tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26384189432106440532024-03-13T11:51:10.757-04:00Miles' Genealogy TipsMiles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-22791411534041809372024-03-02T09:07:00.001-05:002024-03-02T09:07:11.971-05:00RootsTech Day 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4nHefdxmSrvFO_aYs53z805e6VYyln29x_MPIDp0nUUMWoh1c63D_d958CpqzwdpbdT_cBG7avUY6yaJKRN6Ix6J1GX1A_yuR9_l_zIYz2rfib0-FQE7iaT21yOlpbVpW62CD_V1LUBVCgL4YoC-1_kyLqscH_K44iXg6db7uwVfkb8UafwQyQnMxks/s1080/430678994_808581344637962_778621114733083600_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4nHefdxmSrvFO_aYs53z805e6VYyln29x_MPIDp0nUUMWoh1c63D_d958CpqzwdpbdT_cBG7avUY6yaJKRN6Ix6J1GX1A_yuR9_l_zIYz2rfib0-FQE7iaT21yOlpbVpW62CD_V1LUBVCgL4YoC-1_kyLqscH_K44iXg6db7uwVfkb8UafwQyQnMxks/w200-h200/430678994_808581344637962_778621114733083600_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Day 2 of RootsTech was another great day. So many things to do. My morning started out in Room 155EF where I presented my talk on <i>Adding Social History to Your Family History</i>. I had a packed room of nearly 600 attendees and they had great questions after the talk. After that I headed over to Room 250 to listen to Katherine Schober's talk, <i>A, B, C, Fish? German Handwriting Made Fun!</i> Katherine is a great instructor in German records and is the owner of <a href="https://germanologyunlocked.com/" target="_blank">Germanology Unlocked</a>. She currently has some deals on her classes and books during RootsTech so check out her webpage for details on those.<p></p><p>Most of the rest of my day was spent with <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/" target="_blank">MyHeritage</a> doing various things. I attended a talk by Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. He introduced several new and upcoming products that MyHeritage users will be able to use for their research. Currently MyHeritage has nearly 20 billion records available for your research. Recent features that have been added since RootsTech 2023 included the Photo Dater, AI Biographer, and AI Record Finder. Photo Dater uses AI to give an estimate of the year a photo was taken. The AI gathers information from multiple items within the photo including clothes, furniture, vehicles, etc. to build the estimate. Over 5 million photos have been dated since the product was introduced. AI Biographer creates detailed biographies by exploring your tree as well as other tress where the person is included, records, and other internet sources to gather data. Over 115,000 AI Biographies have been written in the last 2 months. These biographies are in pdf format and are attached to the tree and can be downloaded for your use. The third recent release is the AI Record Finder. This product is the first AI search engine specifically designed to find historical records for your genealogical research. The search is based on AI chat and can be built upon by adding more or less information in a series of questions or requests. Over 500,000 search messages have been requested in the last 2 months.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgp2UtsQgSVFyHPjK2wb6ZrWbvjn0JD4wpYHhHA9TiqJuYuvlm7a_wXoAo0mqcoKuQLTPkATwfkzFd4uLjyCKWsT7J9jObJaXFR3lldXCgy9XqQy3AmfLLq0U91CCrCexYsUBNcW4QP6sQ6zEtdV7ggQQYpBTz3hKwgn131LxU4OsVmqvxg2zX4vdiXhk" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="934" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgp2UtsQgSVFyHPjK2wb6ZrWbvjn0JD4wpYHhHA9TiqJuYuvlm7a_wXoAo0mqcoKuQLTPkATwfkzFd4uLjyCKWsT7J9jObJaXFR3lldXCgy9XqQy3AmfLLq0U91CCrCexYsUBNcW4QP6sQ6zEtdV7ggQQYpBTz3hKwgn131LxU4OsVmqvxg2zX4vdiXhk" width="320" /></a></div>This week, until March 4, you can upload your DNA data file to MyHeritage from another service and get FREE access to all advanced DNA features, including the Ethnicity Estimate, forever! <a href="https://blog.myheritage.com/2024/02/this-week-only-upload-your-dna-data-and-get-free-access-to-all-dna-features/" target="_blank">Click this link to learn more.</a><p></p><p></p><p>MyHeritage released several new products during RootsTech. One is the new Profile Page with hints. This profile page puts all the important information in one place including life events, saved records, immediate family, life map, consistency checks, and hints. The hints are located under each event so you will find hints that can improve birth information directly under the birth information and so on. The Profile Page has a new Biography tab where you will find the AI Biographer, basic biographies based on the records, and biography notes that you can write and edit. There is also a Photos tab where all of your photos and uploaded records are stored, and a DNA tab where your DNA results can be found.</p><p>MyHeritage also announced the release of <a href="http://OldNews.com">OldNews.com</a>. It currently has over 20 million pages from eight countries and is in 11 languages. The current countries represented include the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic. More countries including Hungary and France and several more languages will be added soon. They expect to add over 100 million newspaper pages per year in the coming years. MyHeritage is using AI extraction to gather data from obituaries during the initial release of these records. OldNews is a standalone newspaper archive which can be added to your MyHeritage account by upgrading to the Omni level or subscribed to separately. The MyHeritage Omni subscription will include MyHeritage Complete, Geni Pro, FamilyTree Webinars, OldNews and some other benefits. You can test OldNews out with a 7-day free trial.</p><p>MyHeritage is upgrading their <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/mobile" target="_blank">MyHeritage app</a> by incorporating their <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/reimagine" target="_blank">Reimagine app</a> technology. The new app will have all the same functionality allowing you to automatically crop individual photos from pictures of album pages and identify faces.</p><p>In addition to all this news, MyHeritage hinted at some upcoming releases. MyHeritage and <a href="https://www.familytreedna.com/" target="_blank">FamilyTree DNA</a> will be collaborating to allow FamilyTree DNA users to access the MyHeritage trees when looking for DNA matches and also link their DNA accounts between the two platforms. This should happen later this Spring around April-May. MyHeritage will also add the capability to securely share your DNA results with another person or researcher so they can have more detailed access and help you find lost relatives. This will be available near the end of March. Later this summer, sometime around June, MyHeritage will release their updated ethnicity results. This will increase the ethnicity groups from 42 to 80 and provide users more detailed resolution.</p><p>MyHeritage is also trying to scale up archival DNA so it can become part of the DNA products they offer. This is still a little way off but they are excited about the potential to extract DNA from artifacts such as postage stamps. </p><p>I also was able to have several one-on-one interviews on Friday. You can see the 10-minute videos at the links below.</p><p>I spoke with <a href="https://youtu.be/4LRV3PNYJJQ" target="_blank">Aaron Godfrey, Vice President of Marketing at MyHeritage</a>. We talked about how MyHeritage markets its products to its various audiences.</p><p>I spoke with <a href="https://youtu.be/Ib878SXhCpk" target="_blank">Daniel Horowitz, MyHeritage's Genealogy Expert</a> about the new products that MyHeritage has released.</p><p>I also spoke with <a href="https://youtu.be/q-7O1TZMTd8" target="_blank">Tina LaFreniere, Founder, CEO and CPO of Related Faces</a>. <a href="https://www.relatedfaces.com/" target="_blank">Related Faces</a> is a startup which helps you identify your unknown photographs. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZP-2QvpEj5PhVBeFfv2teHRy94Wl_C86ztmc65IwLBiSF1JWGWxTdDY9SR5DD02ZQS-1mGIkLWCEdtAl5IT9HEISi3WAWhqsIX_FplQUhG0qbok6ZWP3pbLECQsrwj97UefCdbOR7K9KjNQxr1O3qe4n_AsFS-Z7UlJNo4m6qpnSWk-6nL8giUhpJZo/s4000/20240301_201803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZP-2QvpEj5PhVBeFfv2teHRy94Wl_C86ztmc65IwLBiSF1JWGWxTdDY9SR5DD02ZQS-1mGIkLWCEdtAl5IT9HEISi3WAWhqsIX_FplQUhG0qbok6ZWP3pbLECQsrwj97UefCdbOR7K9KjNQxr1O3qe4n_AsFS-Z7UlJNo4m6qpnSWk-6nL8giUhpJZo/s320/20240301_201803.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MyHeritage Friends Social</td></tr></tbody></table>After all this, I attended the NGS Society Social and networked with other genealogy society leaders then went over to the MyHeritage Friends Social where we chatted with all of our MyHertiage friends. We finally got back to our room about 11:00. </p><p>Another great day at RootsTech!</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-32888192610681139982024-03-01T08:17:00.001-05:002024-03-01T08:17:25.474-05:00RootsTech Day 1<p>RootsTech has started and day 1 is in the bag. What a whirlwind day! I always try to fit in a few classes between events but am usually not able to do that successfully. However, now with the hybrid format of RootsTech I will be able to watch many of the talks online when I return home. So, expect to see posts about RootsTech over the next few weeks as I get time to view many of the talks I missed.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjDVjjxqpyjGWQ1e7sEULSAy9-86g3kB4ff_sK3GjfpQ_IR5VjDfWl1aNrVVGnqwKifYb6diiftCWs2r1POeqKvt3EUpbhnsw1Yj-TyrxHT3EVby56li51hc1aiDbfGvapmr6cO09ksgurdHKwxfkikOHb3eIRM0qtb4rvgxpy5uQkeu2XmSrZ-NLFew/s4000/20240229_071118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Breakfast with Storied" border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjDVjjxqpyjGWQ1e7sEULSAy9-86g3kB4ff_sK3GjfpQ_IR5VjDfWl1aNrVVGnqwKifYb6diiftCWs2r1POeqKvt3EUpbhnsw1Yj-TyrxHT3EVby56li51hc1aiDbfGvapmr6cO09ksgurdHKwxfkikOHb3eIRM0qtb4rvgxpy5uQkeu2XmSrZ-NLFew/w320-h180/20240229_071118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storied sponsored breakfast</td></tr></tbody></table>What does my day at RootsTech look like? Well, first of all, since I am still on Eastern Time I wake up at 4:00am (6:00am my time) to write in my blog. Then off to start my day at the event. At 7:00am I attended a breakfast sponsored by <a href="https://storied.com/" target="_blank">Storied</a>. Storied talked about the four challenges they see in furthering family history to a wider audience. Those are 1) Storytelling, 2) Relationship Building, 3) Collaboration, and 4) Affordability. One of the focuses of the Storied platform is to make it easier to tell the stories of our ancestors. They do this through generative AI. The stories use the records and information that you attach to the individual in a more engaging way. Storied also allows you to add non-familial relationships to your tree. You can add pets, neighbors, co-workers, friends, classmates or anyone that may have had an influence on your ancestor's life. Their collaborative platform lets you invite others to participate in the gathering of information for your ancestors. This means that a wider variety of pictures, records, and events can be included in their stories. Storied also is capable of adding information directly from FamilySearch or you can upload your GEDCOM file to build your tree faster. During RootsTech they are offering a $99/year subscription. That is $60 off the regular annual price and it includes access to their newspaper collection and a free StoriedBook which you can create with up to 200 pages. Just go to their <a href="https://get.storied.com/rootstech24/" target="_blank">website</a> and click the "Get the RootsTech Deal" button at the top of their page to take advantage of this offer.</p><p>At 8:00 I had my first presentation. I presented <i>Using Censuses, Maps and Newspapers to Enhance Your Research </i>in Ballroom G. This presentation starts with what you can learn in the census records and uses three case studies to show how incomplete that information is and how you can enhance your knowledge about your ancestors by adding information from newspapers and maps. The talk went well, and I had between 200-300 people in attendance.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubwpp4m_yQEbGRE_WRLNIbg6zGgRD2qXkguZQ4KmXalJ3IrEPLD49HmlWmz_HK2pUzU2XrpVl1yoIu3jtUE0BQ9hz8FkAGKnIt504SoAfRjq2j8E7JYNdoc72nnEvcuNf6p7p3Jdq_xgFyTeiZdOI0OWDjucVjJEGjtfGND1xQ6f8V-y99h43whdReLo/s4000/20240229_094326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubwpp4m_yQEbGRE_WRLNIbg6zGgRD2qXkguZQ4KmXalJ3IrEPLD49HmlWmz_HK2pUzU2XrpVl1yoIu3jtUE0BQ9hz8FkAGKnIt504SoAfRjq2j8E7JYNdoc72nnEvcuNf6p7p3Jdq_xgFyTeiZdOI0OWDjucVjJEGjtfGND1xQ6f8V-y99h43whdReLo/s320/20240229_094326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FamilySearch Tech Forum</td></tr></tbody></table>At 9:30 I attended the FamilySearch Tech Forum. This forum highlighted developments from seven FamilySearch programs. FamilySearch has over 16.8 billion searchable records and over 1.4 billion names in its FamilyTree. The use of generative AI and computer assisted indexing has accelerated the number of records they can make available. AI has allowed for the production of full text search in multiple languages and the creation of <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/genealogies/submissions?f.collectionId=8" target="_blank">computer generated trees</a>. </p><p>One of the new products released during RootsTech is the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/help-search/" target="_blank">FamilySearch Helper</a>. The FamilySearch Helper is an AI assisted search tool. It accesses the variety of sources on FamilySearch including the Wiki, blogs, RootsTech presentations and others to answer your questions. You can now explore how an AI-assisted search might provide better guidance for your research and using the FamilySearch website. </p><p>Another newly released product is <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text" target="_blank">Full Text Search</a>. Full Text Search uses AI to interpret handwriting and search for keywords in records. There are now over 100 million records available to search across several languages. These records include US Land and Probate records, Mexican Notarial records, and Plantation records. Each one is fully searchable. Eventually, every unindexed record will be processed through this technology. This process pairs human indexers with the AI to proofread and edit the AI indexing.</p><p>FamilySearch finally released their <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/family-group-tree-pilot/family-group-trees-pilot-help-and-learning" target="_blank">Family Group Trees</a> project. They have been talking about this project for several years. Family group trees help everyone find and gather all their family, living and deceased, together as a family, not just as individuals. It allows family members to work together on the tree including access to living individuals. It is connected to the larger FamilyTree and still keeps information on living people private to the rest of the world but viewable to the group members. Members can share items within the Memories and like and comment in a way similar to social media platforms. FamilySearch is also working on an app called Together by FamilySearch which integrates into the Groups function. Both products were released on Wednesday.</p><p>All of these items can be found in the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/labs/" target="_blank">FamilySearch Labs</a> page and more products will be added as they are developed. The developers want people to test these products and provide constructive feedback which they can use to improve them.</p><p>I also attended the Innovation Forum. This forum featured seven products that utilize generative AI to assist family history research. The first speaker was Jared Spatero from Microsoft. He talked about how quickly AI has become a common feature in our lives, from the first release of ChatGPT in November 2022 to the recent release of Microsoft's Copilot. ChatGPT is limited in its knowledge to events that occurred prior January 2022, but Copilot is continually learning through searching the internet for new information. One of the cool features in Copilot is the ability to upload pictures and ask Copilot what is in the picture. For example, you could upload a picture of a car and it would tell you the make and model. Or you could upload a picture of a person in Victorian dress, and it could identify the timeframe. Copilot can also convert its responses into a Word document and then in Microsoft 365 you can open PowerPoint and import the document as slides. There are many uses for Copilot. I have been using it to create graphics for slides, create outlines for presentation, and draft handouts for my presentations. It is an incredible time saver.</p><p>Jon Morrey from FamilySearch discussed how AI will change family history. He said that AI can help develop more intuitive user interfaces, make the records more accessible, help speed up the development of applications, and index records more quickly than ever before. He demonstrated an application that AI helped him build which would ask the user questions about a picture they uploaded. The questions would build upon the previous answers until a complete story about the picture was developed. </p><p>Jonathan Gibson from <a href="http://LivingHistory.ai">LivingHistory.ai</a> and <a href="http://TheAfterlife.ai">TheAfterlife.ai</a> discussed the use of AI in creating interactive virtual worlds. Both of these products can interface with data in FamilySearch and build a virtual world where you can interact with historical figures as well as your own ancestors. LivingHistory.ai has a set of historical figures preloaded for you to interact with. But you can also use the information in FamilySearch Memories to build your own virtual ancestor. You can explore the items and pictures as well as use the stories and articles to add detail. The interaction is based on asking questions and having them respond. I had talked to these developers last year and their product continues to advance as new technology develops.</p><p>Laryn Brown from <a href="https://storied.com/" target="_blank">Storied</a> discussed their Biography Extraction Technology which can extract data from any printed source, identify individuals and key events, and then link people by their relationships. It can even build relationships outside the normal family lines.</p><p><a href="https://www.emulateme.ai/" target="_blank">EmulateMe</a> talked about their platform that enables you to create virtual ancestors and converse with them. They import data from FamilySearch or you can upload your own content to build the profile. They demonstrated the ability to call your deceased ancestor on your phone and have a conversation with them using the app. </p><p>Cameron Graham from <a href="https://www.storii.com/" target="_blank">Storii</a> talked about their product which helps to record the stories of your living family members. The application calls your relative over the year, prompts them with questions, and records the responses. They have over 1,000 questions which can be asked. The responses are put together as an audio book recording the story of their lives and also creates a transcript which can be searched. AI is able to create and analyze the content of the responses. </p><p>And finally, Hunter Cameron from <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/" target="_blank">Ancestry</a> talked about how they are using AI to add records and capabilities to their website. AI has assisted in increasing the number of records available. They now have over 18.6 billion records. AI also helps to process the DAN data to build the matches and relationship calculations. They also have some new products coming soon including narration of records and recognizing ancestors in photos outside your tree along with their new Research Assistant.</p><p>That was one information packed hour.</p><p>As part of the Media Team I also get the opportunity to interview VIPs during RootsTech. I had two interviews scheduled on Wednesday. The first was with Steve Rockwood (CEO of FamilySearch) and Elder Hamilton. We discussed RootsTech and FamilySearch. You can see the raw video footage <a href="https://youtu.be/DeYsaIHX44U " target="_blank">here</a>. I also had the opportunity to interview Jenn and JD Barnes, Team Black, from Relative Race Season 6. You can see that video <a href="https://youtu.be/xTGrjAxxRCY" target="_blank">here</a>. The audio isn't always the best in these videos since we are in the open Expo Hall.</p><p>I also had a photo shoot with the Geneabloggers and attended a quick meeting with MyHeritage to meet some of the others who contributed to their new <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/wiki/Home" target="_blank">Wiki</a>. Then I worked for a couple hours at <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> booth. And I also explored the Expo Hall and talked to some of the exhibitors during my free time.</p><p>There is so much happening at RootsTech that it is hard to get it all in but there is always something new and interesting to explore and the opportunities to learn are endless.</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-66697429050011335622024-02-29T07:13:00.002-05:002024-02-29T07:19:14.158-05:00RootsTech Countdown - 1 Day to Go<p>RootsTech is probably one of the most fun things a genealogist can do in a week. It is amazing being in the presence of all these dedicated researchers and developers. Even though yesterday was the day before the start of RootsTech, I was still busy. My wife is accompanying me on this trip. This is her first RootsTech since the pandemic. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E5jhP-0vI8TYXrdWJmcpQ7_0ZjzacBIelg8SRaI8Orupj8_UT3hm7yvYNsqqhDUrp69hQekDkKDrGGI2uSdc7z6BuyaU-4YymdHB3-XhyphenhyphenswIOdO0r7OdQyEnZUEvPfvNLL447FesOWpBlkYNmK3wp9uKDqDtJutmeqeheHaf5hIz3GNl9Y5TJ96ohOk/s1716/library%20queue.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Queue outside the FamilySearch Library" border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1716" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9E5jhP-0vI8TYXrdWJmcpQ7_0ZjzacBIelg8SRaI8Orupj8_UT3hm7yvYNsqqhDUrp69hQekDkKDrGGI2uSdc7z6BuyaU-4YymdHB3-XhyphenhyphenswIOdO0r7OdQyEnZUEvPfvNLL447FesOWpBlkYNmK3wp9uKDqDtJutmeqeheHaf5hIz3GNl9Y5TJ96ohOk/w320-h180/library%20queue.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queue outside the FamilySearch Library</td></tr></tbody></table>First thing in the morning, right after breakfast, we lined up outside the FamilySearch Library with a good number of other people. I saw several of my genealogy friends and chatted with them while we waited. It's always good to catch up and see what they have been up to for the last year. When the doors opened at 9:00am there was a mad rush (Black Friday style) for the elevators. Ok, maybe it wasn't Black Friday style but everyone calmly headed to their respective floors to begin their morning of research. We went to the US/Canada book collection on the third floor to see if we could find early 1800s records for several counties in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Our research goal was to establish the next generation for my wife's Walker line. We didn't find what we were looking for so we left about lunch time and headed over to the Salt Palace to get our badges for the conference and take a look at the Expo Hall.<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpNaNhHiP15YWeuiGDOwpBNPZ7SUouBI8u6OJybv_Z5twHueZbm-6oJXxoBH_Pj-ah90syl1OjZIjIAYZ0ImC4OMIFbKFX_BKgEAfWUOVFrdNtIKbGAl8sbGKZrtAXuQDoIggW9g1tkbQcl81805h3THpxqZaoWelsPajlGo0aHD1qwT15QN75OpmvWc/s1716/IIGS.