Final Day at Roots Tech

Saturday dawned and honestly I was not planning on returning to the final day of the conference, but as we talked about our evening in the library and looked over the class list we noticed a class being taught by Fold3!  It was a must attend so we packed up our computers and off we went.  The exhibition hall was open to everyone, registered or not, and I didn't figure anyone would ask for a badge--so Kevin went with me.  We were able to go to 3 classes--the first was an excellent one on navigating the website of the Library of Congress.  A very frustrating website but with a few pointers I discovered that it holds a wealth of amazing maps, and information available to me for free as an American!

The second class was the one taught by Fold3.  It too was very informative and they explained how they annotate and ways that each of us can improve their site by annotating our individual relatives by name.  We can also set up memorial pages for our military loved ones at no cost.  A wonderful way to pay tribute to family members for their military service.  Following the class we were quick to head to the exhibit hall to take advantage of their conference special all access pass--we can search, print, and explore the military records from home at our leisure for a year!

The final class of the day was one taught by Lisa Louise Cooke, podcaster of Genealogy Gems, who I have listened to for several years now.  She presented a variety of ideas to get those in the family not interested in family history excited. Her class was a bit to artsy crafty for Kevin but he was a trooper and endured to the end.  I found her ideas to be a fun twist that could be adapted to a variety of occasions and am excited to try several of them in the future.

So there you have it--Roots Tech 2012.  Would I go again--absolutely!  I was hesitant on Thursday to get out of my comfort zone and venture into the conference alone but I did it!  What I discovered was really not a discovery at all but rather a confirmation of what I already knew--family historians are passionate about their hobby and willing to share their love and knowledge with anyone who will listen regardless of age or ability.  Finally that I know more about family history than I give myself credit for.  I have decided that I am no longer a beginner but rather at the intermediate level and if I will but "experiment upon the words" that I have been taught, doors will open, opportunities will present themselves and  I too can enjoy the passion that is family history!

Late Night at the Library

As part of the Roots Tech conference a late night at the family history library was arranged for attendees and guests.  After meeting me for the Friday night halibut special at Little America, Kevin and I went the the library to check out the party!  With a special screening of the season premiere of "Who Do You Think You Are" being broadcast on the big screen, interest was high.  We headed to the US floor where I wanted to show Kevin a new paid website I had heard about earlier today called Fold3.  They are a site dedicated to digitizing military records and are available for no charge at the family history library and family history centers.  We were planning on spending just a few minutes to check out the website and head home.  Then we found it--detailed information on Kevin's uncle, Charles Robins, who was shot down while in the ball turret of a B-17 over Germany in WWII.

Eyewitness Report of Plane Crash of Charles Robins

 There were witness descriptions of the crash, details about the plane, details about the crew and what happened to them.  Things we had never known before which had been "classified" until recently.  Suddenly they were there before our eyes and available to copy and read in our own home!

Report of the capture of Charles Robins

We also found pension records on our two Mormon Battalion ancestors:  Ephriam Hanks and Robert Harris, Jr.  Needless to say our anticipated short stay was a long one--we didn't leave the library until well after 9 p.m.!

Roots Tech - Day 2

Day two and I couldn't wait to get to the Salt Palace!  I was armed with a long to do list of questions for vendors and classes I wanted to attend.  First item of business was to get a physical manual of my genealogy software, Legacy Family Tree!  The PDF is great but sometimes us old people just need a paper copy to touch and search!  Mission accomplished!

Legacy Family Tree Instruction Manual

Off to a wonderful day of classes!  First on the list were two on online publishing and blogging!  I have been very frustrated with blogging as I had made several attempts in the past and liked what I had done so far but then I changed my email and went with a google account so I couldn't access my old blogs without using my old email which I didn't want to do.  One question to a blogging expert--problem solved!  Not to mention that I learned wonderful hints on labels, privacy settings, etc.

The last class I attended was on Google's Toolbar and Genealogy.  Everyone who uses the web should have this type of instruction!  So many nuances that you never know about until someone in the know points them out to you!  I gleaned lots of search tips to improve my use of google images, news, books, and maps.  Finally I now know how to get "street" view on a google map!  Hooray!

Roots Tech 2012 - Thursday Classes

So many class choices--but I have to choose!  So  tried a variety of subjects:  Do I Trust Cloud Computing?, You Tube Your Family History, To Pay or Not to Pay--Online Databases, and How to Create Interactive Family Histories.  Each had a wealth of information and the presenters were outstanding.  I took copious notes which I plan to review and attempt to absorb and apply in the coming weeks!  It was interesting how easily you can create family history videos adding images, voice and text.  Definitely something to put on my to do list for the future!  I am really excited to return tomorrow!

Roots Tech 2012

When I registered for the Roots Tech 2012 conference back in November 2011 I took advantage of the $89 discount rate for consultants!  Little did I know how great this conference would turn out to be!  Imagine the latest and greatest tech toys and developments working in tandem with family history!  That is Roots Tech!

This conference is sponsored by FamilySearch and I am always so impressed with the scope and variety of the classes for both developers and users not to mention the diversity in levels for beginner - advanced family historians.

Day one was a busy one as it kicked off with a keynote speaker--Jay Verkler, CEO of FamilySearch, who gave us a quick look at how things are now and what they anticipate the future will hold.  Then off to the exhibition hall where Kevin and I had sent our family pedigrees in PDF format to Genealogywallcharts.com the night before.  They printed them 24"x36" in color--all 9  generations!  They did a free black and white 24"x36" too!  Really fun and you can immediately see where your direct line holes are!

My personal 9 generations!