What will be you be doing in February and March of 2018? If you are at all interested in furthering your knowledge of family history, you will be attending RootsTech 2018. Whether you are new to family history or a veteran, you have something to learn at RootsTech. Why? Because the genealogical community has no bounds. There is a place at RootsTech for all levels of learning, especially if you are interested in discovering your roots.
Maybe you are wondering how DNA can further your research or help you break through a brick wall. RootsTech offers classes to help in any way possible with your research. Maybe you have been apprehensive about diving into a foreign land to do research. There are always experts in almost every country teaching classes.
It was only a few short years ago that The Family History Guide was one of the new tools introduced to help genealogists at RootsTech. Visit the Expo Hall and learn what new innovations are coming to the world of family history.
“Often, genealogy is looked at as [if it’s] dead, …and people think that people who go to genealogy conferences are almost dead,” said Nicka Smith at the 2017 conference. “No! …This is a hobby. What RootsTech does is it makes it vibrant, it makes it alive, it makes it young, it makes it hip, it makes it appealing to people of all ages.”
RootsTech is all about preserving and sharing family stories through technology and innovation. “It’s so important to know who you are and to know your story. And when you know your story, then you can understand your own particular trials, the trials of your ancestors, and it helps you appreciate who you are,” said Sherri Camp at the 2017 event.
Knowing our family stories isn’t just a nice thing to know. It is vital to who we are. When you know your stories and how they have shaped your life, then you can see your ancestors’ influence in your life in often unexpected ways.
Keynote speakers have been announced for Thursday and Friday. Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, is scheduled to speak on Friday, March 2, 2018. Hamilton is known as the eternal optimist, who is convinced that “the only disability in life is a bad attitude.” His story will be interesting, especially for adoptees who are searching for their heritage. Hamilton himself is an adoptee and has two adopted children.
Brandon Stanton, creator of “Humans in New York,” will be a keynote speaker on Thursday, March 1, 2018. After being laid off as a bond trader in Chicago in 2010, Stanton bought a camera with the goal of creating a photographic census of 10,000 people on the streets of New York. Since then, his work has attracted over 20 million fans and his “Humans of New York: The Series” is a popular weekly Facebook series.
Find time to attend RootsTech 2018 and learn how you can become a better family historian.
Source: Tyler Stahle, Rootstech.org., 25 August 2017.