RootsTech 2018 was a great success! Over 14,000 genealogy enthusiasts attended this year’s conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, with hundreds of exhibitors marketing their innovative products and services in the Expo Hall. Products and services ranged from genealogical society memberships, to pedigree charts, DNA testing, genealogy software and photo storage, to name a few.
It was so fun to meet up with friends and family, including my Aunt Jane (left) who was a first time attendee. And what a treat to make connections with my 5th cousins, sisters Judy, Sharon and Karen, on my Grandpa Guy Roberts Wallin’s line! (Sharon and Karen pictured below). We are related on the Lane Line with common ancestors John Fuller Lane (1727-1785) and Elizabeth Cloud (1730-1788).
Some of my favorite presentations were:
Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG: Missing—Presumed Dead: A Case Study of Civil War Records.” Rebecca inspired me to bring to life the story of our Civil War ancestor, Thomas Jefferson Stokes. Rebecca is a Maryland researcher and can be found at the Association of Professional Genealogists: https://www.apgen.org/
Diana Elder, AG: “Getting Organized One Paper at a Time.” Diana gave practical tips and strategies for organizing your research. She has her slides posted at her blog: http://familylocket.com/rootstech-presentation-slides-source-citations-and-getting-organized/ and her profile can also be found at the APG site: : https://www.apgen.org/
Nicole Dyer: “Research Confederate Soldiers Online: Nicole covered many great sources that will help me in my Civil War research of Thomas Jefferson Stokes. Nicole has these online sources listed at her blog: http://familylocket.com/rootstech-sources-to-research-confederate-soldiers-online/
If you missed RootsTech, here is the link to watch recordings of more than a dozen “live streaming sessions” and keynote addresses by Brandon Stanton, Scott Hamilton, Natalia LaFourcade, and Henry Louis Gates: https://www.rootstech.org/rootstech-2018-videos
Mark your calendars for RootsTech 2019 February 27- March 2, 2019 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. See you there!