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="International Institute of Genealogical Studies booth" border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1716" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpNaNhHiP15YWeuiGDOwpBNPZ7SUouBI8u6OJybv_Z5twHueZbm-6oJXxoBH_Pj-ah90syl1OjZIjIAYZ0ImC4OMIFbKFX_BKgEAfWUOVFrdNtIKbGAl8sbGKZrtAXuQDoIggW9g1tkbQcl81805h3THpxqZaoWelsPajlGo0aHD1qwT15QN75OpmvWc/w320-h180/IIGS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IIGS Booth</td></tr></tbody></table>In the Expo Hall we met Angie Breidenbach, the President of the <a href="https://genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a>, where my wife and I are studying for our degrees in genealogical studies. We helped her set up the booth and chatted for a while. We also took some time to see how everyone else was getting along with their booth construction. Everyone was busy getting things ready for today. There are over 120 vendors in the Expo Hall this year so it will be a fun experience. We were able to chat with Ellen Goodwin, CSO of <a href="https://artifcts.com/" target="_blank">Artifcts</a> while she was waiting for supplies for her booth. Artifcts specializes in saving memories while decluttering and preserving the value behind your things. They give you a digital way to organize stuff and capture the meaning behind objects. We also visited with the LaFreniere family who own <a href="https://relatedfaces.com/" target="_blank">Related Faces</a>. I wrote about their company last year and this year they are back and ready for another RootsTech. Related Faces uses AI to scan your photos and isolate faces. Then their program compares those faces with their entire database, returning pairings with photos from your own collection as well as others. These pairings can help you fill in the blanks of your photo mysteries as well as connect you with users who may have more details. Then I had to run over to Ballroom G and room 155E to do tech checks for my talks. <div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMe5PDBet0c48erg4xXU-ppd_DnM2a7POYWC_Dowk-hP-zVDA2vL1WIaakMsA9nJuEN9Uesl2ELYz9wtLsLomH4EKnIlMdlT20lL2t8GmJNY14dAvqrHtRrzJfBQBBjqBT0XjEHcKzstuJdPOp-ptvPXkWJYkwMDPc8lX6QOLDVDRIPA5NT3Rn3C4Pto/s1200/lego%20tree%20set.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMe5PDBet0c48erg4xXU-ppd_DnM2a7POYWC_Dowk-hP-zVDA2vL1WIaakMsA9nJuEN9Uesl2ELYz9wtLsLomH4EKnIlMdlT20lL2t8GmJNY14dAvqrHtRrzJfBQBBjqBT0XjEHcKzstuJdPOp-ptvPXkWJYkwMDPc8lX6QOLDVDRIPA5NT3Rn3C4Pto/w200-h200/lego%20tree%20set.jpg" title="Lego Family Tree set" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lego Family Tree set</td></tr></tbody></table>The evening was very busy with attendance at two socials and dinners. The first dinner was at the Speakers Social. We sat down and heard from Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch. He talked about how far we had come in genealogy, from microfilm to digitization to DNA and now the exploding world of Generative AI. He commented that Generative AI is now at the place where DNA was 7-8 years ago for genealogists. After that dinner some of us headed across the hall for the Media Social and another dinner. There we heard from Steve Rockwood again. Steve talked about his family history and discovering his ancestor, Tim Rockwood. David Lambert, one of the attendees, had given Steve a book written in the 1880s which contained the genealogy of Tim Rockwood. Steve Rockwood also talked about Generative AI at this event and about the new Lego set that recently came out. This set is a Family Tree. After the socials we were given a tour of the Expo Hall to see how much work had been completed and get a general lay of the land. </div><div><br /></div><div>Day 1 starts in the morning, and I am up at 4:00am writing my blog and getting ready for my first talk at 8:00am. But before my talk I will have a breakfast event with <a href="https://storied.com/" target="_blank">Storied</a> to hear more about their big news. More on that to come. Have a fun day at RootsTech whether you are here in person or watching the virtual conference from home.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /> <br /><p><br /></p></div>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-38627431158397100982024-02-28T08:10:00.002-05:002024-02-28T08:10:17.892-05:00RootsTech 2024 Countdown - Forums or Classes?<p>We arrived in Salt Lake City yesterday and decided to take it a little easy. Coming in from the east coast means early to bed and early to rise when you are on Mountain Time. And it also means a 40-50 degree drop in temperatures. It is below 30 this morning...brrrrrrr. Today will be a day for preparing for RootsTech which starts on Thursday. We will be headed to the FamilySearch Library at 9:00 to take advantage of the RootsTech hours and do a little research on my wife's Walker family. Then head over to the Salt Palace around lunch to get our registration and tour the venue. Then to the Expo Hall to help set up booths. We will be meeting Angela Briedenbach from the <a href="https://genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a> and also try to help <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> get set up. After that I have a tech check for the rooms that I will be speaking in and then the Speakers Social and Media Social tonight. I will also need to go over my schedule to make sure that I have the sessions on my calendar. That means deciding on attending Forums, General Sessions, or classes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilKqgTEsxrcvwmWn6cS-jQoQsrqyUT4hPEJ02fa7lsJRrNWwSCtjeHLpWh1oFniUnTwN1tFuvlNKmKYGu7kKm9HRuWdMbgfwO1hTNxBnNY7-SdxXzYcNvAnKSdZX94PQ2AmGI3U03ZKhLJPyf2c_19gspiK_Izy22pVy_qOLsvXCKflXi2eigcL0lnMVY" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilKqgTEsxrcvwmWn6cS-jQoQsrqyUT4hPEJ02fa7lsJRrNWwSCtjeHLpWh1oFniUnTwN1tFuvlNKmKYGu7kKm9HRuWdMbgfwO1hTNxBnNY7-SdxXzYcNvAnKSdZX94PQ2AmGI3U03ZKhLJPyf2c_19gspiK_Izy22pVy_qOLsvXCKflXi2eigcL0lnMVY" width="240" /></a></div>Why should you consider attending the Forums? I like the forums because you can see short presentations from a variety of speakers and companies. This is where the future is presented. <p></p><p>Thursday at 9:30 is the FamilySearch Tech Forum. This is an opportunity to hear Craig Miller, CTO of FamilySearch and see demonstrations of the new products that will be released. Early word is that the Family Group Trees will finally be released after several years of development. Family Group Trees will allow you to share the private individuals with your family group so you all can work together to update the tree. There will also be some additional new products released that will make family history more productive.</p><p>Thursday at 10:00 is the Innovation and Tech Forum. This is the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations in family history from various companies. The features speaker will be Jared Sparato, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications at Microsoft.</p><p>Friday at 9:30 will be The Impact Forum. Speakers will talk about how family history has a positive impact on individuals, families, and society. </p><p>Saturday at 9:30 is the FamilySearch Global Forum. FamilySearch will talk about the work being done around the world to promote family history. Some new things that you may learn about during this forum could be the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/cemeteries/" target="_blank">FamilySearch Cemeteries Project</a>, the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/united-states/ethnicities/african-american" target="_blank">FamilySearch African American Ancestors Project</a>, individual country and region landing pages, and new collections.</p><p>All of these forums will be broadcast online as well as attended in person. </p><p>On the other hand, there are so many classes to choose from. Most sessions have 15-20 classes so how do you choose? You can choose to follow a track of classes. They have a track for Beginners and an advanced track that BCG is hosting which focuses on professional development. You can follow a track based on your research interests such as German research or DNA. Or you can mix and match. There are over 250 in-person classes and 150 classes online so I am sure that you will find something of interest.</p><p>So, no matter what your interests, there will be something for you. And you also have the opportunity to watch classes from previous years in the archived videos. So sit back, gather your snacks, select your sessions and have a fun RootsTech Conference!</p><p><br /><br /></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-68671955565082222922024-02-25T08:52:00.002-05:002024-02-28T08:10:37.723-05:00RootsTech2024 Countdown - 4 days to go<p>Hello everyone. Have you been wondering where I've been? It has been a busy year! In my previous post I mentioned that I had started a course of study at the <a href="https://genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a>. The classes there have been great. I am currently working on the Advanced Methodology classes and taking classes in transcription, paleography, and DNA. Once I complete the 14 classes in that track I will start my American Studies and German Studies courses which have 12-14 classes each. My wife is also taking classes and will focus on DNA and English Studies. We also started our genealogy research company called <a href="https://milesmeyer1.wixsite.com/ourancestories" target="_blank">OurAncestories Genealogy</a>. We have been busy working on projects and getting that business started. Of course my speaking engagements have continued with three programs during February and two presentations for RootsTech this week. I have continued working as the Education Director for <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> and you may have heard we just signed a contract with NGS to be their official education partner. And I was able to write a couple <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/wiki/Home" target="_blank">Wiki articles for MyHeritage</a> over the summer. Is that everything? Well, I still continue to work my regular day job and have had frequent trips to South Florida to work with our partners restoring the Everglades. My plan is to retire at the end of 2025 so I can focus more on the genealogy part of my life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="RootsTech2024 February 29-March 2" border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PPeNjbAq6OfjY1E3yDew0G8Nq_8LhfrtMCfT2ZtYS9XmT-6qac3IecU0_4HqW7INDQ1hRzZSrL8ckMlxtZVKp96oaqEQiydwGdJbrr-UrxLzQ9n598LmGju49h51UwIfiC8p-F8U8N6nnWVt2__hoWWUHE-ISvdCRbD1PxTNdcqJegaIFVRr1IxfddI/w320-h320/RT2024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now to the subject of the post. RootsTech2024 is this week! I am getting prepared to fly to Salt Lake City on Tuesday to get ready for everything that I need to do. I will be speaking at 8:00am MST on Thursday and Friday and my topics will be <i><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/using-census-maps-and-newspapers-to-enhance-your-research" target="_blank">Using Census, Maps and Newspapers to Enhance Your Research</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/adding-social-history-to-your-family-history" target="_blank">Adding Social History to Your Family History</a></i>. Both of my classes will be in-person only. If you are there in person you may also find me in the Expo Hall where I might be in the Media Hub doing interviews, or at <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> booth introducing people to their great website, or at the <a href="https://genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a> booth talking to people about genealogy education.<div><br /></div><div>This year, RootsTech will be a hybrid conference with over 150 classes broadcast online and nearly 270 classes in-person. Additionally, there will be presentations from the various exhibitors in the Expo Hall. So what is the cost? Virtual registration and Expo Hall attendance are both FREE! In-person conference attendance is $109 for three days. Classes are available for people of all experience levels and interests. I have some German classes and Artificial Intelligence classes that I am particularly looking forward to seeing while my wife is planning on attending several DNA classes and possibly some Irish classes. You can see the schedule of classes on the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule" target="_blank">RootsTech Schedule</a> page.</div><div><br /></div><div>RootsTech will have several celebrities present during the event. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/henry-cho/en" target="_blank">Henry Cho</a> will be on stage on Thursday. He is a comedian with a variety of appearances on TV and film. </li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/lynne-m-jackson/en" target="_blank">Lynne M. Jackson</a> will be on stage on Friday. She is the great-great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott of the Dred Scott Decision and founder of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/nancy-borowick/en" target="_blank">Nancy Borowick</a> will join Lynn M. Jackson on stage on Friday. She is an internationally renowned photographer, author, teacher and speaker.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/katie-james/en" target="_blank">Katie James</a> will be joining the virtual portion of RootsTech on Friday afternoon. During her artistic career of more than 15 years she has released 5 albums and has toured stages in Mexico, Italy, Holland, Scotland, the United States, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/speakers/kristin-chenoweth/en" target="_blank">Kristin Chenoweth</a> will be on stage for the closing keynote on Saturday. She is an Emmy® and Tony® Award winning actress and singer and she received a coveted star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.</li></ul><div>What else can you do at RootsTech?</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/registration/in-person/discovery-day" target="_blank">Family Discovery Day</a> - All day Saturday. This program is FREE and you can participate in dozens of family discovery activities, watch a shoot out with basketball legend Jimmer Fredette, receive a free copy of the 2024 RootsTech Family Recipes eCookbook, and watch pros play an exhibition pickleball game!</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/events/archives-and-records-custodians-symposium-arc" target="_blank">Archives and Records Custodian Symposium</a> - There will be a variety of live and virtual sessions specifically designed for Archivists during the week.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/registration/in-person/young-adult" target="_blank">Young Adult RootsTech After Party</a> - RootsTech After Party for ages 18–30 Friday evening. See a special address from Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy and Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and stay for live music, dancing, a service project, and family discovery activities</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/familysearch-tech-forum" target="_blank">FamilySearch Tech Forum</a> - This forum is Thursday and will be in-person and broadcast virtually. It is a special forum focused on the offerings of FamilySearch. Hear about the newest innovations FamilySearch has to offer.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/innovation-and-tech-forum-2024" target="_blank">Innovation and Tech Forum 2024</a> - This forum is Thursday and will be in-person and broadcast virtually. Artificial intelligence is changing family history. Come learn from industry leaders and partners as they share the latest developments created with you in mind.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/the-impact-forum" target="_blank">The Impact Forum</a> - This forum is Friday and will be in-person and broadcast virtually. Learn about the impact of family history in and beyond the genealogy community. </li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/familysearch-global-forum" target="_blank">FamilySearch Global Forum</a> - This forum is Saturday and will be in-person and broadcast virtually. Hear from FamilySearch global leadership, including Ann Harrison, Stephen Valentine, Tom Gill, and Michael Colemere as they discuss efforts to make family history accessible world-wide.</li><li>Night at the Expo Hall - On Thursday evening from 6:00-7:30 RootsTech is holding a “Night at the Expo Hall”. The theme is a masquerade ball, and they will have masks for you at the door or you can bring your own masquerade ball mask.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/hear-from-a-pickleball-pro-callie-jo-smith-how-sports-play-a-vital-role-in-family-heritage" target="_blank">Pickle Ball Demonstration</a> - There will be a pickle ball demonstration in the Expo Hall on Saturday and some of the players will highlight the importance of remembering our family sports heritage, and how to document it properly is just as important as other family facts.</li></ul><div>Check-in begins at noon on Wednesday in the Salt Palace. I recommend that you pick up your registration packet on Wednesday and tour the Salt Palace to see where your favorite classes will be held. That way you are prepared for your first class at 8:00am Thursday (when I am speaking in Ballroom G) and won't have to wait in registration lines.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>If you will be joining RootsTech in person remember these basic recommendations:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Bring comfortable shoes. You will likely exceed your step goals every day.</li><li>Bring water and stay hydrated. Salt Lake is a dry environment and staying hydrated is very important (especially for those of us from places like Florida).</li><li>Dress in layers. The conference rooms are cool and the outside temperature will be in the 30-40F range. Make sure you are prepared for a variety of conditions. There is a coat check area under the main stairway where you can store your heavier items.</li><li>Have fun! This is the Disney World for genealogists. Attend classes, visit the Expo Hall, see old friends and make new ones. And don't forget to check the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect" target="_blank">Relatives at RootsTech</a> app to see if you have new cousins.</li></ol></div><p><br /></p></div>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-21831192073208424752023-06-16T17:14:00.000-04:002023-06-16T17:14:22.768-04:00A Little Recognition - Thanks Lily<p>As usual, it has been a few weeks since my last blog post. And, as usual, I have been very busy. I have been out of town parts of 7 weeks since my return from RootsTech. I have been to Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, West Virgina, Ohio, Everglades National Park, and Coral Gables. I also started a course of study at the <a href="https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a> and am guest writing on another company's blog (more to come about that at a later time).</p><p>So, what is the reason that I am writing today? Well, it is always great to get a little recognition and to tell people about it. I received an email this week from someone who's daughter used some of my resources in a project. She wrote:</p><p><i>"I just wanted to thank you for putting together your genealogy blog! For the month of June, my daughter Lily's Girl Scout troop will be working on their Family Heritage Fun Patch and your genealogy information helped us a bunch!</i></p><p><i>Lily's troop leader encouraged the parents to work with our girls at home to explore our family's history! She asked the girls to put together a presentation about their heritage that they will be sharing with the rest of the troop. We've been working on creating our family tree (our family is originally from Ireland) ....you shared some great websites and information for us to check out, so Lily and I wanted to make sure we let you know how much you've helped us :)"</i></p><p>I really like to hear from people that find my blog helpful and I appreciated this email. Lilly even suggested that I look at two websites that she found useful. They were:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Researching Your Family's History from Ships Passenger Lists - <a href="https://www.hmy.com/researching-your-familys-history-from-ships-passenger-lists">https://www.hmy.com/researching-your-familys-history-from-ships-passenger-lists</a></li><li>Genealogy for Kids: Building a Family Tree - <a href="https://www.aaastateofplay.com/genealogy-for-kids-building-a-family-tree">https://www.aaastateofplay.com/genealogy-for-kids-building-a-family-tree</a></li></ol><div>The first resource is interesting because it was included on the HMY Yacht Sales website. You don't often find genealogy resources on a webpage designed to sell a product. But after reviewing this site, I found some great resources for people just beginning their search of ancestors in ships passenger lists as well as some links to sites that more seasoned researchers may want to check out. They start out with some general tips: <i>"Start your search with your ancestors’ names. However, remember most of these records have been transcribed from handwriting, and mistakes are made. Try alternative spellings. Confirm you have located the right person by with whom they are traveling, their age, or their date of arrival."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The page provides links to sites such as Family History Daily, Genealogy.com, FamilyTree Magazine, JSTOR, AncestralFindings, The Ships List, Immigrant Ships, UK National Archives, and many more.</div><div><br /></div><div>The second resource that Lily provided has some great tips for kids as well as anyone new to family history. This website is also one that you probably wouldn't think of searching for family history information. The purpose of the AAA State of Play website is to sell playground equipment. The website highlights the benefits of children researching their family history and states <i>"<span>Researching a family's genealogy and making a family tree is a great way for kids and adults to learn more about who they are. It also brings history to life in a new way, making it possible to see how historical events impacted one family: the researcher's own. Genealogy is also a great way to sharpen research skills."</span></i></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>This site provides links to sites such as NGS, Parents.com, FindMyPast, Family History Daily, Library of Congress, Ancestral Findings, Ancestry.com, PEW Research, New York Public Library, and many more. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>These sites remind me to look in places that I would not normally think of when researching, so I would like to thank Lily for bringing them to my attention. I also want to wish Lilly good luck in her presentation of her family history to her Troop and hope that this is just the beginning of her research into her family history.</span></div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-27966326601969942052023-03-10T18:18:00.001-05:002023-03-11T12:39:11.720-05:00RootsTech 2023 - Recap<p>I can't believe that it has been 6 days since RootsTech ended. There was so much going on at RootsTech last week that I didn't have time to write every day. And now that I am back home there is still a lot going on.