RootsTech 2013

For those of you in family history callings, RootsTech would be a great place for you to be this coming Saturday. There will be a devotional in the morning with Elders Allen F. Packer, Elder Paul E. Koelliker, and Elder Bradley D. Foster. Classes to help you in your family history calling will be taught throughout the day. Click here to learn more. Best of all, these classes are free!

“Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors.”—Elder Richard G. Scott, “The Joy of Redeeming the Dead,” Ensign, Nov. 2012, 94

There are also classes available for the youth this year! Click here to see about those classes. Sister Elaine S. Dalton (Young Women General President) will present a special devotional and David L. Beck (Young Men General President) will lead a training session for youth leaders. It promises to be a great day!

Tech Tips...Again!

Credit: Microsoft

I love to read the Tech Tips on FamilySearch. I have to admit that I love the tech aspect of genealogy! I am not a computer guru, but I am willing to admit that I appreciate all of the new features  that computer programmers are adding to the genealogy software of today. One of my favorite contributors to Tech Tips is James Tanner. I find that his articles are very thoughtful and insightful without being demeaning to those who don't understand technology like he does. I guess I really appreciate his "normal speak" approach to explain complicated things! The latest article that I really enjoyed is talking about Google +. If you haven't even heard of that, now is the time to learn. Go visit James Tanner's article on Google +.  Also visit his website http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com. You'll be glad you did!

Genealogy That Lasts!

Do you want to make sure that your family history lives past you? Barry Ewell presented a great class at the RootsTech Conference called "Strategize and Organize---Digitizing your Family History. There is a great write up about it in the MormonTimes this week. Barry Ewell is a great presenter and is always willing to share his information and help fellow genealogists. Don't forget to look for his email address at the bottom of the article. From my experience, he has always followed up!

Another heads up for Barry Ewell. He is preparing to launch a genealogy website of his own that is poised to be a great research help! I got to see a preview of it at the St. George Family History Expo last month. It will be located at MyGenShare.com. Watch for it in 2011!

Keep it Going!

In my attempts to keep the spirit of RootsTech 2011 firmly planted in my brain, I went searching for videos from the conference. One of my favorite keynote speakers was Curt Witcher, Manager of the Historical Genealogy Dept. of the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I enjoyed him so much because it is obvious that he is passionate about what he does. This is a podcast that he did at the conference. It is a little long, but I thought that maybe you could catch the spirit of RootsTech too!