Hi all! Last week was a busy news week in both genealogy and tech. There was a lot going on, and I couldn’t decide what to write about – so I figured I’d write a little about it all! Here’s the scoop:

A New Look for GEDmatch

I’ll readily confess: DNA research is not my strongest area. When I received my first DNA test results more than a decade ago, I eagerly uploaded the raw data to GEDmatch and found several promising matches. Unfortunately, I found the interface confusing, became frustrated, and never got much farther than that first match list.

That may be about to change. GEDmatch is preparing a complete redesign of its website and user interface. The beta site is scheduled to open in August 2026, with the redesigned site becoming fully operational by the end of the year. Existing kits, GEDCOMs, and notes will carry over automatically, so users will not need to transfer their information.

I’m excited—and hopeful—that the new interface will make GEDmatch more approachable for researchers like me. I’ll probably have more on this once the beta opens in August!

Codex in the ChatGPT Desktop App

OpenAI has recently expanded Codex, its AI coding agent, within the ChatGPT desktop app. Codex is available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, although it is no longer limited to paid plans and usage limits vary by subscription level.

Although Codex was designed primarily for software development, one of its most interesting features is its ability to work directly with files in a folder on your computer. Anthropic’s Claude Code offers similar access to local project files. This means that you can use Codex and Claude Code, one after the other, with the same collection of files instead of repeatedly uploading and downloading them.

The two programs do not automatically communicate or coordinate with each other, so you remain responsible for managing the workflow and reviewing their changes. It is also safest to avoid having both programs edit the same file at the same time.

Thanks to Steve Little for introducing me to this possibility! Be sure to visit his free Substack newsletter, Vibe Genealogy, for more practical information about AI and family history.

July Webinar: Spreadsheets for Genealogists

On July 1, I presented Spreadsheets for Genealogists: Mastering Charts, Filters, and Pivot Tables as part of Legacy Family Tree Webinars’ free webinar day. The session sparked a great deal of interest in the ways genealogists can use spreadsheets to organize and analyze their research.

Spreadsheets are especially helpful when you need to compare many people, records, or events at once. The record-tracking table shown here is one I created in Excel for my maternal Russo line.

Gaetano Russo and Anna Lisbona Russo had at least thirteen children over a 22-year period. As I gathered censuses, birth certificates, death records, military records, and other sources, it became increasingly difficult to remember which records I had found for each member of the family.

In this table, each row represents a family member and each column represents a particular census, vital record, or other source. An X shows that I have located the record. The table allows me to see my progress at a glance, identify gaps in my research, and decide what I should search for next.

Let’s meet for Office Hours on July 25th, and I can explain how I created this chart, and other ways spreadsheets might be able to help you. Spreadsheet functionality works for Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers, so you don’t need to have Excel like I do to make it work for you.