</p><p>But <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/" target="_blank">RootsTech</a> isn't really over. We still have access to hundreds of recorded talks, keynote sessions, and other information to view through the end of the year. One of the things that I have always been impressed by at RootsTech is their ability to bring in first class talent to entertain and inspire us. This year there were four celebrities who spoke and performed during RootsTech. As part of the RootsTech Influencers Team, I was able to have front row seats and be part of the media interviews for some of them. It was great being able to ask them questions about their lives and how family history has inspired them. You can see their sessions and my video of their interviews at the links below:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Jordin Sparks - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/registered-session/jordin-sparks-main-stage-general-session-1" target="_blank">Session</a></li><li>Me Ra Koh - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/main-stage-general-session-2" target="_blank">Session</a></li><li>Sean Astin - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/registered-session/main-stage-general-session-3" target="_blank">Session</a> - <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/axZisttY6nf7NAit9" target="_blank">Interview</a></li><li>Adassa - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/rootstech-2023-finale" target="_blank">Session</a> - <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/T33bJTyuBnwUtz9g7" target="_blank">Interview</a></li></ul><p></p><p><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect" target="_blank"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg28-uDhc4f_rXy75qZA3QNneZ3EAl1CYABT2NIYLqK5cPoE_dB-Tzy7RmQdAlZTrs7ufPxcu_TCl9483V5JffP8-U6Zz68XSEQIoon-aT9ABE3YEu_giTkSth26I4fSHIU5MMCEElkrfCP_7PLcNBFM6jCkJOEQ0OyO7KiAg7oOYJyBqK-CfRCaQ3w" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1000" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg28-uDhc4f_rXy75qZA3QNneZ3EAl1CYABT2NIYLqK5cPoE_dB-Tzy7RmQdAlZTrs7ufPxcu_TCl9483V5JffP8-U6Zz68XSEQIoon-aT9ABE3YEu_giTkSth26I4fSHIU5MMCEElkrfCP_7PLcNBFM6jCkJOEQ0OyO7KiAg7oOYJyBqK-CfRCaQ3w" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect" target="_blank">Relatives at RootsTech</a> is still available until March 31. You can visit the page to see how many relatives are registered for RootsTech. I am up to 246 relatives now. My wife has slightly more at 35,445.<div><br /></div><div>You can search the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/search" target="_blank">On-Demand Library</a> for virtual presentations. The On-Demand Library has a couple topics such as DNA, FamilySearch, Getting Started, and Research Methods highlighted but there are many more classes available.<br /><p></p><p>Some of the exhibitors still have deals going on. Here are a few that I know are still active.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://CivilWarRecords.com">CivilWarRecords.com</a> has a discount code for 10% off your ancestor's Civil War records through Saturday, March 11th. The discount code is <b>RootsTech</b>.</li><li><a href="https://relatedfaces.com/" target="_blank">Related Faces</a> has an offer for 20% off on their 6-month or 1-year subscription. The coupon code is <b>RFMGQWKH85</b>. This offer is good through March 31st.</li><li><a href="http://Ancestry.com">Ancestry.com</a> still has their $59 DNA sale going on until March 17th.</li><li><a href="https://www.genealogicalstudies.com/" target="_blank">International Institute of Genealogical Studies</a> has a sale going on until March 15th. Anyone registering for their 40-class Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) will get an additional 4 classes for free.</li><li><a href="https://app.marcopolo.me/give-plus/rootstech" target="_blank">MarcoPolo</a> is offering 2 months free access to their Plus subscription.</li><li><a href="https://mylio.com/roots/" target="_blank">MyLo</a> is offering a free photo book and scanning class for new subscribers.</li><li><a href="https://blog.familytreedna.com/rootstech-2023-exclusive-offers/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=rt%20booth&utm_content=promo+codes&utm_campaign=roots+tech+2023" target="_blank">FamilyTree DNA</a> has specials on their DNA kits.</li><li><a href="https://billiongraves.com/rootstech" target="_blank">BillionGraves</a> has a discount on their Plus subscription.</li><li><a href="https://www.gedmatch.com/rootstech-promotion/" target="_blank">GEDMatch</a> has 10% off their Tier-1 subscription until March 31st.</li><li><a href="https://www.vivid-pix.com/" target="_blank">Vivid-Pix</a> has several discounts. 20% off <a href="https://www.vivid-pix.com/RootsTech20Restore" target="_blank">Vivid-Pix RESTORE software</a>. $50 off <a href="https://www.vivid-pix.com/RootsTech50MSEdu" target="_blank">Vivid-Pix Memorya Station/Education Bundle</a>. 20% off <a href="https://www.vivid-pix.com/education/" target="_blank">Vivid-Pix Education</a>.</li><li><a href="https://my.americanancestors.org/donate/i/1?&promo=RT2023" target="_blank">American Ancestors</a> has $25 off their annual subscription.</li><li><a href="https://www.200-yearchallenge.com/" target="_blank">200-Year Challenge</a> has $25 off their family tree starter kit with 4 family tree designs.</li></ul><div>There may be others but I haven't had time to explore all of the online Expo Hall yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Take some time to expolre the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home" target="_blank">RootsTech365</a> website to discover all there is to learn over the next year.</div><p></p></div>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-50596923183681961702023-03-03T08:52:00.003-05:002023-03-05T10:30:00.200-05:00RootsTech 2023 - Day 1Day 1 of RootsTech is over and there was so much going on. I had several classes on my schedule but didn't even get to any of them. So, what did I do instead of classes?<div><br /></div><div>At 9:00, I did an interview with Jen Allen, Brandon Beckstead, and Jonathan Wing, the FamilySearch employees who are responsible for making RootsTech happen. We talked about the process of setting up RootsTech, how much sleep they have lost over the last couple months, and when RootsTech 2024 will occur - (Spoiler Alert: It will start on February 29th, 2024!)</div><div><br /></div><div>After that, I walked over to the <a href="https://storied.com/" target="_blank">Storied</a> booth where I spoke with Brandon Camp, the CMO of Storied. Storied is a new company which officially launched on January 18, 2023. They use ChatGPT (AI) for their Story Assist to help you develop the story of your ancestors. Story Assist gives you several prompts and then provides the start of a story for you to edit and add to as you wish. This is meant to remove writers block and help people get started in telling the story of their relatives. The site has a set of basic research records which is growing. They currently have access to <a href="http://Newspaperarchive.com">Newspaperarchive.com</a>, many of the US Census records, a variety of vital records, some international records, and has integration with <a href="https://www.goldiemay.com/" target="_blank">Goldie May</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://storied.com/offers/rootstech/2023" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgGnl263HDTEXM4vN-PRp9tIeZKcwBFxLbVh9ZJu5bZk-E5fFGcX_oYu1A6IHje6TvS7QbrjhftkeES8pDH0_p376vknEVvBm2fWL1MZTap6agmcYWI65KATw4xdVoMFAz8kQ-44XohIO0JcYzQyZxvoSU1ooO94Jzi_O7aL9nUK3VMJlbGvbfwvFo=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div>Storied has a three tier membership. Their basic Free account allows you to create your family tree or upload a GEDCOM file and you can create unlimited stories. Their Storied Plus account is $4.99/month and allows you to create a group, have access to the US historical records collection, and invite up to 50 people to collaborate. The group members get free access to what you have created and can add unlimited memories to the people. The Storied Ultimate account is $11.99/month and provides access to everything in the Plus account as well as UK newspapers and Newspaper Archive and you can add up to 10 groups with up to 100 people in each group to help you collaborate and create stories. But right now, they have a RootsTech special where you can get the Ultimate subscription for only $99 for the year using this <a href="https://storied.com/offers/rootstech/2023" target="_blank">link</a>. That is $40 off the regular price. The link is good through Saturday.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieOAjMhk_DFQM6zRHXiaAB0_uhhApJZ28qEGr_YIatrE2G7TqwV9WJfouUeCBUTv0DRCG22TlQavJQQMkZ5YcGzB2dJSVSlRRK1gfrLOYjzRFiwgI5lE9Tz37DhLye-cYpDrm7GdTAI-wluSpU0O-eC1ZxfBnkk1LRDrF9FFs5WXpSVVQNLCq_rPew" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieOAjMhk_DFQM6zRHXiaAB0_uhhApJZ28qEGr_YIatrE2G7TqwV9WJfouUeCBUTv0DRCG22TlQavJQQMkZ5YcGzB2dJSVSlRRK1gfrLOYjzRFiwgI5lE9Tz37DhLye-cYpDrm7GdTAI-wluSpU0O-eC1ZxfBnkk1LRDrF9FFs5WXpSVVQNLCq_rPew" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieOAjMhk_DFQM6zRHXiaAB0_uhhApJZ28qEGr_YIatrE2G7TqwV9WJfouUeCBUTv0DRCG22TlQavJQQMkZ5YcGzB2dJSVSlRRK1gfrLOYjzRFiwgI5lE9Tz37DhLye-cYpDrm7GdTAI-wluSpU0O-eC1ZxfBnkk1LRDrF9FFs5WXpSVVQNLCq_rPew" width="180" /></a></div>Then, I went to the Main Stage to watch Jordin Sparks. I had front row seating in the Media Section. Jordin did a little interview and then performed four of her songs during the 45 minutes she was on stage. Afterward, a few of us were able to go to the Meet & Great to get pictures.</div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, I attended the Innovation Showcase where several new companies promoted their products. Vlada Bortnik of <a href="https://www.marcopolo.me/" target="_blank">Marco Polo</a> discussed their video chat platform. The Marco Polo platform allows you to record a video chat and send it to others. They can then view the chat at their leisure and return a chat to you. The object is to make the interactions more personal and build connections. See the bottom of this blog post for a QR code for 2 free months of Marco Polo Plus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andy Gold of FamilySearch presented their new developments in Computer Generated Trees (CGT). CGTs build the scaffolding to store data in tree form. It scans millions of records in a matter of hours, looking for connections that can add to the family tree. This process is currently being developed for locations in Australia, Brazil, Philippines, Mexico, and Italy. You can begin exploring the CGTs by visiting FamilySearch at <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/cgt">https://www.familysearch.org/search/cgt</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bankofmemories.org/" target="_blank">Bank of Memories</a> was the next to present. They are a blockchain storage where you can store your digital information. I'm not up on the blockchain process so I won't even try to explain how this works.</div><div><br /></div><div>KinSame has a really cool technology which can analyze photographs for genetic information and relationships. I don't understand the algorithm they use but they claim to be able to detect thousands of genetic traits, verify degrees of kinship between individuals, and develop family trees just by analyzing photographs. They are marketing their product to the big genealogy companies and hope that they will be able to license the product for commercial use in the near future.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.genxt.network/" target="_blank">GENXT</a> is another company that is developing a product that they hope the industry will adopt. Their product allows for cross-platform genetic matching. There are currently over 250 companies which do genetic analysis and more than 70 of them specialize in genealogy. However, there is no way for an individual to see what is in all of these databases. GENXT would allow the data to be shared across platforms so you can see if you have cousins at company X without having to test at that company. Many of us today use the major companies, Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilyTree DNA, 23 and Me, etc. and have either had to upload our data or take tests at various companies. If the GENXT technology is adopted, the data from all of these companies would be available to us with only one test.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ericcson demonstrated their EPHAS augmented reality technology. EPHAS stands for Every Place Has A Story. This technology has a variety of uses, but for genealogy it would allow you to experience the story of a place in a virtual environronment. Ericcson provided a RootsTech Trial QR code which I have provided at the bottom of this post.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then <a href="https://www.syniumsoftware.com/macfamilytree" target="_blank">MacFamilyTree</a> presented their latest release. This software is for personal use and has spectacular graphics. It almost makes me want to have a Mac so I could use their 3-D tree and other components. MacFamilyTree has integration with FamilySearch and uses AI to colorize and enhance photos and enhance blurry documents. You can <a href="https://youtu.be/1pFFqwoZFXM" target="_blank">see their video</a> on their website and get a good idea of what they have developed.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhDGk4YS2T7mYxv4yhhQ-3u8vt_GqbgezzrewJGdlYGh9QoiwAE87bbbe3E6G84BErKtI6IRMLD3iz0OqYBsSZxWkwIsdj7-_fjkMKPD1yABD6i39sg7miB61rNtyGKLR3lw6x8d41I_da9XlptaP47k-gj0EYH5BC_AtnB9DUAiSvvIO41OMonYgT" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="753" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhDGk4YS2T7mYxv4yhhQ-3u8vt_GqbgezzrewJGdlYGh9QoiwAE87bbbe3E6G84BErKtI6IRMLD3iz0OqYBsSZxWkwIsdj7-_fjkMKPD1yABD6i39sg7miB61rNtyGKLR3lw6x8d41I_da9XlptaP47k-gj0EYH5BC_AtnB9DUAiSvvIO41OMonYgT" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MyHeritage cM Explainer</td></tr></tbody></table>And lastly, MyHeritage talked about their <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/ai-time-machine" target="_blank">AI Time Machine</a>, which <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/11/myheritages-ai-time-machine-app.html" target="_blank">I wrote about last November</a>. MyHeritage has also just released their <a href="https://cpyyv04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/ON+113/cpYyv04/VVycGN2JdhbKW1slbCW34LfjfW5d86_w4XG1K-MBB8T13q8_wV1-WJV7CgX3FW3blQ485nxCWlW5Z2cs01TWlKxW1hRdJv7_QWkTW1-CWH850jj7gW3NrhL115RR3kW3zmK4r8BrCp7W7S377R5Pf-p8W46RhYh3jM3JxW3RrX8m6vptHPVB9Vrh89PnyzN2_ftwpxtLNnW1_Z3dc8WLVJ_VF8qJx5_S-6bW4-YtwC3SH59fVjCLDW8l7JBwW6YtQk63_F5XhW5Hf6z-6-B74lW8tGwTX8jFstBW8lyJDj1NG8wBN2x8GtcLzYsH3m591" target="_blank">cM Explainer</a>. This is a free new feature that accurately estimates familial relationships between DNA Matches. For every DNA Match, cM Explainer offers detailed predictions of possible relationships between the two people and the respective probabilities of each relationship. It also determines the most recent common ancestor, and displays a diagram showing their relationship path.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was a lot more going on, this was just my day before 2:30. Maybe I'll write about the rest later. But now, it is time for me to head out again for RootsTech Day 2.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXFBX416ZEyEV4HwI6qb6H3493g3neNVOmQNu4fZvN-zBSiqmo-LjpDOW-mbgxZr3bARn-0xNfEoyA4E-YtcjZb-TVtlWxXjE5HbJhBhDqd-64fx0mxeLoJ_Xlqo7sqnk2lEfZlRinm-0Rce-fWL1lkmNXXoaRw08oCH1Cn79N-CXqmWW9VkIiXVbV" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="344" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXFBX416ZEyEV4HwI6qb6H3493g3neNVOmQNu4fZvN-zBSiqmo-LjpDOW-mbgxZr3bARn-0xNfEoyA4E-YtcjZb-TVtlWxXjE5HbJhBhDqd-64fx0mxeLoJ_Xlqo7sqnk2lEfZlRinm-0Rce-fWL1lkmNXXoaRw08oCH1Cn79N-CXqmWW9VkIiXVbV" width="175" /></a></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7ZI6KyU0qCOqmcxsz-yoi3w7XWmYEUVy8muv027mfYjJdFacai-6MSFXdli84lc_oGEf9YdVdp2_zPZVvBUzU6lGEoke_wfIIlZ9mf-4Rlffrr4Q2XRMA3iA5Y0URL3WrhZNCBx0aOYXv68odKwilva1VNb9r0J_qlcgrlTwlKoN1K9JyzucdvpsN" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="358" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7ZI6KyU0qCOqmcxsz-yoi3w7XWmYEUVy8muv027mfYjJdFacai-6MSFXdli84lc_oGEf9YdVdp2_zPZVvBUzU6lGEoke_wfIIlZ9mf-4Rlffrr4Q2XRMA3iA5Y0URL3WrhZNCBx0aOYXv68odKwilva1VNb9r0J_qlcgrlTwlKoN1K9JyzucdvpsN" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ericcson EPHAS trial</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-39374270749479283302023-03-02T07:36:00.000-05:002023-03-02T07:36:20.756-05:00RootsTech 2023 - Pre-event<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe6yJx8KeF7MrcyBwotEAyMJ28DylOIqoOB9U9YDXB79-KDjUMRMk-yijkEJjHGC_VOvbo8yeRCRYIDp0T82r7siBOupMWyO0ntyC_WCjHMKiYUZGkBMd3QME_PfhTAz3F2BikhtMz9UMg8zCC8WV9G1dPVcFx0ppGBjTC4-mhp2EFaX955i6YLgmm" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1155" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe6yJx8KeF7MrcyBwotEAyMJ28DylOIqoOB9U9YDXB79-KDjUMRMk-yijkEJjHGC_VOvbo8yeRCRYIDp0T82r7siBOupMWyO0ntyC_WCjHMKiYUZGkBMd3QME_PfhTAz3F2BikhtMz9UMg8zCC8WV9G1dPVcFx0ppGBjTC4-mhp2EFaX955i6YLgmm=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uniting Photo Booth on second floor</td></tr></tbody></table>Good morning. It is 4:00 am in Salt Lake and my first day of "RootsTech 2023" is over. But you may be saying that RootsTech doesn't start until later today, and you are right. But many of us have been busy behind the scenes getting ready for the big day.</p><p>So what does the day before RootsTech look like? For me, I did a quick walk through of the Salt Palace to get the lay of the land and remember where all the classes are. Many of the fun activities had already been set up on Tuesday and the staff were preparing the Help Desk and Registration areas. There are a couple photo op areas, including a VW mini bus, where you can take fun photos with your friends. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj53Up3xNrcFT_WiMKq05rKedExtXp1Cr8-zkPeQv--9dhZXMBoUW1w4xOk3A5mqKB1s5QbOXJWJkyr02z8nk7_elLfuzUN3VS4U6Mcv4Bd0jLxuWJZoej88HseBcAJhXCxDi5f7xC9T3CyjNVgrzj9kSF_oW2ZwKJ_YK1OZoY4duMpU0rS_yArttvg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1155" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj53Up3xNrcFT_WiMKq05rKedExtXp1Cr8-zkPeQv--9dhZXMBoUW1w4xOk3A5mqKB1s5QbOXJWJkyr02z8nk7_elLfuzUN3VS4U6Mcv4Bd0jLxuWJZoej88HseBcAJhXCxDi5f7xC9T3CyjNVgrzj9kSF_oW2ZwKJ_YK1OZoY4duMpU0rS_yArttvg=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Help Desks are located throughout the event</td></tr></tbody></table>Then it was off to the FamilySearch Library to get a few hours of research in. The library is open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm during RootsTech. My wife had sent me with instructions to find her Walker brick wall. I was busy searching through records for Edgefield County, South Carolina; Bullock and Dale counties in Alabama; and Robertson County, Texas. </p><p>After a few hours of no luck researching, it was time for the GeneaBloggers lunch at Blue Lemon. This is our annual opportunity to get together and see how everyone is doing. I believe the furthest that one of our GeneaBloggers travelled was from Australia.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0dI6hQPZkfeHZDLYb4reytc2laitAJZaO2uZMuzcrkIPBUpZHeBj5fkde0vwMeMKWzNvU5XmCals99sRumVZCyI5FzfBzUJvyx_L7-Pxi6VglOQJai9ycZVV78ecTt43Vc3Ww4tLN6qH1HC_9kUP7XpPTZJG_hVnRGkIKxRsx6t7gk9BUlCOZiXzJ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1155" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0dI6hQPZkfeHZDLYb4reytc2laitAJZaO2uZMuzcrkIPBUpZHeBj5fkde0vwMeMKWzNvU5XmCals99sRumVZCyI5FzfBzUJvyx_L7-Pxi6VglOQJai9ycZVV78ecTt43Vc3Ww4tLN6qH1HC_9kUP7XpPTZJG_hVnRGkIKxRsx6t7gk9BUlCOZiXzJ=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Family History Guide Booth</td></tr></tbody></table>Then is was back to the Salt Palace to register and return to the Expo Hall to help set up the booth for <a href="http://www.thefhguide.com" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a>. I will be working the booth on and off during the week. We will have classes every 30 minutes and there are many videos available for those attending virtually. Come by and visit us if you are here or find us in the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall/the-family-history-guide-association" target="_blank">Virtual Expo Hall</a>.<br /></p><p>Once that was done, I returned to the FamilySearch Library to continue my research for a more couple hours. RootsTech is providing golf cart shuttles between the Library and the Salt Palace, making it easier for more people to get between the locations. This year there will be <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/library/rootstech-at-the-library" target="_blank">events</a> and classes at the Library in addition to those in the Salt Palace. Make sure you check the <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/" target="_blank">schedule</a> for those classes.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqLxn25cKhQUceOUmRXj-ziMi_doK_eWh_pZ7FoS29fnAUQVEotNXIQfanjy55Pta8Xm3vFf8ciUhh28PFU1TvhwmiCPJI7xhYy7E7HBnN1iMZbgiEsC-wu7SonygpFF1uPk5mDNT66WsBlWSMZKb0Pfbr075VhwvdonKJ0dicgO8vFgg3TUH6fWa7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1155" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqLxn25cKhQUceOUmRXj-ziMi_doK_eWh_pZ7FoS29fnAUQVEotNXIQfanjy55Pta8Xm3vFf8ciUhh28PFU1TvhwmiCPJI7xhYy7E7HBnN1iMZbgiEsC-wu7SonygpFF1uPk5mDNT66WsBlWSMZKb0Pfbr075VhwvdonKJ0dicgO8vFgg3TUH6fWa7=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Rockwood, CEO FamilySearch</td></tr></tbody></table>Then it was back to the Salt Palace for the Media Dinner. The RootsTech Influencers and media representatives got together to hear more about what to expect for the next couple days at RootsTech. My table included a media representative from Brazil, three bloggers from Australia, including <a href="https://travelgenee.com/" target="_blank">Fran Kitto</a> and <a href="http://shaunahicks.com.au/" target="_blank">Shauna Hicks</a>, and <a href="https://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">James Tanner</a>. During the dinner we were introduced to the theme for RootsTech. In previous years the theme had been Choose Connections. RootsTech wanted to go one step further this year and selected the theme of Uniting. We all have connections but the object is to unite them all working together to push the positive. </p><p>RootsTech 2021 and 2022 were virtual events with over 3 million attendees from more than 220 countries participating. That was a huge success and they wanted to build on that with the hybrid conference this year. We now have the ability to host thousands of attendees with 205 classes in person as well as millions of virtual attendees with 304 classes. The last 100 years of family history have focused on the US and Europe but now that focus is expanding to more records in Latin America, Africa and Asia. This year RootsTech wil be broadcast in the time zones for countries across the world and be hosted by 15 international virtual emcees. The General Sessions will be broadcast in 9 localized sessions with translations in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Korean and Japanese.</p><p>After the Media Dinner we were able to tour the Expo Hall. Even at 9:00 pm there was still quite a bit of activity there as exhibitors were putting the finishing touches on their exhibits. Some of them, such as <a href="http://Familysearch.org" target="_blank">FamilySearch</a> and <a href="https://storied.com/" target="_blank">Storied</a>, will be spectacular. Storied has created a city block with buildings, a street, and even a car. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUezQl-ix3jUya-uGxRJHvXzwxZaagU3DTGpGvtjNizEo0s2binb2PIyh6fGAUtsbGYJ3L8MBZeNx_Wygu0g5X4IpOeL01jkyjppnWHSNw1VaIFp0PlODL246cx7nenorXsUYXdvBxqKZRUE-UqOwLxz0exuudwHPcOKLjmIxwZxammgWcSkji7IjQ" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUezQl-ix3jUya-uGxRJHvXzwxZaagU3DTGpGvtjNizEo0s2binb2PIyh6fGAUtsbGYJ3L8MBZeNx_Wygu0g5X4IpOeL01jkyjppnWHSNw1VaIFp0PlODL246cx7nenorXsUYXdvBxqKZRUE-UqOwLxz0exuudwHPcOKLjmIxwZxammgWcSkji7IjQ" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's Do Good Together Team</td></tr></tbody></table>As I get ready for the official start of RootsTech in just a few hours, I wanted to share with you how family history can be an uplifting experience for you and your community. A few years ago when RootsTech was still only an in person event, a few of us got together and started talking about projects that we could do in our communities. That small group grew and now forms two organizations. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/261280875337837" target="_blank">Family History: Let's Do Good Together Group</a> on Facebook is one way we provide inspiration to others. You can find information about some of the projects our members have done such as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConnectedTempe" target="_blank">Connected Tempe</a>, <a href="https://connections-experiment.com/about/" target="_blank">The 21 Day Family Connections Experiment</a>, and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF08nOs4iIN9ouIL7SJtW-Q" target="_blank">Texas Connect Project</a>. </p><p>The second group is called The Bridge. The Bridge is now led by Dr. Joe Price of the <a href="https://rll.byu.edu/" target="_blank">BYU Record Linking Lab</a>. The Goal of the Bridge Forum is to use family history to create a kinder and more connected world. We provide a monthly forum to share projects that grow the Family Tree at familysearch.org and help people see their connections with each other and their communities. You can view our <a href="https://youtu.be/D6HZ353Ns5g" target="_blank">February 2023 meeting on YouTube</a>.</p><p>How can you use the lessons from choose connections to help unite your community?</p><p>Join us at RootsTech in person or virtually to see what Family History has to offer. You will be hooked.<br /></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-38620754165804399742023-02-24T16:51:00.001-05:002023-02-24T16:51:42.710-05:00RootsTech2023 - Focus on The Family History Guide, Bronze Sponsor<p><b>Disclaimer</b>: I am the Education Director for The Family History Guide. This is a volunteer position for a non-profit organization. I receive no compensation for my posts.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thefhguide.com" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="700" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzrNAUH4tlfiWtS6BPZ6H4kcsDqFx7YISUXV6947J3s_1W4fEV1HR9UcpQpB6-Vb1oq2S6f7l6J92HjDYjeQppbdBybERnA2SpK7Sau5UnB-p1RmDVFmhW88cGJmyOcPuDMqhmRjQPnAAu6p34PtWpGd41FsKbG8fYDKZeA1NhvqA4byuIN5GDLnYY" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> is a Bronze Sponsor for RootsTech2023 along with others such as BillionGraves, BYU Pathway, FileShadow, Forever, GEDMatch, GenealogyBank, Generations, GENXT, Rootsmagic, and Vivid-Pix. You can read more about these Bronze Sponsors on the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/bronze-sponsors-at-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">RootsTech blog</a>.<p></p><p>The mission of The Family History Guide is to greatly increase the number of people actively involved in family history worldwide, making their journey easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. </p><p>The Family History Guide has had a spot in the RootsTech Expo Hall since 2016. I have worked that booth both in-person and virtually over the years that I have attended RootsTech. This year, the booth is located adjacent to the FamilySearch booth so it will be easy to find. For those who will be attending in person, you will be able to ask questions about The Family History Guide and our website, and discuss ways you can use The Family History Guide in your group and as a training tool.</p><p>The Family History Guide will be broadcasting live for an hour each day beginning at noon Mountain Time. Virtual viewers will be able to stop in and see what is going on. On <a href="https://youtube.com/live/KqDjiZaxzBQ?feature=share" target="_blank">Wednesday</a>, you will be able to watch us setting up the booth. On <a href="https://youtube.com/live/M_L5W9RG1vk?feature=share" target="_blank">Thursday</a> and <a href="https://youtube.com/live/YJd4iNl5vxM?feature=share" target="_blank">Friday</a>, you will be able to watch the booth activities. On <a href="https://youtube.com/live/MgAejqKjqNE?feature=share" target="_blank">Saturday</a> they will be broadcasting our cornhole activity. Tune in to see what is going on each day.</p><p>For those attending virtually, you will be able to watch the following presentations from The Family History Guide's staff:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/mining-u-s-census-records-for-family-history" target="_blank">Mining U.S. Census Records for Family History</a> – Miles Meyer</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/working-with-the-1940-u-s-census" target="_blank">Working with the 1940 U.S. Census</a> – Miles Meyer</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/map-your-way-to-genealogical-success-part-1" target="_blank">Map Your Way to Genealogical Success, Part 1</a> – James Tanner</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/map-your-way-to-genealogical-success-part-2" target="_blank">Map Your Way to Genealogical Success, Part 2</a> – James Tanner</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/map-your-way-to-genealogical-success-part-3" target="_blank">Map Your Way to Genealogical Success, Part 3</a> – James Tanner</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/welcome-to-the-family-history-guide" target="_blank">Welcome to The Family History Guide</a> – Bob Taylor</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/tools-for-consultants-and-trainers-in-the-family-history-guide" target="_blank">Tools for Consultants and Trainers in The Family History Guide</a> – Bob Taylor</li><li><a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=196" target="_blank">Why We Need Our Family Story Now More Than Ever</a> - Scott & Angelle Anderson</li></ul><div>If you are attending in person, you will be able to see several presentations from staff of The Family History Guide.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Thursday, March 2nd they will have the following class:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>9:30am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=85" target="_blank">James Tanner: Understanding and Researching the Records of the Great Migration, 1915-1970 (Room 155B)</a></li></ul></div><div>On Saturday, March 4th they will have the following classes:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=195" target="_blank">Scott & Angelle Anderson: Opening the Heavens - A Live Panel Discussion With Young Adults From Around the World (Webinar)</a></li><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=330" target="_blank">Bob Taylor: Introduction to The Family History Guide (Room 251)</a></li><li>8:00am - Texas Connect Panel Discussion (recorded session)</li><li>3:00pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=197" target="_blank">Scott & Angelle Anderson: You've Got This! Ideas, Resources, and Encouragement for Those with Ward Temple and Family History Callings (Room 251)</a></li><li>4:35pm - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-family-history-guide-association-sponsor-highlight" target="_blank">The Family History Guide Sponsor Highlight</a> (Virtual)</li></ul><div>In addition to all of these presentations, there will be live and recorded classes at the booth in the Expo Hall each day. Stop by their booth to see what is scheduled for the day.</div></div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-18958552852519747162023-02-23T20:20:00.005-05:002023-02-23T21:42:36.202-05:00RootsTech2023 - Focus on MyHeritage, Platinum Sponsor<p><b>Disclosure</b>: I have been a member of the MyHeritage Friends group since 2018. As such, I get advanced notice of upcoming information and early access to MyHeritage releases. I do not receive compensation from MyHeritage for any of my posts or feedback.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.myheritage.com/partner/VeroBeachFeb23?utm_source=partner_verobeach&utm_campaign=partner_VeroBeachFeb23&utm_medium=partner&tr_funnel=complete" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhaQCrv5a8gClD2amq-WQta0h_3Jxu9oxDhAcYXFyDFEDY9IIKjC-L3PuXE8nh4y18pq13m_qI1LRXx8Z9bwM_8FMiWTyQyreRhgUGpyWRfPDLh5bPokTodYHm0olRF5YejrBQ24Pad9TFONVoLiP2QY-zu9U6aNT5uR7BMs1T9M_k9OOmS6T5A9E3" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.myheritage.com/partner/VeroBeachFeb23?utm_source=partner_verobeach&utm_campaign=partner_VeroBeachFeb23&utm_medium=partner&tr_funnel=complete" target="_blank">Click on the logo for a special deal<br />for new subscribers to MyHeritage<br />Available February 24-28, 2023</a></td></tr></tbody></table>MyHeritage is one of the Platinum Sponsors for RootsTech2023 along with Ancestry and Storied. As such, you will see MyHeritage representatives around the Expo Hall and in 15 lectures during the conference. But before the conference even starts, Daniel Horowitz, an Expert Genealogist with MyHeritage, will be doing several presentations on his way from Isreal to Salt Lake. <p></p><p>On February 24th, he will be giving two presentations at the Oakland Temple Visitor's Center at 4766 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, California. At 10:30am he will be presenting <i>Genetic Genealogy and the MyHeritage DNA Test</i>. At 12:00 he will be presenting <i>Advanced DNA Tools to Analyze MyHeritage DNA Matches</i>.</p><p>On February 25th, he will be speaking to the Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society and the Jewish Genealogy Society of Southern Nevada at Pasco Verde Library, 280 S Green Valley Parkway in Henderson, Nevada. That presentation will be at 10:30am and is <i>Exploring Billions of Historical Records on MyHeritage's Search Engine</i>. </p><p>On February 26th, he will present two talks at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Center at 509 S 9th Street in Las Vegas, Nevada. Those presentations will be <i>Research Jewish & Isreal Genealogical Resources on the Internet</i> at 1:30 and <i>MyHeritage Latest Features Overview</i> at 3:30.</p><p>On February 27th, the Utah Jewish Genealogical Society has invited Daniel to speak at the FamilySearch Library, main Floor Classroom B, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He will be presenting <i>Why is my grandmother's record private?</i> at 6:00pm.</p><p>That's six presentations in four days prior to even arriving at RootsTech. I know the last conference I spoke at resulted in me losing my voice for about a week after presenting three talks in three hours. I hope Daniel will still be able to speak after all that.</p><p>Then, once their team gets to RootsTech they will be very busy. </p><p>On Thursday, March 2nd they have the following presentations scheduled:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=240" target="_blank">Marie Cappart: Social Networks 101 (Room 255E)</a></li><li>1:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=241" target="_blank">Marie Cappart: Research in Europe (Ballroom H)</a></li><li>1:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=357" target="_blank">Maya Lerner: Innovations & Tech Forum (Hall E)</a></li><li>3:00pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=162" target="_blank">Daniel Horowitz: In Pursuit of My Family in the Arolsen Archives (Room 155D)</a></li><li>3:00pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=229" target="_blank">Myko Clelland: Understanding British & European Cemeteries (Ballroom A)</a></li><li>4:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=361" target="_blank">Tal Erlichman: An Overview of Recent MyHeritage Photo Feature Releases (Ballroom A)</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/an-overview-of-recent-myheritage-photo-feature-releases" target="_blank">Virtually</a></li></ul><div>On Friday, March 3rd, they have the following classes:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=38" target="_blank">Marie Cappart: Aspects of Adoption (Ballroom B)</a></li><li>9:30am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=358" target="_blank">Gal Zrihen: The Latest Research Tools to Assist with Your DNA Matches (Hall E)</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-latest-research-tools-to-assist-with-your-dna-matches" target="_blank">Virtually</a></li><li>1:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=377" target="_blank">Gilad Japhet: Address from the Founder and CEO of MyHeritage (Room 155A)</a></li><li>3:00pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=161" target="_blank">Daniel Horowitz: The Three Things that Matter in Genealogy: Location, Location, Location (Room 155E)</a></li><li>3:00pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=226" target="_blank">Myko Clelland: Tracing Migrating Ancestors: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How (Room 254)</a></li><li>4:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=239" target="_blank">Marie Cappart: MyHeritage's European Collections (Room 150)</a></li></ul><div>On Saturday, March 4th, they have the following classes:</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=242" target="_blank">Marie Cappart: COVID-19 and Us: How to Document, Preserve, and Share What We Experienced (Room 155E)</a></li><li>8:00am - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=364" target="_blank">Uri Gonen: Different Ways to Work with Your Family Trees (Ballroom A)</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/different-ways-to-work-with-your-family-trees" target="_blank">Virtually</a></li><li>1:30pm - <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=225" target="_blank">Myko Clelland: Are You Related to Royalty? (Ballroom A)</a></li></ul></div><p></p><p>Additionally, MyHeritage will have classes in their booth every 30 minutes each day. That is over 40 classes at their booth. The current schedule is listed below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXOYgq-8yC-D5Rhc6yhZDgZ4vjFMMbl4JigO3UQOe0HPqtkaKU7F4pIUuKBxilMR5DFuZKTnN_-cAAhvvElsNd6ah9squ-pmyRLHHmAH7rKhqLdhqnTPOO9KdF2kp4jew2t5kl_1zC1c5s7eAHilcNPCbimqb-sb7BWTnfHb0XpMUuWpnMOmTeq2n/s1200/unnamed%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1200" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXOYgq-8yC-D5Rhc6yhZDgZ4vjFMMbl4JigO3UQOe0HPqtkaKU7F4pIUuKBxilMR5DFuZKTnN_-cAAhvvElsNd6ah9squ-pmyRLHHmAH7rKhqLdhqnTPOO9KdF2kp4jew2t5kl_1zC1c5s7eAHilcNPCbimqb-sb7BWTnfHb0XpMUuWpnMOmTeq2n/w640-h419/unnamed%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking Schedule for MyHeritage at RootsTech 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>As you can see, there are many interesting classes being presented by MyHeritage. Their presentations alone would make for a great conference. I hope to see some of you in these classes.</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-61374117161191077972023-02-21T19:58:00.001-05:002023-02-23T21:16:59.587-05:00RootsTech 2023 - Coming Soon!<p>Can you believe it? We will be able to attend RootsTech in person again next week! I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone face-to-face again and be able to sit down and chat with you all between classes. I realize that some of you will be attending RootsTech virtually. According to recent registration numbers there are over 6,000 paid attendees and over 300,000 virtual attendees. And there are expected to be another 20,000 free attendees in the Expo Hall and other events, many of them will be there on Saturday for the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/family-discovery-day-at-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Family Discovery Day</a>.</p><p>There is still time to register for RootsTech if you haven't done so already. All you have to do is visit the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home" target="_blank">RootsTech website</a> and select In Person or Virtual. However, the early bird price for in person registration will be expiring soon so you better hurry.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdgxCfiUyRjLElEYOid2pcIrAUJ5Qb_00LXcEP_PhMb7LCQlAWN-Hmj65CfVer-RYn1_GYZtalHWUkXX9JIyTP9VMAMNUO2fqU7yj1T8UVfzpsmNxlGGLyoPBFdIKbBKtU8anFIMubgVuXxVdHUt3ZnshGxn5wOKPXTjQVB8OfhH8xMI-DNo_NrBD3" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="609" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdgxCfiUyRjLElEYOid2pcIrAUJ5Qb_00LXcEP_PhMb7LCQlAWN-Hmj65CfVer-RYn1_GYZtalHWUkXX9JIyTP9VMAMNUO2fqU7yj1T8UVfzpsmNxlGGLyoPBFdIKbBKtU8anFIMubgVuXxVdHUt3ZnshGxn5wOKPXTjQVB8OfhH8xMI-DNo_NrBD3" width="240" /></a></div>So what can you expect this year? As I mentioned in <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-what-should-you-expect.html" target="_blank">my previous blog post</a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/jordin-sparks-keynote-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Jordin Sparks</a> will be on the Main Stage on Thursday at 11:00. They have also announced the Friday and Saturday Main Stage speakers. On Friday, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/me-ra-koh-keynote-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Me Ra Koh</a> will be speaking. Me Ra Koh is a photographer and author of several books that inspire the soul spiritually and creatively. On Saturday, it will be <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/sean-astin-keynote-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Sean Astin</a>. You may know Sean from his roles in movies such as Goonies and Lord of the Rings where he played Samwise Gamgee. The MC for the Main Stage events will be <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/kirby-heyborne-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Kirby Heyborne</a>. You may know him from several movies (<i>The Singles Ward</i> and <i>The Best Two Years</i>) and as host of the BYU show <i>Making Good</i>. I would recommend that you show up early for the Keynote Speakers since there is usually a line outside the doors waiting for them to open and the best seating is towards the front. For those of you watching virtually, the Keynote Speakers will be livestreamed so find a good chair, grab your snacks, and prepare to be entertained.<br /><p></p><p>As far as classes, there are a large number from which to choose. For those attending in person, you will have over 250 classes with 16 classes each session. For those watching virtually, there are more than 300 classes with over 200 pre-recorded on demand videos, 67 webinars, and 37 live streamed classes. The virtual classes can be found on the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/calendar" target="_blank">RootsTech Calendar page</a> where you can build your Playlist. In person classes can be found on the <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/schedule.cfm#/tab/fullSchedule/date/all/events/" target="_blank">RootsTech Schedule page</a> where you can create your Show Planner. You will still have access to the virtual content for the next year through RootsTech365 once RootsTech 2023 is over.</p><p>Between classes you can visit the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/expo-hall-2023" target="_blank">Expo Hall</a>. There is a virtual Expo Hall for those of you watching from home. There will be over 155 exhibitors in the physical Expo Hall. Some of those exhibitors will also have a presence in the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall" target="_blank">Virtual Expo Hall</a> along with other companies that will only be present virtually. Be sure to visit them, see their videos and classes, and ask questions. They really want to interact with people during the conference.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge5Z7Xl0mez0yzHnenVOY-Zu9OIsanzFXsX76rmLV2L-8k3SqZlW0R_nIfPv5C5xrdsxDd86Sfb5gQlRhy9wGBSogrMd54RPXlFhHxsm367ZyFkHAa-Y7GQ8UG8Hf8ridiLvNVU7gUGV2J3hnBPCdfVL8CpcefpsSCLkZGS579Jchh2ybcJuM3oLzy" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="1013" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge5Z7Xl0mez0yzHnenVOY-Zu9OIsanzFXsX76rmLV2L-8k3SqZlW0R_nIfPv5C5xrdsxDd86Sfb5gQlRhy9wGBSogrMd54RPXlFhHxsm367ZyFkHAa-Y7GQ8UG8Hf8ridiLvNVU7gUGV2J3hnBPCdfVL8CpcefpsSCLkZGS579Jchh2ybcJuM3oLzy" width="320" /></a></div>Have you started to use the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/find-relatives-rootstech-2023" target="_blank">Relatives at RootsTech app</a>? The app looks at your family tree on FamilySearch and locates your relatives who will be attending RootsTech. I currently have 48 relatives at RootsTech. This is a good number for me, but I am sure that yours will be higher. My wife has over 9,200. You can view your relatives, see how you are related, and message them to set up a meeting while you are at RootsTech.<p></p><p>I hope that you find some useful bits of information in this post and I look forward to seeing you at RootsTech.</p><p><br /> </p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-22683091460917243322023-01-19T07:24:00.011-05:002023-01-28T15:22:32.598-05:00RootsTech 2023 - What Should You Expect?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGmoSc-otegG-aSAtwnzhE9DgwFMHXo0_x5g8T1Jzr7AaqYrVJHvvOY37EUN9SioQ5wbe-5H4nsV0qwZRi-I3fEjHpzyBeI7xCEHUTia6mMpTnIFA-WjRokoprxNZDfod54DO7w8kczux1oU1IpEd0-qP375NoXY2w4VCHsxOi3EIvI9MQnQc2fo-/s937/Jordan%20Sparks%20RootsTech.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="937" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGmoSc-otegG-aSAtwnzhE9DgwFMHXo0_x5g8T1Jzr7AaqYrVJHvvOY37EUN9SioQ5wbe-5H4nsV0qwZRi-I3fEjHpzyBeI7xCEHUTia6mMpTnIFA-WjRokoprxNZDfod54DO7w8kczux1oU1IpEd0-qP375NoXY2w4VCHsxOi3EIvI9MQnQc2fo-/s320/Jordan%20Sparks%20RootsTech.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We are only a little over a month away from RootsTech 2023! Have you registered? If not, you should go to <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/" target="_blank">rootstech.org</a> and complete your registration. The virtual conference is free and on demand over the next year or more. The in-person conference is $98 for the three day pass but you might be able to win a free pass by visiting the links on my previous <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-do-you-want-to-win-free.html" target="_blank">blog post</a>. <p></p><p>Did you hear that Jordin Sparks, 2007 American Idol winner, will be a Keynote Speaker this year? She will share her personal story and speak to the power of uniting through song and word on the first day of the conference.</p><p>There are many other speakers who will be sharing their life experiences on the Main Stage also, You can see a small selection of them in another of my <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/12/three-months-until-rootstech-2023.html" target="_blank">blog posts</a>.</p><p>I hope everyone has started to make their plans for this incredible event. Some of you are old pros and have attended several RootsTech conferences, whether that be in-person or virtually. But some of you are new to this whole thing and are probably wondering what to expect. Well, here is some advice from my previous experiences at RootsTech as an attendee, volunteer, influencer, speaker, and exhibitor.</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Transportation. Salt Lake has a great public transportation system. I usually take the TRAX Green Line train from the airport to downtown. There are frequent stops within a block of the north and west sides of the Salt Palace. You can see how close your hotel is to the nearest Trax Station to see if you want to walk. Downtown transportation on the TRAX is free but there is a small cost to and from the airport.</li><li>Arrive early. I prefer to arrive the day before and do a walk through of the Salt Palace to get my bearings. Early check-in starts on Wednesday between 4:00-6:00. The Expo Hall will not be open in advance but you can see the layout from the second floor. The venue is huge and it is easy to get lost when your classes are spaced out over the entire floorplan. Another benefit of arriving early is that you can visit the recently renovated FamilySearch Library which is just a block north of the Salt Palace. Or you can visit Temple Square and see the sites there. </li><li>Speaking of floorplans, make sure you have a map so you can locate your rooms. The RootsTech app has provided maps in the past. Bathrooms are located throughout the area but sometimes may be hard to find. If you don't have a map, the volunteers are ready to help point you in the right direction. </li><li>There is usually a coat check area near the main entrance. You can leave your coats and other items there for safe keeping. I usually wear a coat with a sweatshirt underneath that I can wear during the conference since some of the classrooms may be cool. </li><li>Food vendors are located all around the venue. In previous years, the main area for snacks was located in the west hall on the first floor. For meals, there are usually several choices at the back of the Expo Hall. If you want something different, you can cross the street and visit City Creek Center for selections like Blue Lemon (American fare) and Blue Iguana (Mexican).