Updating My Genealogy Surname Word Cloud—and a Little Blog Housekeeping

As I'm winding down my end-of-summer staycation, I took time to do a little housecleaning on my blog. Below are the updates I made to the general layout.

• Removed links to social media sites I'm no longer monitoring. Ancestry (patndoris94) or Threads (@patndoris) have evolved into the best "off-blog" ways to contact me. Of course, you're always welcome to leave comments directly on any posts here on Blogger! 
• Added a text link to show I'm a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). 
• Updated disclosures to include how I use ChatGPT for titles, search descriptions, and to review posts for clarity, punctuation and grammar. I will continue to use disclosures on individual posts as well.
• Updated disclosures to clarify that prices and features of any site I review were current at the time the post was published.
• Updated my notice regarding sharing to clarify it's fine to share my posts on other social media sites by linking directly to a post.
• And my favorite! It's been 2 years since I posted my first surname word cloud using ChatGPT. I've updated it to reflect the current distribution of names in my tree. The current surname word cloud appears in my sidebar.

Take a little peek at the changes to my surname distribution. The first image is the newly generated image for 2026. The second picture is the original surname cloud from 2024. While they look similar, some of the names have grown in font size, indicating I now have more of these family members in my tree. My original 2024 image was based on 677 individual surnames. The new 2026 image is based on 971 individual surnames—an increase of approximately 43%!

Surname word cloud 2026

Surname word cloud 2024

Generating a word cloud with ChatGPT is very easy! I used the Publish feature of Family Tree Maker (FTM) to create a Surname Report. I chose to include all individuals, but you can also select immediate family, extended family, or choose specific individuals. I generated the report and then exported it to a CSV file. I removed the total line (otherwise the word Total will be included as a surname). Then I asked ChatGPT to create a word cloud using the attached CSV file, with the font size reflecting the number of individuals for each surname. I was happy with the default colors it used last time, but you could absolutely prompt it to use alternate color schemes if you wish.

As always, I'm thankful for everyone who stops by to read my blog. I'm especially grateful to those who regularly share my posts so they can reach more family historians, and to those who comment to let me know when a post resonates in some way. I know housekeeping updates aren't exciting, but I do want to be transparent—especially about my use of AI and how to best share my content with others.

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to create my surname word cloud. I also used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.

GPC eBook Library: 800+ Genealogy Books at Your Fingertips

I primarily research online. I have really bad anxiety, and driving outside of my immediate comfort zone (a few miles around my hometown) is something I simply don't do. This makes any meaningful in-person research trips pretty much impossible. Vacations (like my current 10-day time away from work!) are staycations. For this reason, I'm always on the lookout for ways to maximize my research online. This is also the reason for having so many online subscriptions. It dramatically expands my research world. 

The "Big 4" sites certainly present me with more hints than I'll ever work through. These help me find out where my ancestors lived or moved, their occupations, military service, many family members and (hopefully) the important birth, marriage and death dates. Newspaper articles (if available) can help fill in more about their daily lives. And obituaries often contain a wealth of information. But I always feel there's more to be found, so I keep an eye out for other ways I might find additional information. And I'm always interested in continuing my education to make my journey as rewarding as possible.

When I came across Genealogical.com a few years ago, I felt like I hit on a gold mine. This publisher focuses on genealogy and family history and has been publishing for 65 years. From the website:

"Genealogical.com is the leading–and oldest–publisher of genealogy books in the country. Under the Genealogical Publishing Company (GPC) and Clearfield Company imprints, Genealogical.com features a catalog of more than 2,000 publications..."

In addition to providing physical books, they offer an eBook subscription called the GPC eBook Library. It provides access to a collection of over 800 books through the Bookshelf platform. The library can be accessed from any internet-connected device. You can also download your books for offline access. The website also says the eBook library contains "Books of records focusing on Colonial America to about the Civil War" and "The undisputed best and most comprehensive collection of How-To and Guide Books." This includes Evidence Explained, 4th Edition by Elizabeth Shown Mills!

Subscriptions to this eBook library can be purchased directly on the website for 3 months ($45), 6 months ($75), or 1 year ($135). Access to 800+ books for this price is definitely a bargain. But an even better deal may be an American Ancestors Digital Access Membership at a cost of $49.95. Since I'm focusing on Genealogical.com, if you want to learn more about the many valuable perks of the American Ancestors Digital Access Membership, please read my post American Ancestors: Perks Well Worth the Cost. A membership with American Ancestors includes access to the GPC eBook Library at no additional cost. For $5 more than a direct 3-month subscription, you get a whole host of resources!

One great feature of the GPC eBook Library is the ability to search across all books at one time. This saves a ton of time scrolling through titles and reading book summaries. They've also added an AI assistant to help clarify and explain various concepts in each book. "...it’s like having the author sitting next to you, explaining laws, customs and processes." You can also copy, paste and print. Understandably, the amount of a book you can print is limited, to respect the work of the authors. You can also highlight, make notes and set bookmarks if you wish. Please note: If you download and access offline, highlights, notes and bookmarks will sync when you reconnect online. If you prefer, you can use search filters to limit the GPC eBook Library by region, subject or time period. 

I firmly believe continuing to study and learn is every bit as important as working with hints and records. While you may or may not find any books specifically mentioning your ancestors, this library provides a wonderful opportunity to access reference books to help you expand your knowledge, improve your skills, and become more efficient in your research. As always, this site is linked in my Genealogy Toolbox. If you're already using Genealogical.com's GPC eBook Library, comment below or reach out and connect with me on social media. I'd enjoy hearing about your experiences with the eBook library.

Note: Prices and features referenced in this post were current when I reviewed the sites in August 2026.

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

Disclosure: I use ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description. I also used ChatGPT to review this post for clarity, punctuation and grammar. Unless otherwise indicated, the content and all opinions are my own.

Not Too Wordy Wednesday: My Grandfather's Pocket Watch

I've never done a Wordless Wednesday post—and since I'm rarely wordless—this one is a "Not Too Wordy Wednesday" post!

My father told me my grandfather, Virgil Ray James (1901-1979), received this monogrammed Hallmark pocket watch from his father, Francis Asbury James (1875-1950), as a reward for reaching adulthood without smoking or drinking. Although I can't recall exactly, I believe it was for his 21st birthday. This would have been in 1922. It was passed on to my father, and he passed it on to my son. At 104 years old, it's a treasured James family heirloom.

Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to assist with a title and search description, and to check for grammatical or punctuation errors. All content is my own.