850–1930. The finished guide wasn't simply a collection of links. It included jurisdiction and boundary history, record survival, census resources, vital records, land and property, probate and court records, newspapers, maps, churches, cemeteries, military records, repositories, research strategies, and a client-file locality checklist. And ChatGPT produced the guide as an editable Word document and a finished PDF. ExamplesExamples of pages 1-3 of 13.
The Part That Really Got My Attention One of the most interesting discoveries came from the county's nonpopulation census schedules. Deep Research surfaced an 1880 industrial/manufacturing schedule specifically for slaughtering and meat-packing in Gentry County. Why was that interesting? Because Samuel was documented as a butcher by 1880, and one of my research questions involves how and when he entered the trade. I had not asked ChatGPT to “find Samuel in that record.” It identified a period-appropriate, occupation-specific record set that could potentially help answer the question. That is exactly what I want from a locality guide. Not just: Here are the usual genealogy websites. But: Here are records you might not have thought to look for. And importantly, the guide correctly treated that schedule as a research target, not proof that Samuel or his associates actually appear in it.
It Also Caught a Locality TrapAnother useful example involved the county's formation date. Some derivative genealogy sources repeat an 1841 date for Gentry County, while the official Missouri source identifies the county as organized on February 14, 1845, from Clinton County. That is exactly why source selection matters. The guide prioritized government archives, historical societies, national repositories, and local institutions rather than automatically treating every genealogy webpage as equally authoritative. Would I Trust It Without Checking? Absolutely not. 😉 A locality guide can contain a tremendous amount of information—record dates, jurisdiction changes, repository holdings, online access, courthouse history, collection availability, and more. Any one of those can be wrong, incomplete, or outdated. I would still verify important information against the underlying repository or authoritative source before relying on it professionally. But as a way to rapidly build the framework for locality research and uncover less-obvious record groups, this was a very useful test. My Takeaway The biggest value wasn't that ChatGPT researched Gentry County faster than I could type up a guide myself. It was that it brought together two different jobs: Deep Research found and synthesized the information. ChatGPT Work turned it into a finished, organized research tool. That's where these newer AI workflows are becoming much more interesting to me. AI Reminder AI-generated locality guides should always be independently reviewed and verified. Record availability, repository holdings, access procedures, fees, digitization, and jurisdiction information can change. A Note About This Test This was a quick capability test, not a complete professional genealogy research project. I intentionally used limited information to see what ChatGPT could produce. The resulting guide does not replace the deeper locality research, source evaluation, or verification I would conduct for professional client work. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI and family history & genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
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 ChatGPT Work for genealogy: AI tools for family history websites, workbooks, presentations, and research deliverables. ChatGPT Work for Genealogy: A First Look at What It Can Really DoI thought I understood what ChatGPT Work was. Apparently, I didn’t. If you’ve seen a couple of my recent posts, including my test of an interactive ancestor Site and my genealogy Research Command Center workbook, you’ve already seen some of the experimenting this discovery started. 😉 But I realized I never published the overview that explains why I suddenly started testing all of this in the first place. When OpenAI introduced Work in July, most of what initially caught my attention involved connected apps, files, browser access, and allowing ChatGPT to take on longer, multi-step tasks. I understood the general idea, but nothing I had seen made me rush out to test it for genealogy. Then, while working on a genealogy presentation, I discovered something I had completely missed: Work could go beyond helping me develop a presentation and actually create the editable PowerPoint itself. That discovery sent me down quite the rabbit hole. 😂 I started taking a much closer look at what Work can really do and, naturally, how genealogists might use it. So, What Is ChatGPT Work? OpenAI describes Work as an agent designed for longer, multi-step work and finished deliverables. Regular Chat remains geared more toward conversational assistance and everyday questions, while Work is intended to take a larger goal and carry more of the task through to completion. That distinction can be a little confusing because many individual tasks are not new. I have already been using regular ChatGPT for years to analyze records, develop research plans, create timelines, draft family histories, work with spreadsheets, organize information, and help build presentations. Projects also already give us a place to keep related chats, files, instructions, and research together. So I do not see Work as a replacement for either Chat or Projects. The difference seems to be more about how much of the job ChatGPT can carry out for you. Instead of only helping me plan or develop something, Work may be able to take the material I provide and create the finished output for me to review and edit. What Can Work Create? This is the part that finally got my attention. Work can create and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, and analyses from instructions, attached source material, or existing templates. It can also work across supported apps, files, and other tools as part of a larger workflow. OpenAI describes Work as being able to bring scattered notes, drafts, files, and ideas together into finished work. And then there are Sites. ChatGPT Sites can create, preview, publish, and share actual interactive websites and lightweight apps directly from ChatGPT Work. That one surprised me enough to immediately start testing it with genealogy research too. How Could Genealogists Use Work? I started testing, and several possibilities immediately came to mind:
That is actually one of the things I plan to pay close attention to as I continue testing: Is Work genuinely giving me something new, or is it simply another way to do something I could already do in Chat or Projects? If regular Chat already handles the task well, I don't see any reason to use Work just because it is newer. The Finished Deliverables Are What Interest Me Most So far, the biggest difference for me has been the ability to move from: “Help me create this.” to: “Create this so I can review and edit it.” That is exactly what happened with my presentation test. ChatGPT has helped me build presentations for years—ideas, slide titles, timing, visuals, and more from my notes or instructions. But I still had to manually build the actual PowerPoint and the daunting task of designing it. With Work, I received the editable presentation itself. Then I tested ChatGPT Sites using research, documents, and photographs from one of my ancestors. Instead of giving me website code and leaving me to figure out what to do with it, ChatGPT created an actual hosted Site that I could preview, edit conversationally, and eventually share by link. Those capabilities turned out to be interesting enough that I began testing them individually, and one test quickly led to another. Where Work May Be Most Useful for Genealogy I think Work may be especially helpful when the research or information already exists and the challenge is turning it into something useful. For example: Research → presentation Research → interactive family-history Site Existing notes and files → organized deliverable Blog or article → presentation Completed research → client or family-history experience That does not replace the research itself. But it could reduce some of the time-consuming work that happens after the information has already been gathered and analyzed. For genealogists who speak, teach, write, work with clients, or create family-history projects for relatives, that could be very useful. Responsible Use Still Matters As with any AI tool, more capability also means more responsibility. Genealogy can involve living people, DNA information, unknown parentage, private family stories, client material, personal photographs, and copyrighted records or publications. Before using Work with genealogy material, consider what you are uploading, whether you have permission to use it, and whether the resulting output should remain private. And, of course, verify everything. A polished report, presentation, spreadsheet, or website can still contain an incorrect date, relationship, interpretation, or unsupported detail. AI may help create the finished product. The genealogist is still responsible for the genealogy. My First Impression I am still figuring out where ChatGPT Work fits into my own workflow. So far, I do not think its value is that everything suddenly became new. Much of what Work can do overlaps with things we already do in regular ChatGPT. What interests me is where it can take an existing task farther, especially when it can create something I would otherwise have to build myself. What began with two examples, editable PowerPoint presentations and interactive Sites, quickly turned into a much larger series of hands-on genealogy tests. Since then, I’ve experimented with research workbooks, presentation handouts, printable and fillable genealogy worksheets, locality guides, interactive charts, ancestor biographies, and more. Some impressed me more than others. Some needed revisions. And a few showed me possibilities I genuinely had not considered before. I’ll be sharing each of those tests separately so I can look at what worked, what didn’t, and whether the result actually offers something useful for genealogists. And knowing me, I’m probably not finished testing yet. 😉 If I find another Work capability that makes me think, “Now this really is different,” you can probably guess what will happen next. More AI and Genealogy ResourcesLearn about more AI and family history & genealogy resources under the AI in Genealogy and Genealogy Resources category and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