</li><li>You can't reserve classes in advance, but you should at least make a schedule of your preferred classes. RootsTech has posted the <a href="https://rootstech2023.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions" target="_blank">class schedules online</a>. I suggest that you pick your first and second choice classes and locate their room numbers for each session and keep that in your planner. Realize that some class sessions may overlap. The classrooms are large but can fill up for high profile speakers. If you can't get into your first choice, then head over to your second choice.</li><li>What happens if you can't get into your first or second choice? There are other classes that are available. But if you don't want to attend a different class, you can head to the Expo Hall. The vendors will have great deals and you can chat with them one-on-one while everyone else is in their classes. You can stop by The Family History Guide booth and see if I am there. Many of the vendors also have mini-classes. </li><li>Seating. Do you like to sit up front, along the aisle, or near the back? Each has its advantages. Many people like to sit at the front of the room so they can see the slides and speaker better. Many classrooms have multiple screens so you can find a variety of close seats. Sometimes the front rows are designated for handicapped seating (mobility, deaf, etc.). The seats will be marked so make sure to look before sitting in those areas. The aisle seats give you easy access to so you can get up and out quickly. I prefer the back rows since those may have wall plugs and I can recharge my devices while listening to the presentation.</li><li>Expo Hall Hints. Check the times for the Expo Hall so you know when it opens and closes. The times will be different from the class times. It usually opens after the Keynote/General Session speakers and closes after the classes. In previous years you could visit the FamilySearch Library area in the Expo Hall and have their missionaries and volunteers help you with your research. If you had an old family book and permission to copy it, you could visit the scanning station and have it scanned onsite and uploaded to the book collection on FamilySearch. On the north side of the Expo Hall is the media area. That is where you will find some of us doing our interviews, writing blogs, recording podcasts, etc. Feel free to say "hi" to us (we don't bite even though they keep us in a fenced off area).</li><li>Take some time to relax and unwind. RootsTech can be an overwhelming experience. In the past there have been around 15,000-25,000 people at the event on any given day. And the fact that you are running from class to class can frazzle your nerves. There are benches in the halls where you can just sit for a while, recharge your device, and people watch. Or, gather a few of your newly found friends and head out for a bite to eat. We all enjoy meeting new people and getting to know each other.</li><li>The Relatives at RootsTech app has been enhanced for 2023 with features for the virtual and in-person attendees. Use the app to discover who you are related to at RootsTech and find your new cousins. Schedule a meet up with your new family and compare notes.</li><li>One last piece of advice. If you are attending RootsTech in person, you should also register for the virtual event. The virtual event will have additional content which will be available to view on demand for at least the next year.</li></ol><div>I hope these tips will be helpful as you explore RootsTech, and feel free to say "hi" to me if you see me in the halls (I'll probably be wearing some genealogy related t-shirt).</div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-36126938429877315192023-01-01T15:16:00.018-05:002023-01-27T16:24:27.300-05:00RootsTech 2023 - Do you want to win a free pass?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDhcLUJUD2EZoMsO4Zz86Qt5q248TWUaOhOp5zRZJR_B1uCxL7TYCc4SbUAi3xLTwf9ZhCD5D776tz_MMkpeVOZDpe5xyE6ooWkfoiAW3rk8JfMUilCaiSYbE3vYUs7w62f_HtkfoSFef2cBaOMWPj09rOdrd2FWmxtH3r1-t9bMj0p-4jXkKzlGZY" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="1081" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDhcLUJUD2EZoMsO4Zz86Qt5q248TWUaOhOp5zRZJR_B1uCxL7TYCc4SbUAi3xLTwf9ZhCD5D776tz_MMkpeVOZDpe5xyE6ooWkfoiAW3rk8JfMUilCaiSYbE3vYUs7w62f_HtkfoSFef2cBaOMWPj09rOdrd2FWmxtH3r1-t9bMj0p-4jXkKzlGZY=w225-h400" width="225" /></a></div><p>RootsTech 2023 is March 2-4, 2023 - only 2 months away. Are you prepared?</p>I was selected to be a RootsTech Influencer for RootsTech 2023. You may be wondering what it means to be a RootsTech Influencer. Well, it means that I will be posting items to publicize RootsTech, letting you know what to expect if you plan on attending, and I will be offering a chance to win a free 3-day pass to RootsTech valued at $98. The pass includes access to all on-site classes, the Keynote and General Sessions, as well as the Expo Hall. It does not include travel, hotel, or meals. I will explain more about how you can win the pass a little further down this post. But first, I'd like to help you understand why RootsTech is a must do experience for all genealogists.<p></p><p>The theme of RootsTech 2023 is "Uniting". This theme refers to how we can help to bring people, stories, memories, technology, innovation, communities, and families together through the work we do in family history. RootsTech will promote this theme through inspiring keynote sessions, instructive classes, and innovative technologies to help us connect our families.</p><p>There are two ways to attend RootsTech 2023, virtually or in person. Virtual attendees will have access to over 200 on demand classes, Main Stage and Keynote sessions, RootsTech chat, and be able to tour the virtual Expo Hall. In person attendees will have access to all of the virtual sessions and will also be able to attend over 180 in-person classes, get personal help from the Family History Library at their Expo Hall area, be able to meet the sponsors and attend their classes in the Expo Hall (along with great discounts and promotional materials), and network with thousands of other genealogists and family history enthusiasts.</p><p>In my <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/12/three-months-until-rootstech-2023.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I provided links to the Road to RootsTech videos, a list of some of the keynote speakers, and a video by some of the class instructors. Classes will be given by a variety of well-known speakers including Lisa Louise Cooke, D. Joshua Taylor, Blaine Bettinger, Judy G. Russell, Diahan Southard, James Tanner, and Dr. Wanda Wyporska.</p><p>There are over 100 booths in the Expo Hall. Some of the Platinum Sponsors for RootsTech include <a href="http://www.myheritage.com" target="_blank">MyHeritage</a>, <a href="https://www.familytreedna.com/" target="_blank">FamilyTree DNA</a>, and <a href="http://www.familysearch.org" target="_blank">FamilySearch</a>. <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a> is a Bronze sponsor and will have a booth near the FamilySearch booth. I will be at their booth working during part of the conference in case you are looking for me. In the past, companies such as MyHeritage and <a href="http://www.ancestry.com" target="_blank">Ancestry</a> gave substantial discounts on their DNA kits and other companies like <a href="http://www.billiongraves.com" target="_blank">Billion Graves</a>, <a href="https://familytreewebinars.com/" target="_blank">Legacy Family Tree Webinars</a>, and <a href="http://www.genealogybank.com" target="_blank">GenealogyBank</a> provided discounts on their subscriptions during the conference.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forms.gle/x3NjBe4NZ5TjotVm6" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb2OAon3ULaGNj6Ao3sYs23owrX0xW9bbWCDEWT2ri7ed4FC3q28rEXhPjpKZ0uccRr9bncPm2sUxcnlg6NTCrGuvuyBhO8Ef3URhR7S0uce7foOvnOC3TlbsF2GNL9ja1WZ7zUGqfccODRTQW7eUMyGlf27MzxCYuAxAeUlx109k1KNkvSfQ_raCn=w136-h136" width="136" /></a></div>So, I guess you are wondering how you can get a chance to win the free 3-day RootsTech Pass. Well, all you have to do is go to <a href="https://forms.gle/x3NjBe4NZ5TjotVm6" target="_blank">this link</a>, fill in a little information, and wait until January 31 to see if you win. And don't worry if you have already purchased a pass. You can get a refund if you win!<p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But wait, there's more. How many chances can you get to win a free 3-day pass? Each of the following blogs have the same contest going on and will each be awarding a free 3-day pass. You can sign up for all of them to increase your chances of winning.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://daviesofmold.wordpress.com/2023/01/06/its-been-a-while-but-i-return-offering-a-prize">https://daviesofmold.wordpress.com/2023/01/06/its-been-a-while-but-i-return-offering-a-prize</a></li><li><a href="https://the-family-mess.com/2023/01/06/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway">https://the-family-mess.com/2023/01/06/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thefamilyheart.com/rootstech-pass-giveaway-2023">https://www.thefamilyheart.com/rootstech-pass-giveaway-2023</a></li><li><a href="https://thesingleleaf.com/2023/01/03/no-better-way-to-begin-2023-than-to-host-a-rootstech-giveaway">https://thesingleleaf.com/2023/01/03/no-better-way-to-begin-2023-than-to-host-a-rootstech-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://www.treasurechestofmemories.com/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway">https://www.treasurechestofmemories.com/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://www.carolinagirlgenealogy.com/2023/01/genfreinds-genealogy-chat-show.html">https://www.carolinagirlgenealogy.com/2023/01/genfreinds-genealogy-chat-show.html</a></li><li><a href="https://lyfelynes.com/giveaway-for-rootstech-2023">https://lyfelynes.com/giveaway-for-rootstech-2023</a></li><li><a href="https://kindredpast.com/2023/01/03/win-a-complimentary-in-person-rootstech-2023-3-day-pass">https://kindredpast.com/2023/01/03/win-a-complimentary-in-person-rootstech-2023-3-day-pass</a></li><li><a href="https://onebranchatatime.com/giveaway-2023">https://onebranchatatime.com/giveaway-2023</a></li><li><a href="https://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway.html">https://agenealogistinthearchives.blogspot.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-free-pass-giveaway.html</a></li><li><a href="https://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2023/01/enter-to-win-free-in-person-3-day-pass.html">https://janasgenealogyandfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/2023/01/enter-to-win-free-in-person-3-day-pass.html</a></li><li><a href="https://dna-explained.com/2023/01/10/rootstech-2023-theme-is-uniting-registration-is-open-free-pass-giveaway">https://dna-explained.com/2023/01/10/rootstech-2023-theme-is-uniting-registration-is-open-free-pass-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://alicechilds.com/win-a-pass-to-rootstech-2023">https://alicechilds.com/win-a-pass-to-rootstech-2023</a></li><li><a href="https://jennyalogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/win-pass-to-rootstech-in-salt-lake-city.html">https://jennyalogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/win-pass-to-rootstech-in-salt-lake-city.html</a></li><li><a href="https://youtu.be/nAf4xJvzvc8">https://youtu.be/nAf4xJvzvc8</a></li><li><a href="https://blog.familyhistoryhound.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-you-could-win-an-in-person-pass">https://blog.familyhistoryhound.com/2023/01/rootstech-2023-you-could-win-an-in-person-pass</a></li><li><a href="https://evalogue.life/giveaways/rootstechpass">https://evalogue.life/giveaways/rootstechpass</a></li><li><a href="https://gleam.io/lIUG4/rootstech-2023-giveaway">https://gleam.io/lIUG4/rootstech-2023-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cnxq_ufjvNN">https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cnxq_ufjvNN</a></li><li><a href="http://genealogyliteracy.com/rootstech-2023-sneak-peek-giveaway">http://genealogyliteracy.com/rootstech-2023-sneak-peek-giveaway</a></li><li><a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/00ujwf/rootstech-2023-3-day-pass">https://kingsumo.com/g/00ujwf/rootstech-2023-3-day-pass</a></li><li><a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/qib0uz/rootstech-2023-registration-giveaway-the-perfect-retreat-for-a-family-historian">https://kingsumo.com/g/qib0uz/rootstech-2023-registration-giveaway-the-perfect-retreat-for-a-family-historian</a></li><li><a href="https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/a-chance-to-win-a-ticket-to-rootstech-2023">https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/a-chance-to-win-a-ticket-to-rootstech-2023</a></li><li><a href="http://mckellkeeney.com/3-day-pass-giveaway-for-rootstech">http://mckellkeeney.com/3-day-pass-giveaway-for-rootstech</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/smtoulson/status/1617653376866746369?s=20&t=4QicU8DwpeRGy0i8JD4k7Q">https://twitter.com/smtoulson/status/1617653376866746369?s=20&t=4QicU8DwpeRGy0i8JD4k7Q</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/Barry_RSA/status/1617888729485676544?s=20&t=71rdpein5XGxSSJv1g48Nw">https://twitter.com/Barry_RSA/status/1617888729485676544?s=20&t=71rdpein5XGxSSJv1g48Nw</a></li></ul><p></p><p>Good luck to all and I hope to see you at RootsTech 2023 in March! </p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-44297190536411585322022-12-31T20:33:00.002-05:002022-12-31T21:47:21.225-05:002022 - The Year in Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHD-lXTv7iAWlEUTViqz6m04fD267PpFHSBfOEaJzvsH3_6XTI5Qs7KXX5AcprhjSK0QpD0Merbi0OUplat__L9cW2Ij8gtqCJhZ8ZFrUp9JMQhiDm_6cl2IAM2x1iHSOEmrGihef1cMTmlYrG0HawsUiCh2Rcdt0xJWHRhsRQAShCYxz3qpiwof2E" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="550" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHD-lXTv7iAWlEUTViqz6m04fD267PpFHSBfOEaJzvsH3_6XTI5Qs7KXX5AcprhjSK0QpD0Merbi0OUplat__L9cW2Ij8gtqCJhZ8ZFrUp9JMQhiDm_6cl2IAM2x1iHSOEmrGihef1cMTmlYrG0HawsUiCh2Rcdt0xJWHRhsRQAShCYxz3qpiwof2E=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></div>On the eve of 2023, I figured I would look back on my accomplishments and some of what I consider as the important events that happened in the genealogy world over the last year. <p></p><p>After two years of Covid and virtual events, we were finally able to have genealogy events in person. The two years of virtual events did give us a great opportunity to participate in presentations beyond our usual area and it gave many organizations the opportunity to reach out to a broader audience. I spoke at 22 events during the year. Many of the local events were in-person while several international events were virtual. </p><p>I was able to present at the Spring, Summer and Winter sessions of The Genealogy Show in the UK. My topics included <i>Mapping Your Roots - Adding Maps to Your Analysis</i>, <i>Building the Story by Adding Newspapers</i>, <i>The Family History Guide</i>, and <i>Technology Trends in Family History.</i> </p><p>One of the biggest events was the second year of virtual RootsTech. In 2022, there were an estimated 3 million people who attended or were able to view the more than 1,500 presentations in over 30 languages. I presented four topics at the virtual RootsTech. The presentations included <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/discovering-online-dutch-archives" target="_blank"><i>Discovering </i><i>Online</i><i> Dutch Archives</i></a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/discovering-online-french-archives" target="_blank"><i>Discovering </i><i>Online </i><i>French Archives</i></a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/discovering-online-german-archives" target="_blank"><i>Discovering </i><i>Online</i><i> German Archives</i></a>, and a live panel discussion <i>Building Community Context with Family History</i>.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.granitefhc.com/" target="_blank">Sandy Granite Family History Center</a> in Sandy, Utah invited me to present several topics during their online classes. The topics that I presented were <i><a href="https://youtu.be/f0ca2jc0ALI" target="_blank">How Technology is Increasing Our Access to Archives</a></i>, <i><a href="https://youtu.be/vHgIANO_1lA" target="_blank">Mining the Census Records to Write Your Family Story</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://youtu.be/-p3FifWZvs8" target="_blank">Thinking Outside the Box</a></i>. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.jgsct.org/" target="_blank">Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut</a> invited me to present <i>Using Google Maps to Create Projects</i>. That presentation focused on how genealogical data can be presented in map form.</p><p>I attended one in-person conference during 2022, the Martin County Family History Fair, where I presented three topics. The topics were <i>Adding Maps to Your Analysis</i>, <i>The Future of FamilySearch</i>, and <i>Building the Story by Adding Newspapers</i>. However, after speaking for three straight hours I lost my voice for about a week and was unable to speak at work. I'm sure some people were happy for that.</p><p>I was also able to speak at a virtual event in Kingston, Jamaica where I presented two topics: <i>The Family History Guide</i> and <i>FamilySearch Indexing</i>.</p><p>One sad note is that 2022 was the last year of me leading the German Genealogy Interest Group for Indian River County Genealogical Society. We decided to close out the group this year after I had led the discussions for several years. To replace this group, I will be leading the newly formed FamilySearch Genealogy Interest Group beginning in 2023. This group will still be virtual and is available for all members of the Indian River Genealogical Society to attend.</p><p>I started teaching a family history class at the Indian River Youth Guidance Academy this year. We had a handful of students attend the after-school program where we helped them learn basic family history skills including interviewing, timeline development, and online research. The students presented their findings in December and were able to show each other what they learned about their families. This class will likely be an annual class each fall.</p><p>At the end of 2021 and early 2022, I was working on compiling the stories of WW II veterans from around Minster, Ohio. I added the information to FamilySearch Memories for those that I was able to find and I wrote stories about those that were my relatives on my blog at <a href="http://ourancestories.blogspot.com">http://ourancestories.blogspot.com</a>. </p><p>In 2022, I changed my focus a bit and began working on several projects to add families from Auglaize, Darke, Mercer, and Shelby counties in Ohio to FamilySearch. One of the projects was the <a href="https://email-campaign.familytech.byu.edu/" target="_blank">5-a-Day Project</a> from BYU Linking Labs. This project sends you an email with five record hints each day that you can use to add sources to families or add new people to families on FamilySearch. The second project that I worked on was from <a href="https://www.goldiemay.com/" target="_blank">Goldie May</a>. Goldie May is a free app that you can add to your web browser. They have a volunteer project where you can select records by location or surname and then add them to FamilySearch. I also worked on records through the <a href="https://map-app.familytech.byu.edu/map" target="_blank">BYU Linking Lab's Map App</a>. This app allows you to select records on a map and add them to FamilySearch. Another project that I participated in was the <a href="https://yanceyfamilygenealogy.org/genealogical_service_project.htm" target="_blank">Family Bible Preservation Project</a>. The goal of that project is to attach family bible records to people on FamilySearch. Many of these bibles have been rescued from thrift stores, flea markets, or garage sales and their records may be important to someone's family history research. All of that work in 2022 led to me adding nearly 25,200 new bits of information on FamilySearch. That total consisted of nearly 1,900 new individual profiles, nearly 1,000 Memories, and over 22,300 sources.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="700" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPd_J36197-1UPi5AcpL48QAOFnrIthZlsSyhJ1_9xVSICYmrqDOuxcVAM6VOMjcvt55dh5ZdHKA9S6ajTECmyDwi3dpk7NCg7DgsYvugSiZOm8mJoTIY9vpVPH0ktXSrHl7HwXhr9HBQRIGC_bCxNzKuaMz_szQNs_jdeKEwh0ei9uB9lVeRoRl26=w187-h66" width="187" /></a></div>I also continued my work as the Education Director for <a href="https://www.thefhguide.com/" target="_blank">The Family History Guide</a>. I presented information about The Family History Guide at six venues and mentioned it in another dozen talks over the year. The Family History Guide has continued to grow and provide resources to help make your family history research easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2638418943210644053/4429719053641158532#" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="800" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6Ln1oLanhs6sRRXvug0KXLGqHSEsToUtjosjmDC-6ElOFUqMNTjG7abceGFu40xVenjy8J0U7vqYxT8gTsIgFF_3dQc2SjruR45-HmGm--fg7AExTnXQi65TIueDBB1nezheRr-J4Zsh6QcpTEOnX8RrLzrQFfbfN1jOHXeq7gkDjEmy3oXhASKSw=w153-h129" width="153" /></a></div>What do I think were the big news items in the genealogy world in 2022? Well, the biggest was probably the release of the 1950 US Census and the combination of human and computer aided indexing. Many of us participated in this this process which made the records of over 150 million people listed in the 1950 US Census searchable on multiple platforms, including <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/1950census/" target="_blank">FamilySearch</a>, within a short period of time.<p></p><p>The 1921 United Kingdom Census was also a big item for 2022. The 1921 UK Census contains almosrt 38 million names and is now available on <a href="https://www.findmypast.com/1921-census" target="_blank">FindMyPast</a>. Basic searches are free but you will need a subscription to view the images.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXxprh7KZJvrfM7yqvnUTtzjQX_AcbxUGb5ihc3TAEnDKTWfTYEWi4johRH3veGxTpKpIyp9slHYBjBEXGRy_RfWYRUWBw404L-tOdoXT8s_7ERwFl88rsRNR9QNHeyzriCCKdFOB_u6c23a_4T5G2KvPH91yHv57Cq8fjM_CTk_US7pFjXDD4THeR" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXxprh7KZJvrfM7yqvnUTtzjQX_AcbxUGb5ihc3TAEnDKTWfTYEWi4johRH3veGxTpKpIyp9slHYBjBEXGRy_RfWYRUWBw404L-tOdoXT8s_7ERwFl88rsRNR9QNHeyzriCCKdFOB_u6c23a_4T5G2KvPH91yHv57Cq8fjM_CTk_US7pFjXDD4THeR=w175-h175" width="175" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MyHeritage Time Machine</td></tr></tbody></table>MyHeritage released the <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/ai-time-machine" target="_blank">AI Time Machine</a>. You can upload several photographs of yourself or anyone and then let the Time Machine convert them into photos from various time periods. I enjoyed playing with this app and created several hundred images of myself through time. I wrote about the app recently on my <a href="https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/11/myheritages-ai-time-machine-app.