RootsTech Day 3
The Fun is Never Ending
The following are the sessions that I thought were highlights, from all the sessions that I watched. I attended many more during the day, and found it hard to choose highlights.
Sessions
Beyond The Census - Using Scottish Kirk Session Records to Trace Your Scottish Ancestors presented by Janice Smith
Go beyond the Census and Birth, Marriage and Death records in your search for Scottish Ancestors. The Kirk Session, were the people involved in the day-to-day running of the parish church. I was very interested to attend this session as my 2x great grandfather was the schoolmaster in a parish school, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is mentioned many times in the Kirk Sessions. Unfortunately, his parish isn’t on the Scotlands People website, but hopefully will be there soon.
From Questionable to Credible: Analyzing and Verifying Genealogical Sources presented by Shannon Green
Strategies to assess and verify dubious sources, transforming questionable data into credible evidence for your research.
General Session 2: Dana Tanamachi
Renowned artist Dana Tanamachi shares her very powerful and inspirational story. Her story was best illustrated with her commission to create art for the ESV Illuminated Bible. Dana was tasked to create over 500 works of art for this publication. I couldn’t help doing a little digging to find an example. I would love a copy of this Bible. Dana showed example of her art over the years, and it was incredible.
ESV Illuminated Bible - Amazon
Ethical Standards in the Genealogical Community - Town Hall Discussion
This session was in the format of an informal discussion about ethics in genealogy and what is appropriate to share with family.
12pm: Lost Relative? Brick Wall” Are Australian Records the Solution presented by Meg Bate and Rebecca Landy
Outlining Australian records that are available, and that will help to fill gaps in your family tree. I found it interesting to see the approach to this session from the oversees researcher who is looking for a lost ancestor, and who possible hadn’t considered loooking in Australian records. Information was given on naturalisation records of refugees and migrants and hospitalisation.
Tell Your Story Like a True Reporter - Rachel Trotter
Former Reporter, Rachel Trotter explains the who, what, when, where and why of writing a family story. There were also tips and tools for writing and finding information.
Researching Convicts Transported to Australia presented by Andrew Redfern
Andrew is a well known Australian researcher and presenter and his presentations are always interesting. This session was about our Convict ancestors, starting with an overview of the transport era and hints and tips to find information. Andrew used a case study to demonstrate the records that are available and where to find them. The handout given gave wonderfully detailed information.
Getting Started Part 6 Reading Old Documents - Danielle Elder Blaylock and Amy Harris
This was a great revision session with hints and tips for reading and analyzing old documents. Online resources were given to aid the use of old documents. It’s my opinion that these resources should work with AI transcriptions, so that we’re not relying completely on AI.
Virtual Veterans Your AI Guide to a Rich Collection of World War 1 Resources - Anna Raunick
Virtual Veterans is an innovative AI chatbot v designed to breathe life into archival treasures about World War I. The State Library of Queensland boasts an impressive repository of World War I artefacts, notably featuring a multitude of personal letters, diaries, and other firsthand accounts from those who lived during that tumultuous era.
The New Family Search Catalogue - Robert Raymond
This session explains the changes that have been made to the FamilySearch catalogue and how to use them effectively.
Considering Other Record Sets and Resources presented by Davina Wilcock
Considering other record sets and resources is always a good idea when researching your family tree. This session gave details of websites and resources that will help to find your ancestors and also find information about their lives.
RootsTech Ride Along
Projectkin and Mission Genealogy are providing a space for those attending RootsTech virtually, to join in the fun and connection. RootsTech Ride Along is a series of Live Videos, occurring each day during RootsTech week, with guests who will discuss their experiences and the fun they are having, both attending in Salt Lake City, and at home, virtually. This has been a fun series, that I’ve looked forward to each day.
