Top Hits From My RootsTech 2022 Playlist

Speaker: Roberta Estes

Length: 44:27

Description

Now that you've identified DNA segments associated with ancestors, what can you do with them? How do you push them back in time to pinpoint earlier ancestors? Triangulation is the key, but there are many ways to accomplish that - at the vendors and also using third-party tools! Session one shows you how to harvest and paint your segments.

Why I Like It

Since I'm working on several case studies that heavily involve the use of DNA, I am always looking for tools to get more bang from my DNA bucks. In this session, Roberta Estes covers a variety of tools that will help you look at and use your DNA results in ways you might not have considered.

This is a 3-part session, recorded live during RootsTech, with all 3 parts in one continuous recording.

Part 1 covers the process of bulk downloading of your DNA so you can upload it to third-party tools.

Part 2 discusses how to use your ethnicity segment data

Part 3, dubbed "Genetic Time Travel," demonstrates how to use your DNA to push back in time in order to associate segments with ancestors.

There is no handout for this session, but throughout the presentation, Ms. Estes gives links to posts on her blog DNAeXplained covering a specific topic in more detail.

If you are new to using DNA segment data in your research, be sure to watch Ms. Estes's other 3-part presentation (recorded live earlier the same day), Associating Autosomal DNA Segments With Ancestors, which covers the basics of getting started.

Ms. Estes is extremely knowledgeable about genetic genealogy. I loved her expression about "using what your ancestors gave you," meaning your DNA.

If you are serious about learning more about genetic genealogy, you won't want to miss any of her sessions! (I'm still working my way through them all.)

Speaker: Michael John Neill

Length: 27:50

Description

Harvesting and milking all the available records having to do with your farming ancestors will reveal they weren't as “boring” as some might think. See how to get a complete picture of these amazing U.S. ancestors who made their living in agriculture.

Why I Like It

I've heard the expression "my ancestors were just boring farmers" so many times that I've lost count. The truth is: the ancestors weren't "boring." They just haven't been thoroughly researched. And farm ancestors sometimes take a bit more work.

Michael John Neill has the cure for that. From estate records to court records to the agriculture censuses, Mr. Neill covers a variety of record sets to help bring your farming ancestor to life. I especially love those gossipy newspaper articles, like this one about Miller Keys' lamb with one head, four ears, two bodies, and eight legs." I'm sure THAT wasn't boring!

Nearly all of my ancestors were farmers, and I'm always looking for sources to help enrich their stories. If your ancestors were farmers, too, then this session is a must-watch. Be sure to grab the handout, which is a copy of his presentation slides.

Speaker: Katherine Schober

Length: 20:17

Description

Learn helpful tips & tricks—from Microsoft Word hacks to invaluable online resources—that make deciphering foreign-language records much easier when you don't speak the language.

Why I Like It

If you've managed to trace your ancestor "across the pond," or to any other country where you don't speak or read the language, then this session is for you.

Katherine Schober is a German-English genealogy translator, and she knows her "stuff" when it comes to deciphering languages. In this session, she covers a variety of techniques for reading and understanding genealogy documents in a "foreign" language, ranging from common-sense strategies like looking for stamps and headings, to technology helps like internet translators.

Speaker: Roxanne Thayne

Length: 12:51

Description

Too often our attempts at recording our family history leave everyone, including the authors, bored. How do you make the people and events come to life for future generations? Learn to create an arc, insert stakes, write the title and give the details and dialogue that make the story pop.

Why I Like It

As a genealogist and a writer, I've often found it difficult to turn the academic "factoids" of family history into a story that is readable as well as interesting. Honestly, it has been a bumpy ride on the struggle bus learning to meld left-brain analysis with right-brain storytelling.

In this session, Roxanne Thayne offers suggestions for adding details, dialogue, a story arc, and more, in order to make your family history story something others will want to read. There are very few slides in this presentation, and Ms. Thayne's engaging, conversational tone was more like having a FaceTime chat with your old friend the writer.

There is no handout, per se, but a copy of the few slides used in this talk can be downloaded. You'll want to note that these are in .key and can only be opened in Keynote (for Mac). I was able to open the slides on my iPad and save them to PDF so I can read them on any device later.

Speaker: Charlotte Barnes

Length: 14:26

Description

Learn how family history can provide youth with strength, identity, and protection in this crazy world of changing values and ideals.

Why I Like It

As the mother of a teenager, I can vouch for the fact that being a kid is ridiculously hard in today's world. So many conflicting messages are being thrown at them every day - at school, on social media - it can be difficult for them to find their place.

Charlotte Barnes is an author and busy mother of six, and she has some great ideas for helping your kid find her/his anchor. I love her idea of a surname "shield", as well as telling ancestor "hero" stories to help kids learn to overcome difficult challenges.

Ms. Barnes is fun to listen to (though I would have liked to see her video in a larger box). If you're looking for suggestions on how to help your kids navigate today's crazy world, be sure to add this session to your playlist.

If you watched my interview with FamilySearch Director of Events Jen Allen, then you already know that I've had a crush on Matthew Modine since the 80s (specifically, since he played the adorably bumbling FBI agent in Married to the Mob). Watching his keynote was top of my RootsTech to-do list, and I was definitely not disappointed.

Matthew Modine's keynote begins at the 45:33 mark, following a talk by Palestinian-American comedian Maysoon Zayid (who was also quite enjoyable) and some delicious-looking Thai food. I loved his story about the tree he planted, as well as his reaction to learning how close his Dutch ancestors once lived to his current New York home.

In case you're wondering, Mr. Modine does not reveal whether or not Dr. Martin Brenner will return in Stranger Things season 4, so we'll all just have to wait and see!

One of my favorite parts of RootsTech has always been The Tech. Back in the early days of the conference, The Tech featured prominently, and I fondly remember walking up and down Innovators' Alley and waiting to find out who would win the annual prize money.

If you're also a fan of The Tech, then you'll definitely want to take a look at the Innovators Portal to find out what's new and exciting!