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. <p></p><p>Of course I have to talk about the FamilySearch milestones during 2022. The FamilySearch FamilyTree now has 1.46 billion people with 2.48 billion sources attached. Users now have access to 16.88 billion searchable names and records. The digital library has expanded to include over 555,000 digital books from 17 partner libraries. And the FamilySearch Wiki reached 100,000 research articles in 2022. All of this new information is availale to users for free!</p><p>We can expect another great year in family history research for 2023!</p><p>RootsTech 2023 will be a hybrid conference with both in-person and virtual opportunites. I am again a RootsTech Influencer and will be offering a chance to win a free ticket to Rootstech (a $98 value) in January. You can learn more about RootsTech 2023 and register for it on their <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023" target="_blank">website</a>. </p><p>After a 2-year hiatus, I will be coordinating and hosting the 4th Annual Indian River Genealogy Conference on March 25th. We have a great list of speakers lined up and the conference theme is <i>Connecting to Ancestors Through Family History</i>. We have a variety of door prizes which we will be giving out at the conference along with some special deals that we will publicize online. Keep an eye open and maybe you will find those deals at the end of February.</p><p>I am taking a three week family history trip to Germany with my son and about 50 other relatives this fall. We are planning on visiting the villages, churches, and homes of our ancestors.</p><p>What else is to come? I am sure we will see some big news from the major genealogy companies around RootsTech. I will be posting as many of these announcements as I can so keep checking back.</p><p>As we end 2022 and look forward to 2023, I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2023!</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-17795759221263045562022-12-17T15:00:00.003-05:002023-02-06T21:15:48.504-05:00Three Months Until RootsTech 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07pm7EuSa2-Jp_wTa5lOxagLJRILH8w7KqHmHcrFwuO-uyeLxTJgSJ43XpRAghF-NBd5qMpk9i5W0fb48uB5nCbNVKtwc4MgR4vET2DOpULWNgkvHoI9vqhc90zHybmj59IRDU-HwUUD0opvCaIX6MID9YtwLmha2ghCnFA6fHxFjMt9VLif-v98A/s1201/314639120_5846461115375667_4957584843902311007_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1201" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07pm7EuSa2-Jp_wTa5lOxagLJRILH8w7KqHmHcrFwuO-uyeLxTJgSJ43XpRAghF-NBd5qMpk9i5W0fb48uB5nCbNVKtwc4MgR4vET2DOpULWNgkvHoI9vqhc90zHybmj59IRDU-HwUUD0opvCaIX6MID9YtwLmha2ghCnFA6fHxFjMt9VLif-v98A/s320/314639120_5846461115375667_4957584843902311007_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time sure flies. We are less than three months out from RootsTech 2023. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">At least for me, I designate time in pre-Covid, Covid, and post-Covid time frames. When talking about events that happened before 2019, I say it was pre-Covid. Remember when we last met together in person at RootsTech on March 2019? We were just starting to be concerned about Covid and precautions were just beginning to be put in place. RootsTech provided masks and hand sanitizer outside each classroom. Then, during Covid we had two years of virtual RootsTech conferences. That gave us the opportunity to include more people from around the world as we attended the virtual conference. Now, we will have the opportunity to view RootsTech 2023 in person or virtually. There will be 350+ classes over the hybrid format!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">RootsTech has already started to publish their Road To RootsTech videos. If you are new to RootsTech, or an old pro, you will find some interesting tips in these videos.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Road To RootsTech Episode 1: Welcome was released in November. You can watch it on Facebook <a href="https://fb.watch/gOd3TlA6Yk">https://fb.watch/gOd3TlA6Yk</a>, YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/CYqFCHuwWQM">https://youtu.be/CYqFCHuwWQM</a>, or Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck4e21Mp0i_/">https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck4e21Mp0i_</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Road To RootsTech Episode 2: New Classes was released in December. You can watch it on Facebook <a href="https://fb.watch/hi49fsW98X">https://fb.watch/hi49fsW98X</a>, YouTube </span><a href="https://youtu.be/3k0YB4IKavQ">https://youtu.be/3k0YB4IKavQ</a>, <span style="font-family: inherit;">or Instagram </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cl1hmKSJaJz" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cl1hmKSJaJz</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Road to RootsTech Episode 3: Testimonials was released in December. You can watch it on Facebook <a href="https://fb.watch/hAGPiXmaR-">https://fb.watch/hAGPiXmaR-</a>, YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/XEcX5OcSh4U">https://youtu.be/XEcX5OcSh4U</a>, or Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmenA5pBPNl">https://www.instagram.com/p/CmenA5pBPNl</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Road to RootsTech Episode 4: Main Stage was released in January. You can watch it on Facebook <a href="https://fb.watch/ixrew-ijq1">https://fb.watch/ixrew-ijq1</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Road to RootsTech Episoide 5: Expo Hall was released in February. You can watch it on Facebook <a href="https://fb.watch/ixqZWMNlaO">https://fb.watch/ixqZWMNlaO</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">RootsTech has begun to announce some of their speakers. In November, they had an online live discussion with three of the speakers, Lisa Cooke, Jenny Joyce, and Myko Clelland. You can see this video online at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RootsTech/videos/2142135585995614">https://www.facebook.com/RootsTech/videos/2142135585995614</a> or <a href="https://youtu.be/Ak7bylrNCnQ">https://youtu.be/Ak7bylrNCnQ</a>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJyr_-HikpQZ8sftVUyYJ-CVvDhZ87Lb8PA7V011y5DN_BHtjo9ObwQsdSVr0MFU9yYCcyuJrntrH3ZL4Q0vVNEG3zH-DapylDeS5uA_-UBbuwwV-UriHEnDft7XokXF4W7rwOmtnE8tAeeYsTVrLdeW8T4x2q01pKDxf_rcYEGTF5UaA3OdQeU6R0" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="602" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJyr_-HikpQZ8sftVUyYJ-CVvDhZ87Lb8PA7V011y5DN_BHtjo9ObwQsdSVr0MFU9yYCcyuJrntrH3ZL4Q0vVNEG3zH-DapylDeS5uA_-UBbuwwV-UriHEnDft7XokXF4W7rwOmtnE8tAeeYsTVrLdeW8T4x2q01pKDxf_rcYEGTF5UaA3OdQeU6R0" width="242" /></a></div>RootsTech has also announced three of their keynote speakers. <p></p><p><span> Tuti Furlán is a psychologist, specializing in positive psychology and the science of happiness. She is a writer, international speaker, actress, and business owner. With her 20+ year career, she is considered to be one of the most influential and recognized public figure in Guatemala.<br /><br />H.H. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan bin Saqr Al-Qasimi is from Ras al Khaimah. He has been a major contributor to achieving sustainability and food security in the UAE, and was awarded the Medal of Excellence for being an important figure in sustainable investment. He received the Inspirational Leader Award of 2021, the Social Development Leadership Medal, and the Leadership/ Responsibility/ Innovation International Certificate as one of the best social leaders in the world. H.H. also has a great love for bees and the importance of bee keeping. He is a global ambassador in the project to save bees from extinction.<br /><br />Mona Magno-Veluz serves as the National President of the Autism Society Philippines. She designed and engineered national advocacy initiatives that continue to build institutional mechanisms to empower persons on the autism spectrum and those who care for them.</span></p><p><span>Have you purchased your in person ticket or are you planning on watching virtually. If you haven't registered, you can visit their website and register at <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023</a>. If you haven't registered yet, I will be giving away one free in-person 3-day ticket (valued at $98) during January. Keep an eye out on this blog and on my social media to learn how you can win this ticket.</span></p><p><span>I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and has the opportunity to spend time with family.</span><br /><br /></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-90827243303591094662022-11-20T17:38:00.003-05:002022-11-20T17:40:16.250-05:00MyHeritage's AI Time Machine App<p>Over the last couple years, MyHeritage has released apps to colorize, enhance, and animate photos. You may have seen my previous posts about the Deep Nostalgia and Live Story apps which allow your photos to tell their own story. If you have been on social media lately you will probably have noticed that MyHeritage has released a new photo app. This new app is MyHeritage's <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/ai-time-machine" target="_blank">AI Time Machine</a> app. This app places you in 8 scenes from each of 62 historic periods including Ancient Rome, the Renaissance, WWI, Ancient Egypt, and many more. The AI uses photos that you upload and then adds them to these scenes. it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to create the images. I uploaded 15 photos with a variety of poses including full body, profile, and head shots to get my first set of images. Once I had those, I uploaded another 17 photos to get some different views. So, now I have 16 photos from each of 62 periods to go through. Some of these photos are impressive while others have some problems. I will provide some examples below.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamLb3ONqyfyI88rWM53HUaKzdzJv-HWXDBvkJA6Om49S66qGoH_SHgflFvFbIxziWbRMSQFyzuMPCU9rHjwu2tN6QHoIQo4mF_GoQ5b-Tz8fKOmwvt5bGwbqj3sArm8eiOe-aDUF855eZNqcrJg3Duuhh7Fennf2BgtawJ5w9aU6mmShrBXKuCiG5/s512/Miles-Meyer-16th%20Century%20Royalty-7%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamLb3ONqyfyI88rWM53HUaKzdzJv-HWXDBvkJA6Om49S66qGoH_SHgflFvFbIxziWbRMSQFyzuMPCU9rHjwu2tN6QHoIQo4mF_GoQ5b-Tz8fKOmwvt5bGwbqj3sArm8eiOe-aDUF855eZNqcrJg3Duuhh7Fennf2BgtawJ5w9aU6mmShrBXKuCiG5/w264-h264/Miles-Meyer-16th%20Century%20Royalty-7%20(1).jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16th Century<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG7WXLnwnPvN0NpCRa_qvHehmaLC1E5Y3ecfCt_oNVkwqSMq1q1ScAa_BgF3Cl0VDzjZkeG-aqeepoEFIgayWpVo1QUVJgEUd2LxiXfM4KJ8grbIBNaDd6ftECu7KK8r6EV8CEwujYxgBCPoMMU32OCKjau9hB4PaDKVUnUc40UwQD6b5y6u_fc7-/s512/Miles-Meyer-18th%20Century%20French%20Aristocrat-7.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG7WXLnwnPvN0NpCRa_qvHehmaLC1E5Y3ecfCt_oNVkwqSMq1q1ScAa_BgF3Cl0VDzjZkeG-aqeepoEFIgayWpVo1QUVJgEUd2LxiXfM4KJ8grbIBNaDd6ftECu7KK8r6EV8CEwujYxgBCPoMMU32OCKjau9hB4PaDKVUnUc40UwQD6b5y6u_fc7-/w263-h263/Miles-Meyer-18th%20Century%20French%20Aristocrat-7.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18th Century<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi7lg3gAu9Z3fdrtoJHJxzUlrXovMxlRpqFcqJ8cfx1mqz0XyZHHbt9G80Yifo5Y_FZuOhQYDVHWtPLWQVYKuEKKUs_wg0Ac9WV7aL90jggZAaIrQhscQKqK2x4I_B9zD9Cx8mxO1nReaJR33dhdUXeh-KgYJHPfa_mF-K7NNMIew7yDSZRreft0d/s512/Miles-Meyer-American%20Pioneer-9%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi7lg3gAu9Z3fdrtoJHJxzUlrXovMxlRpqFcqJ8cfx1mqz0XyZHHbt9G80Yifo5Y_FZuOhQYDVHWtPLWQVYKuEKKUs_wg0Ac9WV7aL90jggZAaIrQhscQKqK2x4I_B9zD9Cx8mxO1nReaJR33dhdUXeh-KgYJHPfa_mF-K7NNMIew7yDSZRreft0d/w263-h263/Miles-Meyer-American%20Pioneer-9%20(1).jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Pioneer<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-n0vXuT2QxuNVL2tkjDhAAQMVYq6DWqZna5tHl5jR0wGevT9IQOLRopNN6SouolMe6bv6XRNSiCJqDiZ34WamTf3M1FZFpy5X_6QFujXiIHLIYyK1FPO_l34C3I61yb1MAYXtIQ4A0OOljI-rAMV1bugzShRUuEUgVlv5T7IiD7WWZPVi4Yw0BVe/s512/Miles-Meyer-Cowboy-8%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-n0vXuT2QxuNVL2tkjDhAAQMVYq6DWqZna5tHl5jR0wGevT9IQOLRopNN6SouolMe6bv6XRNSiCJqDiZ34WamTf3M1FZFpy5X_6QFujXiIHLIYyK1FPO_l34C3I61yb1MAYXtIQ4A0OOljI-rAMV1bugzShRUuEUgVlv5T7IiD7WWZPVi4Yw0BVe/w265-h265/Miles-Meyer-Cowboy-8%20(1).jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowboy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>As you can see, those images are pretty impressive (even if they are of me) but some of the images just don't work. Some cut off the head. Others have multiple arms or extra fingers. And some just look odd.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZN24s3WByAhbVwBvYxqpF7p65jJ8DhnsHUquPn7vQYjrSJgD7kbVinHKpZesnaoIbMAa6qlFbSpR32Tlnx9oXVjL78HxxLif-j0Fh8w7UCw_D7PehvvuJDKWQJKZy7pDLh6hTYJxsdFzX3bfAHaU0q1R5FdPwT-Yx8taDOHXh87uN_ssAwmnpdkU/s512/Miles-Meyer-Saxon-2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZN24s3WByAhbVwBvYxqpF7p65jJ8DhnsHUquPn7vQYjrSJgD7kbVinHKpZesnaoIbMAa6qlFbSpR32Tlnx9oXVjL78HxxLif-j0Fh8w7UCw_D7PehvvuJDKWQJKZy7pDLh6hTYJxsdFzX3bfAHaU0q1R5FdPwT-Yx8taDOHXh87uN_ssAwmnpdkU/w256-h256/Miles-Meyer-Saxon-2.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head cut off<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57uGsEn13lW4FAj3Dv6UwnuZOf1YbhN7dcUDtKYNTA1ZWwIyr6w0BO36GP3J52699u_zH7F_p5bCEYvJ-HByxtC3zlpwFezBWZRu7Eguvb7iZWlDSv6uO0IUgSM5TW-_PBlFebixwgl7XH_LWF75NUL6__lnvYIGUjYwH291D-7-bRBcpmme_C9zi/s512/Miles-Meyer-Roman%20Legionary-4%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57uGsEn13lW4FAj3Dv6UwnuZOf1YbhN7dcUDtKYNTA1ZWwIyr6w0BO36GP3J52699u_zH7F_p5bCEYvJ-HByxtC3zlpwFezBWZRu7Eguvb7iZWlDSv6uO0IUgSM5TW-_PBlFebixwgl7XH_LWF75NUL6__lnvYIGUjYwH291D-7-bRBcpmme_C9zi/w255-h255/Miles-Meyer-Roman%20Legionary-4%20(1).jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra arms<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div> </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilg1h_4JTP68IH4PFU0vNZYsSGMNicWKhQ6XbN_hIlRvvacZ-w4w_MWXABEMO2nHZ0qpYKwlNf1kksxrmvLwOiPFeembSFCIGPkZ0yVmB-zieFxTDxdtqJK7A0mU2c1tbhWw8Tsu_sjvbdR3PNyyXoptxW5fJrwg9oeIxDcV_Tkqyx4TraYOkws7mV/s512/Miles-Meyer-Roman%20Emperor-4%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilg1h_4JTP68IH4PFU0vNZYsSGMNicWKhQ6XbN_hIlRvvacZ-w4w_MWXABEMO2nHZ0qpYKwlNf1kksxrmvLwOiPFeembSFCIGPkZ0yVmB-zieFxTDxdtqJK7A0mU2c1tbhWw8Tsu_sjvbdR3PNyyXoptxW5fJrwg9oeIxDcV_Tkqyx4TraYOkws7mV/w255-h255/Miles-Meyer-Roman%20Emperor-4%20(1).jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra fingers</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This app is a fun app to play with. I will probably use some of the images as profile pictures for social media. If you have some time to upload your photos you may discover some fun versions of yourself.<br /><div><div dir="ltr" style="all: initial;"><div style="-webkit-box-align: initial; -webkit-box-decoration-break: initial; -webkit-box-direction: initial; -webkit-box-flex: initial; -webkit-box-ordinal-group: initial; -webkit-box-orient: initial; -webkit-box-pack: initial; -webkit-box-reflect: initial; -webkit-font-smoothing: initial; -webkit-highlight: initial; -webkit-line-break: initial; -webkit-line-clamp: initial; -webkit-locale: initial; -webkit-mask-box-image: initial; -webkit-mask-composite: initial; -webkit-mask: initial; -webkit-print-color-adjust: initial; -webkit-rtl-ordering: initial; -webkit-ruby-position: initial; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: initial; -webkit-text-combine: initial; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: initial; -webkit-text-fill-color: initial; -webkit-text-orientation: initial; -webkit-text-security: initial; -webkit-text-stroke: initial; -webkit-user-drag: initial; -webkit-user-modify: initial; -webkit-writing-mode: initial; accent-color: initial; alignment-baseline: initial; animation: initial; app-region: initial; appearance: initial; aspect-ratio: initial; backdrop-filter: initial; backface-visibility: initial; background-blend-mode: initial; background: initial; baseline-shift: initial; block-size: initial; border-block: initial; border-collapse: initial; border-end-end-radius: initial; border-end-start-radius: initial; border-inline: initial; border-radius: initial; border-spacing: initial; border-start-end-radius: initial; border-start-start-radius: initial; border: initial; box-shadow: initial; box-sizing: initial; break-after: initial; break-before: initial; break-inside: initial; buffered-rendering: initial; caption-side: initial; caret-color: initial; clear: initial; clip-path: initial; clip-rule: initial; clip: initial; color-interpolation-filters: initial; color-interpolation: initial; color-rendering: initial; color-scheme: initial; color: initial; column-fill: initial; column-rule: initial; column-span: initial; columns: initial; contain-intrinsic-block-size: initial; contain-intrinsic-inline-size: initial; contain-intrinsic-size: initial; contain: initial; container: initial; content-visibility: initial; content: initial; counter-increment: initial; counter-reset: initial; counter-set: initial; cursor: initial; cx: initial; cy: initial; d: initial; display: initial; dominant-baseline: initial; empty-cells: initial; fill-opacity: initial; fill-rule: initial; fill: initial; filter: initial; flex-flow: initial; flex: initial; float: initial; flood-color: initial; flood-opacity: initial; font-feature-settings: initial; font-kerning: initial; font-optical-sizing: initial; font-palette: initial; font-synthesis: initial; font-variation-settings: initial; font: initial; forced-color-adjust: initial; gap: initial; grid-area: initial; grid: initial; height: initial; hyphenate-character: initial; hyphens: initial; image-orientation: initial; image-rendering: initial; inline-size: initial; inset-block: initial; inset-inline: initial; inset: initial; isolation: initial; letter-spacing: initial; lighting-color: initial; line-break: initial; list-style: initial; margin-block: initial; margin-inline: initial; margin: initial; marker: initial; mask-type: initial; mask: initial; max-block-size: initial; max-height: initial; max-inline-size: initial; max-width: initial; min-block-size: initial; min-height: initial; min-inline-size: initial; min-width: initial; mix-blend-mode: initial; object-fit: initial; object-position: initial; object-view-box: initial; offset: initial; opacity: initial; order: initial; origin-trial-test-property: initial; orphans: initial; outline-offset: initial; outline: initial; overflow-anchor: initial; overflow-clip-margin: initial; overflow-wrap: initial; overflow: initial; overscroll-behavior-block: initial; overscroll-behavior-inline: initial; overscroll-behavior: initial; padding-block: initial; padding-inline: initial; padding: initial; page-orientation: initial; page: initial; paint-order: initial; perspective-origin: initial; perspective: initial; place-content: initial; place-items: initial; place-self: initial; pointer-events: initial; position: absolute; quotes: initial; r: initial; resize: initial; rotate: initial; ruby-position: initial; rx: initial; ry: initial; scale: initial; scroll-behavior: initial; scroll-margin-block: initial; scroll-margin-inline: initial; scroll-margin: initial; scroll-padding-block: initial; scroll-padding-inline: initial; scroll-padding: initial; scroll-snap-align: initial; scroll-snap-stop: initial; scroll-snap-type: initial; scrollbar-gutter: initial; shape-image-threshold: initial; shape-margin: initial; shape-outside: initial; shape-rendering: initial; size: initial; speak: initial; stop-color: initial; stop-opacity: initial; stroke-dasharray: initial; stroke-dashoffset: initial; stroke-linecap: initial; stroke-linejoin: initial; stroke-miterlimit: initial; stroke-opacity: initial; stroke-width: initial; stroke: initial; tab-size: initial; table-layout: initial; text-align-last: initial; text-align: initial; text-anchor: initial; text-combine-upright: initial; text-decoration-skip-ink: initial; text-decoration: initial; text-emphasis-position: initial; text-emphasis: initial; text-indent: initial; text-orientation: initial; text-overflow: initial; text-rendering: initial; text-shadow: initial; text-size-adjust: initial; text-transform: initial; text-underline-offset: initial; text-underline-position: initial; touch-action: initial; transform-box: initial; transform-origin: initial; transform-style: initial; transform: initial; transition: initial; translate: initial; user-select: initial; vector-effect: initial; vertical-align: initial; visibility: initial; white-space: initial; widows: initial; width: initial; will-change: initial; word-break: initial; word-spacing: initial; writing-mode: initial; x: initial; y: initial; z-index: 2147483647; zoom: initial;"><link href="chrome-extension://gpaiobkfhnonedkhhfjpmhdalgeoebfa/fonts/fabric-icons.css" rel="stylesheet"></link><div style="all: initial;"></div></div></div></div>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-49790612618495276022022-11-11T16:26:00.001-05:002022-11-11T18:04:49.566-05:00RootsTech Follow-Up - Veterans Day<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddqB2HGbeT3nxSIQZ3G-my3Tn_MioUPPljFtxdwdpBFovnQP40tMJHDxSLiqVjat4ECG4oZE_zUtLjI5jIX-NRG534IdCsQ_M1JkBHq8dU6qStKRONAJhUDmeGR0zUiEg7WDF5pTTQpjUQfNmcwFHyhfi3v4GQW_y6DcgLZz3TvKYIlOvD4NWFmvr/s2941/Vernon%20Madge%20Mike%20and%20Dave.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Vernon Westerheide, wife Madge, and sons Dave and Mike" border="0" data-original-height="2941" data-original-width="2307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddqB2HGbeT3nxSIQZ3G-my3Tn_MioUPPljFtxdwdpBFovnQP40tMJHDxSLiqVjat4ECG4oZE_zUtLjI5jIX-NRG534IdCsQ_M1JkBHq8dU6qStKRONAJhUDmeGR0zUiEg7WDF5pTTQpjUQfNmcwFHyhfi3v4GQW_y6DcgLZz3TvKYIlOvD4NWFmvr/w251-h320/Vernon%20Madge%20Mike%20and%20Dave.jpg" title="Vernon Westerheide - WWII" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vernon Westerheide and family - WW II</td></tr></tbody></table>Today, Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States. This day was established in 1938 to honor the military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Many of us have long lines of military veterans who served in wartime as well as peacetime.<p></p><p>I am including a few pictures from my family and my wife's family highlighting their military service. The first picture is my grandfather, Vernon Westerheide, who served in the Navy durign World War II. My father also served in the Navy in the 1960s and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.<br /></p><p>My wife's father, Estill Herbert Walker, joined the Navy in 1942 when he was only 15 years old He was thrown out when he was getting ready to ship out to England and they discovered his age. He also joined the Army Air Corps where he learned to pilot aircraft and the Marines durign WW II.</p><p>My wife's grandfather, Estill Bowen Walker, served in the Army during WW II and achieved the rank of Lieutenant.</p><p>In honor of Veterans Day, several large genealogy databases are offering free acces to their records. <a href="https://www.findmypast.com/page/free-access" target="_blank">FindMyPast</a> is offering access from November 10-14. <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffnote.it%2Fveterans75%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR15PTSk3v7W20sX09sA3RoXPQWyCIhwQKrTbuR53x5fiEKXOUazvPxB7Ow&h=AT2TynqXQnTFVPdMkoVoyFkFrFBsckmkL0UypxXOosTF6bIWmUpaTBqlZ0aWjUzThxVdaGn2ju7Q2ghoAyWCSbfuqEfXqyhesc9NdOqV6xfkwXtv36usyd7_auI3Fh11hg&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2kmyI-BJVkYnpwVJamGqzgfMLURS3F_hwmPDa-DT0D_xR4ISnGhsnUb7T9Fh4DXDLZNxqmSGIs-VoG1EIs-2tNDpyIuN-HEhMf4FmrSsAv1d1m1CZONgbyy-i3_8yvzPvz5hsS41HQk4CkyCe990BUmPTscIzQLg2tVhSZECfhoBGkQ6IM3tdnkj_JQn4pKOxj5m_XHJ18fZKrFbY" target="_blank">Fold3</a> is offering free access to their records from November 10-13. Take advantage of these offers while you can.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdDJNAGGBpy714BSMmWm3FIdC6GtHaN2sv_snoQSUsDdGwwe49IbXET4ntumoGU8y0hcU-Msq72oldRGy3PgjKcDIL1-aj4R3IRN7-vQj1ep2NygD8NGvFr5FNeVdHmSEXxyE2K2H045-tN3Qd7ibpPkrwKaN-E0mkz3xSzwPbw6EuvySo7W0IQxI/s506/Walker%20Estill%20H.