A Few Things I Learned at RootsTech

I started attending RootsTech in 2013. In the five years I have seen the conference grow and change. I have had the opportunity to work at the conference for the last two years. In 2017, I worked the information desk next to registration. I did not enjoy the experience. I was invested on helping to put on a great conference, but I also had sympathy for those who had issues and needed assistance. This year I was determined to have a great experience like the first two years few I attended the conference. I was also scheduled to work 30 hours for the conference.

Relatives at RootsTech.

The Family Search app has a feature called relatives around me. When you are in a group, users who turn on the app are shown how they are related to each other. While at RootsTech they expanded the range of the tool by creating a Geo-fence around the Salt Palace. At any time during the conference I could see between 300 and 324 of my relative’s names. Clicking on the name showed and a graphic of how we were related. I could also message them from the app.

While I was working at the FamilySearch booth on Thursday night the app showed I had a first cousin twice removed at the conference. Within minutes we met. He was my grandfathers first cousin! Although we had never met I felt a love and kinship for him. He new my grandfather and my great-grand parents. We connected in a way that never could have happened without being at RoosTech.

FamilySearch now allows imported images from Instagram, Facebook and Google Photos.
I have used social media for family history for nearly seven years. I share both the memories of the past and the memories we are making today. I have created separate family groups and carefully added members to them. I can’t tell you how many times I have downloaded something from Facebook to add to my personal files. Now the process is much easier and seamless.

There is a lot to learn about DNA results.
I took an AncestryDNA test a couple of years ago. The results confirmed some origin questions but did not reveal much about my brick wall ancestors. Many of the Matches showed me usernames and how closely we were related. It confirmed my relationships with my mother, aunt, uncle, and grandfather’s brother. However, the second and third cousins were not as easy to find a connect especially when it said that the user has No Family Tree.

At Rootstech I learned that even if the relationship result says there is not tree, there still may be one. In the above example my uncle’s result says he has no tree but by looking for a tree to preview I see he does have a tree.



Family stories can be easily accessed. 
One of the partners of FamilySearch has developed an app called  that scours the memories in your tree looking for stories. It then makes a color-coded fan chart. The darker the blue the more stories that are available. It also lists the name of the ancestor and the approximate number of minutes it will take to read the story.

At RootsTech there are DNA kit price wars.
Last year, Ancestry and MyHeritage priced their DNA kits at $49. The lowest price available. Even employees at Ancestry can only get DNA kits for $50. A great bargain for those interested in stepping into DNA. Having already taken the ancestry test I purchased a MyHeritage kit to see if I got similar results.

This year, Living DNA brought their own DNA kits for $49. MyHeritage matched the price on their kits but ancestry only lowered theirs to $59, still a bargain. I purchased a Living DNA kit this year because their specialty is more exact localities in the United Kingdom.