Coming Soon: RootsTech Connect

 

Update: Click here for the RootsTech Connect Class 

& Keynote Speaker Schedule

The global pandemic has caused untold disruption to our lives, and one of the less crucial aspects of that has meant that family history events have had to be postponed or changed.  As the world has embraced video conferencing for work, play, and family get-togethers, genealogy organisations large and small have realised that it means their reach can be extended beyond the normal attendance in person they’ve had in the past.

No less a major player in the genealogy community than FamilySearch has adopted this approach with enthusiasm.  Its RootsTech conference is an annual international event usually held in the USA, with a ticket price of over a hundred pounds to attend.  But this year, it’s been thrown open, free, to anyone with an internet connection and as many hours to spare as they like.

Reinvented as RootsTech Connect, it takes place from 25 to 27 February; however, all the presentations (over 800 of them) will be pre-recorded, to watch on demand not only over the days of the conference, but for at least a year afterwards. 

Taking part will be a dozen keynote speakers from the worlds of sport and the arts as well as family history, including well-known names like actress Sunetra Sarker and musicians Ladysmith Black Mambazo.  They’ll share what their family’s history has meant to them.

The RootsTech “classes” – shorter-than-usual presentations, on video – will cover dozens of topics (listed here) and you can build your own playlist of the ones you want to watch, or simply choose something at random.  No chance of a class being over-subscribed here!  

Many classes will be available in multiple languages thanks to online technology, and speakers from across the globe will be sharing their know-how about the records they use.  Experts on subjects like DNA and adoption will deliver presentations, and there will be cultural and heritage elements to the event, too.

As well as the classes, there will be areas on the event’s website where you can interact with the speakers and download their handouts.  And just like any genealogy conference, there will be exhibitors – in a “Virtual Marketplace”, where companies and groups can promote their products, be that books, technical innovations, or subscriptions, and you can ask them questions about their wares.

The conference traditionally features volunteer helpers in their distinctive “Ask Me Anything” t-shirts, and while this year the t-shirts may be absent, the helpers will still be there online to answer your queries about all aspects of RootsTech.

For younger genealogists aged 11-35, there will be a series of family history challenges starting on 25 February.  And for everyone participating there is Relatives@RootsTech  – an online app which will allow you to discover cousins you never knew, who are also registered.

So how can you take part?  Just go to https://www.rootstech.org and register, free of charge.  To take advantage of all the activities, you’ll need to have a free FamilySearch account, and if you’re interested in connecting with long-lost relatives, add your information to the FamilySearch.org Family Tree – an ambitious project aiming to build one universal genealogy of the human family.  Did I mention it's all free...?

And then sign onto the RootsTech website on February the 25th to check out everything that’s on offer!  At the last count, well over 200,000 people had registered.  Why not join them? This will be a unique opportunity to connect with relatives and fellow genealogists around the world, as well as increasing your family history knowledge and skills.  Hopefully it will also inspire you to use what you learn to build your family tree.

Postscript: If you’ve got Scots ancestors, you may want to watch one of my RootsTech classes, which are about using ScotlandsPeople, and the Kirk Session Records.