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="506" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdDJNAGGBpy714BSMmWm3FIdC6GtHaN2sv_snoQSUsDdGwwe49IbXET4ntumoGU8y0hcU-Msq72oldRGy3PgjKcDIL1-aj4R3IRN7-vQj1ep2NygD8NGvFr5FNeVdHmSEXxyE2K2H045-tN3Qd7ibpPkrwKaN-E0mkz3xSzwPbw6EuvySo7W0IQxI/w249-h204/Walker%20Estill%20H.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estill Herbert Walker - WW II</td></tr></tbody></table>There have been several talks presented at RootsTech during the 2021 and 2022 virtual conferences. These talks are still available. I will highlight just a few that may help you research your US military ancestors during this weekend and beyond.<p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Michael L. Strauss - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/record-analysis-military-service-records-official-military-personnel-files" target="_blank">Record Analysis: Military Service Records - Official Military Personnel Files</a> (2021)</li><li>Lisa Ratzlaff - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/basic-training-u-s-military-records" target="_blank">Basic Training: US Military Records</a> (2021)</li><li>Margaret M. McMahon - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/researching-ancestors-in-the-u-s-military-online-and-in-military-archives" target="_blank">Researching Ancestors in the US Military: Online and in Military Archives</a> (2022)</li><li>Doug LeCheminant - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/rootstech-goes-to-war-preserving-the-military-histories-of-our-family" target="_blank">RootsTech Goes to War: Preserving the Military Histories of Our Family</a> (2022)</li><li>Margaret M. McMahon and Michael T. Mentley - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/learning-from-us-military-records-that-did-not-burn" target="_blank">Learning From US Military Records That Did Not Burn</a> (2021)</li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1okCVadmkGfPWVe4uY5OLmDXvrlw-JtLvTbbClSj2RJKIH9HUUSY47BPx-zAuuGbwPhLeSm6Ae2jIN_HfgyWBDACWct40I-AAknhX2eiDmU9rul0mt7q44URRpOXMHrL8gdqxeYmOWGgIyqJVDO8t8NRcZU4uE2FuhbLvQKY9L1EjvRj8sZgAotki/s1600/Lt%20E%20B%20Walker.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1okCVadmkGfPWVe4uY5OLmDXvrlw-JtLvTbbClSj2RJKIH9HUUSY47BPx-zAuuGbwPhLeSm6Ae2jIN_HfgyWBDACWct40I-AAknhX2eiDmU9rul0mt7q44URRpOXMHrL8gdqxeYmOWGgIyqJVDO8t8NRcZU4uE2FuhbLvQKY9L1EjvRj8sZgAotki/w243-h177/Lt%20E%20B%20Walker.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lt. Estill Bowen Walker - WW II</td></tr></tbody></table>Rebecca Whitman Koford - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/what-does-that-really-say-records-analysis-1812-military-pension" target="_blank">What Does That Really Say? Records Analysis: 1812 Military Pension</a> (2021)</li><li>Rebecca Murray - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/1-servicewomen-in-wwii-military-service-files-photographs" target="_blank">Servicewomen in WWII: Military Service Files & Photographs</a> (2022)</li><li>Melanie McComb, Ann G. Lawthers and David Allen Lambert - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/a-call-to-arms-researching-revolutionary-war-ancestors" target="_blank">A Call to Arms: Researching Revolutionary War Ancestors</a> (2022)</li><li>Laura K. Anderson - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/digging-in-the-national-archives-for-war-department-documents" target="_blank">Digging in the National Archives for War Department Documents</a> (2021)</li><li>The Family History Guide Association - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/exploring-united-states-world-war-i-records" target="_blank">Exploring United States World War I Records</a> (2022)</li><li>Elizabeth Swaney O'Neal - Resources for Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestors Online: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/resources-for-researching-your-war-of-1812-ancestor-online-part-1" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/resources-for-researching-your-war-of-1812-ancestor-online-part-2" target="_blank">Part 2</a> (2022)</li><li>Bernice Alexander Bennett and Toni Carrier - USCT Pension Files: A Rich Resource for African American Genealogy: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/usct-pension-files-a-rich-resource-for-african-american-genealogy-part-1-of-2" target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/usct-pension-files-a-rich-resource-for-african-american-genealogy-part-2-of-2" target="_blank">Part 2</a> (2022)</li><li>Don Milne - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/telling-the-stories-of-421-000-us-world-war-ii-fallen" target="_blank">Telling the Stories of 421,000 US World War II Fallen</a> (2022)</li><li>Melanie McComb and David Lambert - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/report-for-duty-find-stories-of-veteran-ancestors" target="_blank">Report for Duty: Find Stories of Veteran Ancestors</a> (2020)</li></ol><p></p><p>There are so many great resources in the RootsTech archive. Most of the talks are less than 20 minutes so they can easily fit into a break. </p><p>Take this opportunity to remember your veteran ancestors, add their information on <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/eurona/feed/home" target="_blank">FamilySearch</a>, and upload photos and tell their stories so future generations will remember the service of their ancestors.</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-26340167090408982562022-10-23T18:44:00.001-04:002022-10-23T18:44:05.375-04:00RootsTech Follow-Up - Oktoberfest<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW1Ck9MSRwks5ueCNCMkLU4HsrKBtzI1RuMrdb1vENqoqJGC0oI_eLQtx2vOMMANBVfmPjb_OiDF1V4zLvpn6--twHBWogBnckUkXkuuNl7-QWvB3saDahwpkcIzjQzFsc2XPbvd5CzCt-CMiEaiItDWKoQw7tsDwKLheT7Xu8_wgJc7KrsCo1nbsh" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW1Ck9MSRwks5ueCNCMkLU4HsrKBtzI1RuMrdb1vENqoqJGC0oI_eLQtx2vOMMANBVfmPjb_OiDF1V4zLvpn6--twHBWogBnckUkXkuuNl7-QWvB3saDahwpkcIzjQzFsc2XPbvd5CzCt-CMiEaiItDWKoQw7tsDwKLheT7Xu8_wgJc7KrsCo1nbsh" width="240" /></a></div>October is known by most as the month for Halloween, the time when our kids run around the neighborhood looking for treats. For those of us who do family history October is Family History Month. And for those of us who are of German heritage, it is the month for Oktoberfest. Growing up in Ohio, many of the local towns, such as Minster, had their version of Oktoberfest. But now that I am living in Florida there aren't as many towns that celebrate Oktoberfest. My current town had its first ever Oktoberfest this weekend. I went and found out that it is pretty much like all the other festivals here. Lots of booths selling driftwood art, t-shirts, candles, and other crafts. The big difference was that many of the food venders were selling bratwursts instead of hot dogs and there were more beer tents.<p></p><p>But back to the reason I am writing this post - German heritage research and family history. Did you realize that RootsTech had several dozen talks about German research? These talks are still online and can be watched at your convenience. I'll highlight a few that might be of interest to you:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/discovering-online-german-archives" target="_blank">Discovering Online German Archives</a> by Miles Meyer - Yeah, this one is mine but you still may be interested. This talk covers many of the online German Archives and how to do research in them. There is an extensive handout that provides links and information on each collection.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/german-research-for-the-everyday-american" target="_blank">German Research for the Everyday American</a> by Karynne Moses - This presentation is a bit longer than most RootsTech presentations at a little over an hour but it has a lot of information to cover. This presentation helps the beginning researcher find resources that help to bridge the gap between the United States and Germany.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/genealogical-research-in-germany" target="_blank">Genealogical Research in Germany</a> by Andrea Bentschneider - This is a three-part series consisting of <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/german-church-books-and-civil-records" target="_blank">German Church Books and Civil Records</a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/other-interesting-sources-helpful-for-genealogical-research-in-germany" target="_blank">Other Interesting Sources</a>, and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/A-brief-history-and-overview-of-the-German-archive-system" target="_blank">The German Archive System</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/finding-your-german-ancestor" target="_blank">Finding Your German Ancestors</a> by Richard Lynn Walker - This is a two-part series by an employee of FamilySearch. The first part discusses basic resources while the second part goes into more depth by discussing various websites where additional resources can be found.</li><li>German Immigration from Hometown to Final Destinations by James Beidler - This is a three-part series on resources to find your German immigrants and their hometowns. The parts are not found together as a series but you can find them at these links: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/1-german-immigration-from-hometowns-to-final-destinations" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/2-german-immigration-from-hometowns-to-final-destinations" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/3-german-immigration-from-hometowns-to-final-destinations" target="_blank">Part 3</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/finding-german-records-using-familysearch" target="_blank">Finding German Records Using FamilySearch</a> by Dana Palmer - This presentation covers the German record collections on FamilySearch. Step-by-step instructions are given to help users find records that are relevant to their research.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/german-records-words-and-scripts" target="_blank">German Records, Words, and Scripts</a> by The Family History Guide - I had to add this one not just because I am the Education Director for The Family History Guide but there are some great tips in this presentation to help researchers recognize common words and read German script.</li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/german-vital-records-finding-the-clues-you-need" target="_blank">German Vital Records: Finding the Clues You Need</a> by Katherine Schrober - This presentation covers the main vital records (birth, marriage and death) and the information that you can find in those records. </li><li><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/useful-tools-for-finding-german-ancestors" target="_blank">Useful Tools for Finding German Ancestors</a> by Danna Palmer - Find out about some of the best sources to begin your German research in this presentation. Learn about using the FamilySearch Wiki and handwriting pages which will give you a start on your research.</li></ol><div>So, there are a dozen great presentations from RootsTech 2022 that should get you motived to start researching your German heritage. I hope you have fun exploring these links and have a great Family History Month/Oktoberfest/Halloween!</div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-27577647187633451252022-10-04T19:45:00.004-04:002022-10-07T17:16:13.436-04:00A Look Ahead to RootsTech 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-PBC_AYqBUwf56lT6fdI7SOXDpy_9SLUhazpTYbsZ_wtln7ibY0gOXnsyBvAs4rkZ7uoHOG1BJVy4MwVC-vJdsJsWVPL4grnL9Z5ZeKAji8BORRPjhFedZd0R2A_tHGmgGqkWYELsrCmn6-3MOmOv5Ss20M_R15E8SPXdVytgnmNkHk0CL4arCbj5" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="RootsTech 2023 - March 2-4, 2023" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-PBC_AYqBUwf56lT6fdI7SOXDpy_9SLUhazpTYbsZ_wtln7ibY0gOXnsyBvAs4rkZ7uoHOG1BJVy4MwVC-vJdsJsWVPL4grnL9Z5ZeKAji8BORRPjhFedZd0R2A_tHGmgGqkWYELsrCmn6-3MOmOv5Ss20M_R15E8SPXdVytgnmNkHk0CL4arCbj5=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div>Have you watched all the videos from <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/search" target="_blank">RootsTech Connect 2022</a>? Probably not since there are more than 1,500 sessions on 85 topics in over 30 langauages. But you still have 5 months until a new set of videos are available for RootsTech 2023.<p></p><p><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023" target="_blank">RootsTech 2023</a> is scheduled for March 2-4, 2023. It will be both virtual and in-person, so you will still have the opportunity to watch from home or you can travel to the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City to watch the speakers live. The in-person conference is $98 for all three days while the virtual conference is FREE! When you <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home" target="_blank">visit the website</a>, you can subscribe to receive email or text announcements about RootsTech. They plan to open <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/event/rt2023" target="_blank">registration</a> on October 6. Registration will be important for those hoping to be in-person since there will be a limit on the number of attendees. However, there is no limit on the number of virtual attendees. But even if you intend on attending virtually, you should register since that will activate enhanced features that you won't be able to access if you aren't registered.</p><p>Each year there is a RootsTech app. The app for RootsTech 2023 is expected to be released in February a couple weeks before the conference.</p><p>The theme for RootsTech 2023 is "Uniting" and they hope to bring inspiring experiences for all during the conference. They currently have over 200 virtual calsses in 42 languages scheduled but this should increase as more topics and speakers are suggested. You can even<a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/next/speaking/" target="_blank"> suggest a speaker</a> for the line up.</p><p>There will be some differences between the virtual and in-person experience. For example, some live classes will not be broadcast on the virtual platform. Sessions will be catered for your location so you don't have to wake up at 2:00 am to see your favorite speaker if you are watching virtually. The virtual platform is expected to allow for watch parties and many talks will be on demand. People who are attending in-person will be able to access the virtual platform to watch classes.</p><p>Why should you consider attending RootsTech in-person?</p><p></p><ol><li><span>You get to meet the speakers and vendors and ask them questions or just have a conversation. </span></li><li>The excitement of the event and meeting all of your favorite genealogists and friends.</li><li>There are many small classes that occur in areas like the Expo Hall which aren't available virtually.</li></ol><div>Why should you consider attending RootsTech virtually?</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>It is much cheaper. </li><ol><li>Hotel rooms in the area range from about $200 to over $500 per night.</li><li>Airline flights can be several hundred to several thousand dollars.</li><li>Registration for the virtual conference is free.</li><li>You don't have to go out for food. You can just grab a sandwich from your refrigerator.</li></ol><li>You can watch much of the conference on demand. I know my schedule when I attend in-person is usually waking up at 4:00 or 5:00 am and getting back to my hotel room at 11:00 pm.</li><li>You can have watch parties with your friends and family.</li></ol><div>I am a RootsTech Influencer for the 2023 conference. As part of my responsibilities, I will be providing updates on a regular basis and will have important announcements and prizes, including a free 3-day RootsTech pass. Follow me for the next couple months to learn more about RootsTech 2023.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>You can watch the <a href="https://youtu.be/VdzNfgE3GIU" target="_blank">RootsTech Announcement on Youtube</a> or the article at <a href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/rootstech-2023" target="_blank">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom</a> to get more information.</div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-33999203824510859982022-06-04T10:40:00.000-04:002022-06-04T10:40:19.184-04:00RootsTech Follow-Up - Family Connections<p>Hello everyone. Here in Florida our hurricane season starts on June 1 and we already have our first storm brewing. Many people say we don't have seasons in Florida but they would be wrong. We have several seasons - Dry Season, Wet Season, Hurrican Season, and Lovebug Season. Each one has it's own special conditions that we have to adapt to. Oh yeah, we also have Winter which usually lasts for 7-10 days sometime in January and February where the temperature can drop below 40 degrees F.</p><p>With our first tropical storm system sitting off the coast providing several inches of rain, it is a good time to stay indoors, work on family history, and connect with family. For many of you, it is summer and this is the time for your family to be together, take vacations, and visit far flung family. </p><p>We are now a couple months out from our last RootsTech and RootsTech has started to develop monthly themes to help people find videos related to specific topics. This month the theme is Family Connections. This theme focuses on discovering your legacy, family traditions, telling stories, and activities you can do with your family.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq1CcqvCj9HgUBjcCBPRiZZthkTlbab0u5cSsm-M1_1aYaWWe_SVg-cnzWFQ_TmpKc9QLNqYYLCBC2DQI2kjBTe-dStC8mODKK8SJBNJ6rEB9L9XLPaSHNkOb-diho0ASjq4n9jlyR3UVMxjSHhTilUPNZobOC1ft0InDFq7H82KkJJXieblTPMe1g" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq1CcqvCj9HgUBjcCBPRiZZthkTlbab0u5cSsm-M1_1aYaWWe_SVg-cnzWFQ_TmpKc9QLNqYYLCBC2DQI2kjBTe-dStC8mODKK8SJBNJ6rEB9L9XLPaSHNkOb-diho0ASjq4n9jlyR3UVMxjSHhTilUPNZobOC1ft0InDFq7H82KkJJXieblTPMe1g" width="240" /></a></div><br />Are you looking for some quick and simple ideas for fun family history activities? Family history should not be boring. Family members can become deeply involved in their family histories if you make it fun and engaging. Here are a couple RootsTech videos that can help you make family history enjoyable for the rest of your family.<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Shenley Puterbaugh presents 10 simple activities in her short video <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/10-virtual-family-history-activities-to-connect-with-family" target="_blank">10 Virtual Family History Activities to Connect with Family</a>. </li><li>Kelechi Obioha Ohabughiro discusses his experience involving children and others in their family history in his short video <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/fun-family-history-activities" target="_blank">Fun Family History Activities</a>.</li><li>Scott and Angelle Anderson present ideas that you can use to enhance your family reunion or any family gathering in their video <a href="https://youtu.be/U5BMsRxvdzM" target="_blank">Family History Activities to Supercharge your Family Reunion</a>.</li><li>Tori Bush talks about storytelling and why stories are so important to sharing your family history in her video <a href=" https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-power-of-storytelling-taking-family-history-off-the-shelf-through-storytelling" target="_blank">The Power of Storytelling: Taking Family History off the Shelf through Storytelling</a>.</li></ul><div>These are just a few of the RootsTech videos which focus on involving your family, building connections, telling stories, and having fun while learning about their family history. Take some time to view these videos and others from RootsTech and let me know about your experiences.</div><p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-32899006028524685242022-03-25T06:39:00.002-04:002022-03-25T06:39:17.226-04:00RootsTech Follow-Up - What's in it for Family History Consultants?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjP6Lvbec1ehyUSpnrjpH8jngwmwUp8QXMoSN7gpNDPzspk5D-uc7Zsl7h2Xbdapa1m096bPG2s7oX8GLH9Ftgi4rHCqIG04rBfvUcjsDIPZF-JhIqf8a3afsjGp6PxlqiUuXZK9gkdEpwy47vS7Phpr6S3Unf_lVqCasWpiFEPe69_0tRC1OoUVI/s600/familysearch.brightspotcdn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjP6Lvbec1ehyUSpnrjpH8jngwmwUp8QXMoSN7gpNDPzspk5D-uc7Zsl7h2Xbdapa1m096bPG2s7oX8GLH9Ftgi4rHCqIG04rBfvUcjsDIPZF-JhIqf8a3afsjGp6PxlqiUuXZK9gkdEpwy47vS7Phpr6S3Unf_lVqCasWpiFEPe69_0tRC1OoUVI/s320/familysearch.brightspotcdn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>RootsTech ended about 3 weeks ago but the presentations are still available for you to watch. They had well over a million people join them for the inspiring and educational talks. <p></p><p>When I set up my playlist of presentations I usually focus on three topics; New Technology/Innovations, German Research, and Information for Family History Consultants. As the leader of our local German Genealogy Interest Group, I provided a recap of the German Research presentations to my group a week after RootsTech.</p><p>I also provided a follow-up of my favorite talks to our Stake and Ward Family History leaders. I haven't had a chance to look over all of these yet but they are on my list to view sometime over the next several months. When I sent out the list, I suggested that the recipients please pass this information along to any Temple and Family History Leadership (including consultants, Elders Quorum, Relief Society, Youth Leaders, Stake Leaders, and Bishoprics) that I may not have included on my email list.</p><p>So what were the presentations that I sent to them?</p><p>Of course the first was going to be the <b>Temple and Family History Leadership Session</b>: <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/temple-and-family-history/leadership-instruction?lang=eng">https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/temple-and-family-history/leadership-instruction?lang=eng</a></p><p>Then I focused on the presentations that will help them share their experiences, find people to help, and overcome the hurdles we often experience when talking to people about family history.</p><p><b>Sharing Your Faith Using Family History</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/sharing-your-faith-using-family-history">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/sharing-your-faith-using-family-history</a></p><p><b>How to bring the Power and Blessings of Temple Covenants into our Stakes, Wards, and Homes</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/how-to-bring-the-power-and-blessings-of-temple-covenants-into-our-stakes-wards-and-homes">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/how-to-bring-the-power-and-blessings-of-temple-covenants-into-our-stakes-wards-and-homes</a></p><p><b>Finding People to Help</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/finding-people-to-help">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/finding-people-to-help</a></p><p><b>Overcoming Common Objections</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/overcoming-common-objections">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/overcoming-common-objections</a></p><p><b>Strengthening Love of the Gospel through Family History</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/strengthening-love-of-the-gospel-through-family-history">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/strengthening-love-of-the-gospel-through-family-history</a></p><p>I often see questions about how to encourage the Elders Quorum and Relief Society to take a more active role in family history. So I provided links to the following talks to help encourage more involvement.