 UGA Summit of Excellence 2026 Wrap-Up: Three Days of Genealogical Learning UGA Summit of Excellence 2026 Wrap-Up: Three Days of Genealogical Learning The Utah Genealogical Association’s (UGA) Summit of Excellence 2026 has wrapped up, and once again, it was three full days of genealogical learning! I had the pleasure of attending the virtual conference again this year, and presenting as well. One of the things I enjoy most about the Summit is the variety. From beginner topics to DNA, records, technology, international research, writing, military research, and more, there is always something new to learn, or a familiar subject presented in a way that makes you look at it differently. Day 1: Getting Started DayThe conference kicked off with the traditional free beginner day, followed by the keynote address from Michael L. Strauss, MA, AG, AGL, at the end of the day. Even though the sessions were geared toward those getting started in genealogy, I joined them all. Because why not? It’s free. 😉 One presentation that especially stood out to me was Bringing Your Ancestors to Life: Going Beyond the Facts by Karen A. Fortin. Karen used an interesting ancestor story to demonstrate how we can move beyond simply collecting names, dates, and places and begin developing a fuller picture of our ancestors and their lives. That is something I always appreciate—using the records we uncover to tell more of the story rather than leaving our ancestors as a collection of facts on a pedigree chart. Day 2: DNA, Records, International, Military, and Ethnic ResearchDay 2 offered tracks covering DNA, Records, International, Military, and Ethnic topics. There were ten sessions offered throughout the day, with two running at each time slot, which meant attendees could choose five to watch live. Fortunately, the recordings will be available through the end of December, so we can go back and watch the sessions we had to miss. I was able to attend four sessions live instead of five because this was also the day of my own presentation, COLD CASE: An Investigative Protocol for Genealogical Brick Walls. Of course, one of the presentations I wanted to see happened to be scheduled at the same time as mine, so that one will have to wait for the recordings! One of my Day 2 standouts was Year by Year: Reconstructing Families with City Directories by Kate Townsend. This was a very, very good presentation and extremely useful. City directories can contain so much more information than we sometimes realize when we look at only a single year. Following an individual or family year by year can help reveal residences, occupations, household changes, relationships, migrations, and clues to other records. It was also a topic that particularly interested me because this is a presentation topic I have been working on myself, so I found the session especially valuable. Day 3: Writing, Technology, Records, International, DNA, and Military ResearchDay 3 included tracks covering Writing, Technology, Records, International, DNA, and Military topics. As with Day 2, ten sessions were offered, with two running at each time slot, allowing attendees to choose five live presentations. Well...in theory. 😉 I was able to watch four sessions instead of five. Unfortunately, one speaker did not show up. After waiting about ten minutes, we were asked to join the other presentation being offered during that time slot. I tried, but after waiting another ten minutes to be let into that session, I finally gave up. So, once again, I’ll be looking forward to the recordings! Two presentations especially stood out to me on Day 3. Testing Family Legends: When Oral History Meets the Archive The first was Testing Family Legends: When Oral History Meets the Archive by Sue McNelly. I almost didn’t choose this presentation because, based solely on the title, I didn’t think the topic would particularly interest me. I’m very glad I changed my mind. This turned out to be an excellent presentation and much more research-focused than I had expected from the title. Sue presented a very interesting approach to following clues through the records and systematically testing family claims. She covered testing claims with records and research, correlating information, collateral and cluster research, evaluating evidence, and more. It was thorough, very well thought out, and easy to follow. It was definitely one of those conference sessions that reminds me not to judge a presentation entirely by its title! What the Law Put Asunder: Divorce in Americas Another standout was What the Law Put Asunder: Divorce in Americas by Sara Cochran. This was another session I almost skipped because divorce records were not a topic I was particularly interested in at the moment. Boy, am I glad I didn’t! Sara was excellent, as always. She took a topic that many genealogists may not immediately think of as an important part of their research and showed just how useful these records can be. Divorce records can contain information about family relationships and circumstances that may not appear anywhere else. The presentation was informative, practical, and interesting—and made a very good case for why divorce research deserves a place in our genealogical toolbox. Looking AheadOnce again, the UGA Summit of Excellence offered a great mix of genealogy education over three days. One of the biggest advantages of a virtual conference like this is not having to truly “miss” a presentation simply because two interesting sessions are scheduled at the same time. With the recordings available through the end of December, I still have plenty more sessions to watch—and a few I already know are at the top of my replay list. That ability to go back and catch the presentations I couldn’t attend live is one of my favorite parts of the Summit. I still have more learning ahead of me even though the live conference has officially ended. A huge thank you to the Utah Genealogical Association, the organizers, volunteers, speakers, and attendees who made the 2026 Summit of Excellence possible. I was thrilled to be part of the conference again this year, both as a presenter and as an attendee. And now...time to start working my way through those replays! 😉 More Events, Classes, and PresentationsLearn about more fantastic genealogy events, classes and presentations under the Genealogy Events category and my upcoming speaking events. Looking for a Genealogy Speaker?Explore my genealogy presentations for societies, conferences, seminars, workshops, and other genealogy events.
 Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring: My Last-Minute Family History File Rescue Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring: My Last-Minute Family History File Rescue I have spent part of the last couple of days doing something I definitely did not have on my genealogy to-do list: opening hundreds of old Microsoft Publisher files and making sure anything important was saved in a format I could still use in the future. And when I say hundreds, I mean hundreds. 😉 I actually started working on this a couple of months ago, but with Microsoft Publisher's retirement now just weeks away, I realized it was crunch time. At first, I didn't think Publisher's retirement would affect me very much. I barely use it anymore. I have a few old business items and templates created in Publisher—things like invoices, business flyers, cards, and other materials—but most of what I create today is done with newer tools. Then I remembered my books. And suddenly, Publisher's retirement became a much bigger project. More Than a Few Old Business Files Over the years, I have published books and created family heirloom books, and many of the photograph and picture pages in those books were originally designed in Microsoft Publisher. Some of those files go back more than a decade. Although many had already been saved or exported as PDFs or images somewhere along the way, not all of them had. So, there I was, going through old folders and Publisher files one by one, checking what I had, opening files, and saving anything I might want or need again as a PDF and, for some of the individual picture pages, JPEGs as well. It wasn't particularly exciting genealogy work. But it was definitely family history preservation work. And that is what made me realize this was worth sharing. Microsoft Publisher Is Retiring in October If you still have Microsoft Publisher files tucked away on your computer, external drives, or cloud storage, this is a deadline you should know about. Microsoft is officially retiring Publisher in October 2026. For Microsoft 365 subscribers, Publisher can continue to be used through October 1, 2026. After that date, Publisher will no longer be available through Microsoft 365, and subscribers will no longer be able to use Publisher to open or edit their PUB files. Microsoft has specifically recommended converting existing Publisher files into other formats before then. But there is an important distinction if you own a perpetual version, such as Publisher 2021. Your copy will not suddenly stop opening on October 1. Microsoft says perpetual versions of Publisher can continue to be installed and used after retirement. However, support for Publisher 2021 ends in October 2026 along with Office 2021. Once support ends, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or technical support. So although Publisher 2021 may continue working, that doesn't mean I want important family history material to exist only as a Publisher file. Future Windows changes, computer replacements, software compatibility issues, or simply not having Publisher installed someday could eventually make those files difficult—or impossible—to use. And there isn't going to be a Publisher 2024 waiting for us. Microsoft did not include Publisher in Office 2024. Publisher really is reaching the end of the road. That's When My Little Backup Project Became a Big One Once I understood what was happening, I started thinking beyond the handful of Publisher files I use—or used to use—for my business. What old files did I have that I hadn't opened in years? What had I created in Publisher that existed nowhere else? What would happen if ten years from now I wanted one of those family heirloom book pages and could no longer open the original file? That led me straight to those old book folders. Many of the picture pages contained family photographs arranged into carefully designed layouts. Some had captions and other information incorporated into the page. They weren't simply photographs that I could pull from my photo collection and instantly recreate. Yes, I still have my original photographs. Yes, I still have my published books. And yes, many pages had already been saved in other formats. But I didn't want to assume everything important had been preserved. So I checked. And checked. And checked some more. 😉 What I Saved For anything I might want to view, print, share, or reference in the future, I made sure I had an accessible version outside Publisher. For me, that primarily meant:
