RootsTech 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah was an amazing success with RootsTech marking its 10th anniversary! I attended so many amazing classes. Some of my favorites were:
My Ancestor Was a Farmer–Telling Their Stories by Joshua Taylor
Search Angel Secrets by McKell Keeney (Using DNA to find adoptee families)
“Novelize” Your Family History Story by Allison Taylor
Engaging the Family in Telling Your Family Story by Nicole Dyer, Jana Greenhalgh and Olivia Jewell
Keynote: My favorite 2020 Keynotes Speaker was Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother from the movie The Blind Side (2009) with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. She told her inspiring story about her son Michael Oher and his rise to NFL fame. Leigh Anne and her husband Sean Tuohy gave Michael a second chance in life. Her message was you can make a difference!
I also had the opportunity to teach three sessions. Two of them with my wonderful genealogy friends, Diana Elder AG, Jenny Hansen AG, and Jana Greenhalgh AG. If you are interested in the class slides, check out the Class Presentation section of my website Lisa Stokes Heritage Research.
Accreditation: What, Why, and How by Diana Elder, Jenny Hansen & Lisa Stokes
Put It in Writing: Effective Research Reports by Jana Greenhalgh & Lisa Stokes
Finding and Using Obituaries by Lisa Stokes
Free Recorded Sessions: Recorded sessions are now available for you to view at the RootsTech website for free here: View RootsTech for FREE! My favorite recorded sessions were:
DNA, Genealogy, and Law Enforcement: All the Facts by Blaine Bettinger Link
Finding Your Elusive Female Ancestors by Julie Stoddard Link
I can’t wait to watch the following sessions for free:
German Research for the Everyday American by Karynne Moses Link
Healing & Family History-The Emotional Side of DNA by Robin Worthlin Link
Discovering Your Family with Interviews and Sources by Matt & Rachael Trotter Link
Unlocking the Power of the FamilySearch Wiki by Danielle Batson, Jenny Hansen & Jeff Svare Link
There are 18 free presentations with something for every genealogist: beginner, intermediate or advanced. So check out the list of sessions from some excellent presenters here: Free2020 RootsTech Sessions
RootsTech 2020 Virtual Pass: If you like the free sessions, you may want to purchase the RootsTech 2020 Virtual Pass for $129 dollars. The recordings will be available until September 1st 2020 here: RootsTech 2020 Virtual Pass
Here are all the sessions available on the Virtual Pass:
Resources for Tracing Mayflower Ancestors by Lindsay Fulton, Donald LeClair, & Ginevra Morse
Accreditation: What, Why, and How by Diana Elder, Jenny Hansen & Lisa Stokes
Challenges of Jewish Research: Names, Dates, Places by Janette Silverman
What do you mean the vital record is wrong? by Shannon Combs-Bennett
Essential Tools for the Hobbyist Genealogist by Olivia Jewell
Kicking DNA up a Notch to Unmask Unknown Ancestors by Roberta Estes
Finding My Story: Adoption and Family History by Amie Tennant
10 Years Later: 20 Ways RootsTech Changed Our World by Joshua Taylor
Ancestry Search Tips & Tricks by Crista Cowan
Oral History for Beginners: Interviewing Is Key by Rachel Trotter & Rhonda Lauritzen
Report for Duty: Find Stories of Veteran Ancestors by Lindsay Fulton, David Lambert & Melanie McComb
The Leeds Method: Grouping DNA Matches to Identify Shared Ancestors by Dana Leeds
Finding Your England Ancestors Online by Jana Greenhalgh
The 2020 Genealogist’s Google Search Methodology by Lisa Louise Cooke
German Vital Records: Finding the Clues You Need by Katherine Schober
British & Irish Research: The Differences by Brian Donovan
Gathering the Life Stories of Living Generations by Deborah Abbott, Sunny Morton & Jay Newton-Small
A 5 Company Comparison of DNA Ethnicity Results by Diahan Southard
Any French ancestors? Research them yourself! By Muriele Gadaut & Jerome Malhache
Super Tools: Research Plans and Logs by Heather Murphy
Using the Online Scandinavian Church Records by Jenny Hansen
Geography of the British Isles: A Crash Course! By Myko Clelland
Y-DNA Basics for Genealogy & Parentage by Gale French
The First Documented Africans and Hear Their Story by Ric Murphy
DNA Clusters: Power in Numbers by Randy Whited
Engaging the Family in Telling Your Family Story by Nicole Dyer, Jana Greenhalgh & Olivia Jewell
FamilySearch Records: The Most Valuable Collections for your Family History by David Ouimette
Three Next Steps for Your DNA Test by Diahan Southard
Not in the Census? Try again! by Drew Smith
Locating Your Immigrant’s Hometown by Debbie Gurtler
I hope you enjoy watching a few RootsTech sessions!