</p><p><b>Improving Elders Quorum and Relief Society Meetings with Temple and Family History</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/improving-elders-quorum-and-relief-society-meetings-with-temple-and-family-history">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/improving-elders-quorum-and-relief-society-meetings-with-temple-and-family-history</a></p><p><b>Bringing the Power of Temple Covenants to Elders Quorum and Relief Society</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/bringing-the-power-of-temple-covenants-to-elders-quorum-and-relief-society">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/bringing-the-power-of-temple-covenants-to-elders-quorum-and-relief-society</a></p><p>The next topic that I often see questions about is how we assess involvement and how do we use the Ward Temple and Family History Plan more effectively.</p><p><b>Finding and Using the Family History Activity Report</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/finding-and-using-the-family-history-activity-report">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/finding-and-using-the-family-history-activity-report</a></p><p><b>Unlock the Mystery of the Ward Temple and Family History Coordination Meeting</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/unlock-the-mystery-of-the-ward-temple-and-family-history-coordination-meeting">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/unlock-the-mystery-of-the-ward-temple-and-family-history-coordination-meeting</a></p><p><b>The Ward Temple and Family History Plan</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-ward-temple-and-family-history-plan">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-ward-temple-and-family-history-plan</a></p><p>We often have people newly called to family history and some who have been around for a while who aren't sure of their responsibilities. The following presentations should help them get started.</p><p><b>"My Calling" Pages on churchofjesuschrist.org</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/my-calling-pages-on-churchofjesuschrist-org">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/my-calling-pages-on-churchofjesuschrist-org</a></p><p><b>The Ward Temple and Family History Leader-Important Principles</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-ward-temple-and-family-history-leader-important-principles">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-ward-temple-and-family-history-leader-important-principles</a></p><p>And then there is the question of how to involve the youth in family history. This is something that I need to work more on. We had youth consultants prior to COVID but since then, some have left and others have just stopped doing their family history work. So we need a restart.</p><p><b>Ward Youth Consultants Share Super Successful Family History Activities</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/youth-consultants-share-super-successful-temple-and-family-history-activities">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/youth-consultants-share-super-successful-temple-and-family-history-activities</a></p><p><b>Youth Serving as Temple and Family History Consultants</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/youth-serving-as-temple-and-family-history-consultants">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/youth-serving-as-temple-and-family-history-consultants</a></p><p><b>Guidance When Calling Youth Temple and Family History Consultants</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/guidance-when-calling-youth-temple-and-family-history-consultants">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/guidance-when-calling-youth-temple-and-family-history-consultants</a></p><p><b>Mission: Possible - Engaging Youth in Family History</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/mission-possible-engaging-youth-in-family-history">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/mission-possible-engaging-youth-in-family-history</a></p><p><b>Family History for Youth</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/family-history-for-youth">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/family-history-for-youth</a></p><p>And lastly, many members don't know how to use FamilySearch or incorporate family history into their lives. If we can show them how family history isn't really another thing they have to do but something they can enjoy with their families, we should be able to get them more actively involved. I believe the following presentations will help to do that.</p><p><b>Using Your Phone, Submit Ancestors Names to the Temple, Then Discover More About Them</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/using-your-phone-submit-ancestors-names-to-the-temple-then-discover-more-about-them">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/using-your-phone-submit-ancestors-names-to-the-temple-then-discover-more-about-them</a></p><p><b>What's New on FamilySearch for Members</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/whats-new-on-familysearch-for-members">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/whats-new-on-familysearch-for-members</a></p><p><b>What's Coming on FamilySearch for Members</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/whats-coming-on-familysearch-for-members">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/whats-coming-on-familysearch-for-members</a></p><p><b>Weekly Family History Activities - A Come, Follow Me Companion</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-come-follow-me-companion-correlated-family-history-activities-for-each-week">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/the-come-follow-me-companion-correlated-family-history-activities-for-each-week</a></p><p><b>Helper Resources on FamilySearch</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/helper-resources-on-familysearch">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/helper-resources-on-familysearch</a></p><p><b>Elder and Sister Soares Keynote: Family Discovery Day</b>: <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/special-session/elder-and-sister-soares-keynote-family-discovery-day">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/special-session/elder-and-sister-soares-keynote-family-discovery-day</a></p><p>I know that this seems like a lot of presentations but if you space them out over the year you will learn so much more from the experience of others and have a more successful family history program.</p><p><br /></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-77922543340481847082022-03-03T19:01:00.007-05:002022-03-03T19:06:57.590-05:00RootsTech 2022 - Day 1 - What Did I Learn?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/calendar" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuws4YCITLUE5YU1D_00N6aK-dOs7gM06AI2y4f8vqsRcf7JVcMdtIrkBWThMaLezhR8LcF7JRD1MmB4V9_6XrpD7cEmjoFUVyEekrMBpINErRjw3lOto6s37lWj5wQzQXEr9zzUsZhyFq-LZc2T90kkgUtCRoh6Hzf1YQhog0zZUGF6JriCsT3Mhn=w267-h267" width="267" /></a></div><br />RootsTech is an incredible family history conference. <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/first-day-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">More than 1 million people have registered for RootsTech</a>, are you related to any of them? Check out the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect" target="_blank">Relatives at RootsTech page</a> to see how many you are related to. I currently have 132 relatives at RootsTech. That is a small number compared to most people but it is significant to me. There are so many things to learn while attending the various venues.<p></p><p>FamilySearch has a short 6-minute video to introduce you to the new <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/familysearch-get-involved?lang=eng" target="_blank">Get Involved!</a> initiative. This video talks about their use of handwriting technology to increase the number of records that are being made searchable. They have been focusing on the Spanish language baptisms with this handwriting technology. For Indexers, this allows them to review the information instead of having to type it in. Computers can process a million records each day so there is a need to increase our capacity to review those records. In order to address this need, FamilySearch developed the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.familysearch.mobile.idx.review" target="_blank">Get Involved app</a> which is available in the Google App Store. You can currently use this app to review English and Spanish language records. But, in April, you will be able to work on the 1950 US Census with the app! You can watch the video introducing the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/get-involved-and-reviewing-the-1950-census" target="_blank">1950 US Census</a> project and how the Get Involved app will be used at the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall/familysearch" target="_blank">FamilySearch booth</a> in the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall/" target="_blank">Expo Hall</a>. You can also learn more about how you can get involved by clicking on the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/getinvolved/" target="_blank">Get Involved tab</a> at <a href="http://FamilySearch.org">FamilySearch.org</a>. The site is active and you can start testing this technology by getting involved with US probate records project and then switch over to the 1950 US Census once it is ready.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg32or5DQPI6S_9NzBzsx7uPWqTfIIZt4BS09K9hAAdTHy-syQ_bNNJw9fOUq8JgQId9RSxx7TH4x7fKQiMwc2cEMzq-mU-55FszvDpwRguMGNYMjUqhjsDYDowNup1tEdNmmC7Bmy-jZg3HvwsP15venfisI-geu2zl0SgE3OiJYfOV2KpRyl3KS8M" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="458" data-original-width="629" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg32or5DQPI6S_9NzBzsx7uPWqTfIIZt4BS09K9hAAdTHy-syQ_bNNJw9fOUq8JgQId9RSxx7TH4x7fKQiMwc2cEMzq-mU-55FszvDpwRguMGNYMjUqhjsDYDowNup1tEdNmmC7Bmy-jZg3HvwsP15venfisI-geu2zl0SgE3OiJYfOV2KpRyl3KS8M=w320-h233" title="1950 US Census Project" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950 US Census Project</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Last year <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/" target="_blank">MyHeritage</a> announced <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/deep-nostalgia" target="_blank">Deep Nostalgia</a> during their RootsTech presentation. Deep Nostalgia added animation to your photographs. The application went viral overnight and people from across the globe were adding animated ancestors to their social media feeds. This year they announced <a href="https://www.myheritage.com/livestory" target="_blank">Live Story</a> which creates an animated video narrative of your ancestor telling their own story. Live Stories can be created automatically from the data linked to your ancestor and their family. You can select from various voices and edit the story as you like. MyHeritage also announced the Date Estimator for historic photos which will be live soon. The Date Estimator uses artificial intelligence to estimate the date of the photo based on various characteristics in the photo. Another new announcement is the Relationship Diagram and the Family Tree Timeline which help you visualize your family tree and find errors more easily. Additionally, MyHeritage added 4 billion new records to their collection in 2021. You can learn more about these announcements on their <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/myheritage-keynote-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Main Stage Keynote presentation</a>.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsgu5yD3ABIcT19U99YcDOYcGxiw3iPQNOddCK8xFLq2cltEB-cOOxtEMBAtUnKiell5sTqx_xPI8GIwQd9Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">MyHeritage's Live Story</div><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIzrUxzZxJZXPnoN3r_SboAj-dBxEq9JYRC3t0QuxoIZxPINx1ZyGK5Glo_yO5TfhyIKyi9Dgy3sZOf7kKxIW6dO6fyY6uwNOdwrHTcsqbTCkGo1u1y60_NxH_IO4MDFo1aqRXTWaJOh3WtKJG0a00RI8ADeZS237WiPW8WKeauhZx_6Vj5fTNwF54" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1018" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIzrUxzZxJZXPnoN3r_SboAj-dBxEq9JYRC3t0QuxoIZxPINx1ZyGK5Glo_yO5TfhyIKyi9Dgy3sZOf7kKxIW6dO6fyY6uwNOdwrHTcsqbTCkGo1u1y60_NxH_IO4MDFo1aqRXTWaJOh3WtKJG0a00RI8ADeZS237WiPW8WKeauhZx_6Vj5fTNwF54" width="273" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Tree Timeline</td></tr></tbody></table><br />These are just a few of the things that were announced at RootsTech today. I will continue to add more information to my blog throughout the RootsTech conference.<p></p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-79695126430686415252022-03-03T08:47:00.000-05:002022-03-03T08:47:06.832-05:00RootsTech 2022 - Day 1 - Pace Yourself<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1970" data-original-width="1970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqIXwX0E8BlFo99DEwA6z8H73ssXltXi-4XWDDd4Lcyb8lIM2tDdXYFhFz0YbdDLf-LwFMPG_5GoZLr0WLei8H-I_mpf4wP0UhHRCOMlYiN3HvfkeRTBYjKywnJPgOPDn2mKtrD3MPD4cy0ASW-fgtbJT0dvJOCVgu41qZUtkZjaREeU0Y9cB4rXcO=s320" width="320" /></a></div>RootsTech is finally here. Some may have noticed that it actually started last night for those in the US. That was done so that others around the world would be able to start viewing sessions on March 3rd their time. Actually, there are several start times for RootsTech that people may not realize. The first was the soft release at 10:00pm EST March 2nd for pre-recorded sessions. The second was the Archives and Records Custodians Symposium which started at 8:00am EST this morning. At 10:00am EST the Expo Hall has their preview. The first General Session officially opening RootsTech 2022 is at 12:00pm EST.<p></p><p>There are so many things to do at RootsTech that you need to find a way to pace yourself. One thing to remember is that the pre-recorded sessions will be available after RootsTech is over. You can still view many of the sessions from 2021. What is the benefit of watching these sessions during RootsTech? One major benefit is that you can chat with the speaker during RootsTech. The chat will remain for a period of time after March 5th but you probably will not be able to chat with them several months from now. However, many of the speakers have provided their contact information in their presentation or handout and you can contact them that way if you have questions.</p><p>Many of the live sessions will also be recorded and available afterwards. You can tell if it is being recorded by reading the session description. Look at their schedule and see which ones fit into your time. If it is inconvenient for you to watch live you can come back and watch it later but you will miss the live real time interaction and questions.</p><p>All of the Keynote speakers were previously recorded and will be available on demand. But you may want to watch them live to experience the excitement of RootsTech.</p><p>There are some important pages at RootsTech that you should keep track of:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Home Page - highlights various classes and live sessions - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home</a></li><li>Calendar - includes the Main Stage, Live Session, and Product Demos - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/calendar">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/calendar</a> </li><li>Sessions - list of 2021 and 2022 pre-recorded classes - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/search">https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/search</a></li><li>Relatives At RootsTech - list of the attendees that you are related to - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect">https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect</a></li></ul><p></p><p>My major piece of advice is to take your time, watch what you are interested in, chat with presenters and other attendees, and remember to have fun.</p><p>I will be adding posts about what I am doing and what I have learned during RootsTech so keep an eye on this spot for more to come.</p>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638418943210644053.post-43030005344461029412022-02-26T17:30:00.006-05:002022-02-26T18:41:06.612-05:00RootsTech 2022 - 5 Days To Go<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="RootsTech 2022" border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoJmanDqi03KWnX8ifmqajd4N9Ac_0SdXM2bJwF-NhurfAELEIcIvGTfyHTt7MreLS2QCxBKEhYTXazAhLpVlqfFGIDnRc7UL7yloEICYhFOMeO2cqpM8ji5k7XtRMJ8vkyQpn-xwaUcY-6w4UDaIq-XwlCJSPEwSqBi-tt0cNjZw-1GZExPbjdWve=w180-h320" width="180" /></a></div>There are only 5 days until the start of RootsTech 2022 on March 3rd. Have you registered? Registration is FREE and easy, just visit the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/ " target="_blank">RootsTech website</a>, enter your name, how you would like to receive updates and then hit the Register button. That is all you have to do to join the world's largest genealogy conference with over 557,000 participants registered as of February 24th.. <p></p><p>So, what can you expect from RootsTech?</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Most of the presentations from RootsTech 2021 will be available for you to watch.</li><li>Approximately <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/search" target="_blank">700 new presentations</a> from 360 presenters will be available for RootsTech 2022.</li><li>More than 600 demos and classes will be available in the Expo Hall.</li><li>There will be 53 class series (2-3 related classes which build upon each other).</li><li>There will be 60 live sessions that you can join and participate in the discussion. A calendar of all the live events can be found at <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/calendar" target="_blank">this website</a>.</li><li>The Expo Hall will have nealry 100 exhibitors' booths. You can visit each one, talk with the exhibitors, and see if they have any special deals available for RootsTech participants. <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall/" target="_blank">The Expo Hall</a> will open at 10am Eastern on March 3rd.</li><li>11 companies will participate in the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/series/innovators-portal-2022" target="_blank">Innovators Portal</a> which will begin Friday, March 4th at noon Eastern.</li><li>March 3rd and 4th will be the Archives and Record Custodian (ARC) Symposium. The ARC Symposium will have 5 live speakers, 15 round table discussions, and a variety of pre-recorded sessions. Information on the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/expohall/arc-symposium" target="_blank">ARC Symposium</a> will be available on March 3.</li></ol><p></p><p></p><div>That sound like a lot, but don't worry, some of the content, including the RootsTech 2021 and 2022 presentations, will remain online after the end of RootsTech. So you may want to focus your viewing on the sessiosn that will not be availabe after March 5th, such as the live discussions, Expo Hall events, ARC Symposium, and Keynote Speakers.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my January 23rd blog post, I mentioned three of the <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/main-stage" target="_blank">Keynote Speakers</a> - <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/diego-torres-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Diego Torres</a>, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/rootstech-keynote-speaker-matthew-modine" target="_blank">Matthew Modine</a>, and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/apollonia-poilane-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Apollonia Poilâne</a>. But now we know the rest of the Keynote Speakers that will be at RootsTech and we know the schedule for their presentations.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Thursday, March 3rd, at noon Eastern, RootsTech will be opened by Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch. He will be followed by <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/apollonia-poilane-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Apollonia Poilâne</a>.</li><li>Thursday, March 3rd, at 10pm Eastern, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/keynote-rootstech-2022-maysoon-zayid" target="_blank">Maysoon Zayid</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/rootstech-keynote-speaker-matthew-modine" target="_blank">Matthew Modine</a> will be telling their stories.</li><li>Friday, March 4th, at 4pm Eastern, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/diego-torres-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Diego Torres</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/rootstech-2022-thais-pacholek" target="_blank">Thaís Pacholek</a> will tell their stories.</li><li>Saturday, March 5th, at noon Eastern, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/molly-yeh-keynote-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Molly Yeh</a> and <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/azumah-nelson-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">Azumah Nelson</a> will tell their stories.</li></ul><div>You may not be familiar will all of these names since they represent cultures from across the globe. But you can find more information about each one on the FamilySearch Blog as you click on their names.</div></div><div><br />So, how international is RootsTech? You can tell the international influence by looking at the approximately 700 presentations that will take place. These presentations include 255 about North America, 174 about Asia, 164 about Europe and Latin America, 33 about the Pacific, 27 about Eastern Europe, 17 about Africa, and 9 about the Middle East. Classes will be available in 30 languages and will have live translations through YouTube so you can watch presentations from speakers across the globe. RootsTech will also be broadcast on television in Africa (5 channels) and the Philippines (2 channels) for those who may not have reliable internet access.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect/787b5034-edf8-465c-b6fa-f301452de294" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="472" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKs35hU1NUDQllSVv2Z6FUXAFhxFhu6WLR7iyi8jr6qVfDQiX28tI_BJWyouFm_TwGEVEb9XZV9yrBe1A4qQiVQjVuSB8x94YH2tCZCeqS-SvAqPTbVyjCGE4SHHttZoqdt53ZZ1Dq2VV56v1pVpFHo4gB76SxTYY_q06xuTxFLrwFH5J9LBCjX-4o=w238-h213" width="238" /></a></div>How many cousins do you have around the world? RootsTech participants can see if they are related to any of the others registered for the conference. The new <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/connect/787b5034-edf8-465c-b6fa-f301452de294" target="_blank">Relatives at RootsTech application</a> lets you see who they are, where they are from, how you are related, and you can also leave them a message. Check to see how many people you are related to. Currently, I have 80 cousins on the list but I always have low numbers compared to everyone else.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the <a href="https://rootstech.mybrightsites.com/" target="_blank">RootsTech Store</a> is open so you can get all of your RootsTech swag. Everyone needs a RootsTech t-shirt, or how about a mug.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are so many things that you can do at RootsTech but you will need to know how to navigate the RootsTech website. Lucky for you RootsTech has a <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/navigating-rootstech-2022" target="_blank">blog post</a> to help you find your way through the website and help you select the classes and presentations that you are looking for.</div><p></p><p>Don't miss out on RootsTech this year. Take the opportunity to attend classes, meet thevendors, discover new cousins, and network with the speakers and other attendees. It will be an incredible event.</p><gwmw style="display: none;"></gwmw>Miles Meyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18401553007977737208noreply@blogger.com0