I'm not throwing away my original Publisher files simply because the program is retiring. Those are still the original working files, and I may be able to open and edit them for years. I'm simply making sure they are not my only copies of the content. For family history preservation, I would much rather have the original proprietary file and an accessible copy than depend entirely on software that is reaching the end of its supported life. Do You Have Forgotten Publisher Files? If you have ever used Microsoft Publisher, this is probably a good time to find out. Publisher was popular for all kinds of projects genealogists and family historians might have created over the years: family history books, reunion booklets, newsletters, pedigree charts, photo pages, memorial programs, cemetery or society publications, flyers, invitations, calendars, certificates, family reunion materials, and more. And because some of these files may be 10, 15, or even 20 years old, you may not remember everything you created. Microsoft recommends searching your computer or storage for Publisher files by looking for the .pub file extension. That's essentially what I did—although in my case, I already knew exactly which folders were going to cause me trouble. 😉 A Quick Publisher Preservation Checklist If you have old Publisher files, I would do this before October: 1. Search for your PUB files. Look through your computer, external drives, backup drives, and cloud storage. 2. Identify anything you would hate to lose access to. Don't worry about every old flyer or abandoned project unless it matters to you. Concentrate first on irreplaceable family history, genealogy, photographs, books, and personal material. 3. Open important files while you still have Publisher available. Make sure they actually open correctly and that photographs, fonts, and layouts still appear as expected. 4. Save or export important items as PDFs. For visually designed pages, PDFs are particularly useful because the goal is often to preserve how the finished page looks. 5. Save images separately when appropriate. Depending on the project, you may also want JPEG or other image copies of individual pages or elements. 6. Keep the original PUB files too. Converting something to PDF doesn't mean you need to destroy the original. 7. Back everything up. Of course, converting a file isn't much help if your only copy is still sitting on one aging computer. The Bigger Family History Lesson This whole experience reminded me of something that goes far beyond Microsoft Publisher. Digital preservation isn't just about backing up our files. It is also about making sure we will still be able to access those files. Genealogists spend an enormous amount of time preserving old photographs, scanning documents, downloading records, building family trees, writing family histories, and organizing decades of research. But our digital family history can become dependent on a particular program, file format, website, device, or technology without us even realizing it. Today, for me, it was Microsoft Publisher. Years from now, it will undoubtedly be something else. A file can be perfectly backed up in three different places and still become a problem if none of the computers in your family can open it. That is why part of digital preservation needs to include occasionally asking: What software do I need to open this? Will this format still be usable years from now? Do I have an accessible version of the finished material in addition to the original working file? Apparently, this week my own answers to those questions involved several hundred Publisher files and quite a bit more time than I originally expected. 😉 But my published books, family heirloom books, photograph pages, and other important Publisher creations (including many my children created when they were little and are priceless) now have preservation copies outside the program. And I can finally cross "rescue old Publisher files before October" off my list. If you've ever used Microsoft Publisher—especially for genealogy, family books, photographs, newsletters, or other family history projects--now might be a very good time to search for those old PUB files and make sure anything important isn't trapped inside them. October is almost here. Learn more at Microsoft Publisher retirement and preparation information. More on Software for Genealogy & OrganizationLearn about more family history and genealogy software and organization under the Genealogy Software and Organization categories and on my dedicated Genealogy Resources page.
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Welcome to the BlogWelcome to Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family! Here you'll find genealogy research tips, family history resources, DNA insights, technology and AI tools, genealogy news, and stories from my own research journey. Whether you're just starting your family tree, exploring your ancestry, or tackling a challenging brick wall, my goal is to help you discover, understand, and preserve your family's story. Categories
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