Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun — What Are Your RootsTech 2024 Expectations?
Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:

It’s Saturday Night again –

Time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.

1) Are you going to RootsTech 2024 (29 February to 2 March) in-person in Salt Lake City? Or are you going to experience RootsTech 2024 virtually, watching online from home as it occurs, or watching it after the event?

2) What events in Salt Lake City are you looking forward to attending? What events are you going to watch virtually? What classes do you want to see from each day? The RootsTech 2024 schedule – both in-person and online – are available at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/schedule. Note that not all of the in-person classes can be viewed online.

Yes, I’m going to RootsTech – as a virtual participant. Shortly after my retirement, I learned about the RootsTech conference. While I couldn’t attend in person, I was a ‘not at RootsTech’ participant. I found that even though I wasn’t at the conference in person, I learned a lot about genealogy and family history by watching what I could online and on YouTube.

One of my favorite aspects of RootsTechis the ‘Relatives at RootsTech’ activity. In the past, most of my relatives attending RootsTech were distant cousins. However, this is a chance to identify and connect with cousins.

When the ability to create a ‘schedule’ of classes last week, I browsed thru the offerings and created a ‘preliminary’ schedule:

Thursday 9 am

• Where Did You Find That? Effective Searches on FamilySearch.org
• Fixing Sticky Problems in FamilySearch Family Tree
• Boost Your Genealogy with Haplogroup Insights form FTDNA’s Time Tree

Thursday 10:30 am

• FamilySearch Tech Forum
• Who Is My Ancestor? Tracing Individuals with SImilar Names
• You Can Do the DNA #1 – Get Started (or Restarted)
• Genealogy A to Z: A Trivia Adventure

Thursday – Noon

• RootsTech 2024 General Session #1

Thursday 1:15 pm

• Genetic Genealogy Turns 25: DNA Experts Tell Their Stories

Thursday 2:30 pm

• What’s New at Ancestry in 2024
• The ATGCs of DNA ANalysis: Assumptions, Thinking Analytically, Guesses, and Conclusions
• Digging Into Finding Aids: The Road Map to Any Manuscript Collection

Thursday 4 pm

• Innovation and Tech Forum 2024
• Breaking Down Brick Walls with DNA: Untangle Family Mysteries
• Genealogy’s Secret Weapon: How mtDNA Can Solve Family Mysteries
• Use Lucidchart to Enhance Your Genetic Genealogy Reports and Presentations
• Why You Need to Come to the FamilySearch Library?

Thursday 5:30 pm

• Brick Wall Ancestors Need a Search Party
• Climbing Your Branch of the FamilySearch Family Tree

Friday 9 am

• Did My Family Get Skipped? Mining Census Records for Missing Ancestors
• Looking for Dutch Ancestors: the basics

Friday 10:30 am

• You Can Do the DNA #2 – Get Your Best Ethnicity Estimate
• How to Use AI for Family History Experiences
• Drowning in Family Photos: Why Metadata Makes Your Library Searchable and Enjoyable

Friday Noon

• RootsTech 2024 – General Session 2

Friday 2:30 pm

• Uncovering Family HIstory with MyHeritage’s AI Tools
• Using Images to Map DNA Matches in Ancestry Trees
• You Can Do the DNA #3 – Light Your DNA Match List on Fire!

Friday 4 pm

• Brick Walls! Real? or Created Through Faulty Research?
• What You Need to Know When VIsiting a Cemetery

Friday 5:30 pm

• Getting the Most Out of United States Census Records
• Stock Marks Aren’t Just Animal Brands — Use Them to Identify People Also
• AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead?

Saturday 9 am

• Finding Your Common Name Ancestor
• You Can Do the DNA #4 — See What DNA Success Looks LIke: Real Case Studies

Saturday 10:30 am

• A Pro’s Take on Preserving Your Story with FamilySearch

Saturday Noon

• RootsTech 2024 General Session #3

Saturday 4 pm

• Using AI (tools like ChatGPT) to Help You with Family History
• What’s In a Name? DNA, Surnames and One-Name Studies

One of the advantages of attending virtually is the ability to watch the videos at a later time. Thus, it doesn’t bother me that I have selected multiple sessions at the same time. I’ll just go back and watch them at a later time.

I’m also looking forward to Facebook live presentations by the various vendors and to the ‘announcements’ of new features by the sponsors.

My calendar is cleared for RootsTech 2024? Is yours?