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| The main stage of RootsTech, with chairs beginning to fill with attendees |
The past few days I was in Salt Lake City, Utah, attending the family history conference, RootsTech. Unless you've heard a description or attended before, your mental image of the event probably isn't completely accurate. Yes, there are classes teaching about research techniques, DNA analysis, and organization methods, but you might not have imagined interviews with Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, musical performances by The Piano Guys, or cultural cooking demonstrations. It was a wonderful conference, with the open-ended theme, "What will you discover?"
I'm thankful for discoveries I made:
1. I attended several classes on Scottish research and learned something I probably should have figured out a long time ago. Did you know that Nova Scotia means New Scotland? I'm thankful classes cover all levels of family historians, from the very beginner to professionals.
2. Another class was on planning genealogical travel. Google translate was mentioned, not just for use with microphone, but also with camera. Apparently Google translate can translate photos of signs. I'm thankful for practical tips.
3. In my search for more records of my Scottish ancestors, I stumbled across a newspaper article mentioning the death in May 1867 of Janet Telfer Davidson, aged 3 years, 8 months, and 21 days. Although so far as I can determine now, Janet does not tie into my Telfer relatives, if you know me, you know that I love to find lost children. So I researched Janet's family a bit, attaching various sources and adding names, dates, places, and sources to FamilySearch, so when Janet's extended family members research her family, they will find her, too. Going down that research rabbit hole, I found at least three other siblings of Janet's, all who died as infants or children. Their mother, Isabella, died at age 39. I haven't been able to figure out what became of their father, Andrew. (There are many different Andrew Davidsons, but I haven't sleuthed out which is the correct one yet.) I'm hoping to figure out which adults (parents, siblings, etc.) Isabella and Andrew connect to, because my very preliminary research isn't finding any of their children surviving past childhood, and I'm saddened to think that their family memories might be lost to time. I'm thankful for people--everyone has a story, and everyone is important.
4. I attended a roundtable presentation given by leaders from the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the things I learned was that the family history department has conducted 2 million interviews for an oral genealogy project in Africa, helping to preserve records that have in the past been stored only in the minds of those given the task of remembering. They also have 67 camera teams in the Ukraine currently digitizing archival records. I'm thankful for those who help stories live on.
5. I heard a quote from Elder K Brett Nattress: "The youth of today need to serve, more than they need to be served." I suspect that goes for the rest of us, too. I'm thankful for service, which gives me the ability to look beyond myself and reach out to help others. Helping others brings more happiness than self-absorption.
6. Dana Tanamachi was one of the keynote speakers. She's an artist who had her big break with chalk art years ago. Even if you don't know her name already, you've probably seen her art, whether on an egg carton or a postage stamp. She spoke about her grandmothers who brought beauty to the Japanese internment camps of WWII, even with the humblest of mediums and in such dire circumstances. I'm thankful for all who beautify their surroundings.
7. Likewise, gold medalist Paralympian Hunter Woodhall and his wife, gold medalist Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall, as well as The Piano Guys, also spoke about the influence of family traits on their own success. I'm thankful for those traits and interests that are passed down through the generations.
8. I attended a class taught by the film director, T. C. Christensen. (He directed Escape from Germany, The Cokeville Miracle, and many other films.) He encouraged us to think about our own great family stories. I was impressed with his attention to authenticity. He said that in the making of Escape from Germany, instead of hiring a bunch of regular extras, he sought out descendants of the missionaries portrayed in the film and had them be the extras. He sat descendants next to the actor portraying their ancestor, and in the filming breaks, the actors got to hear more about the individuals they were portraying. I'm thankful for family stories and the lessons we can learn from those in our families.
9. Yesterday, President Jeffrey R. Holland, and Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife Kathy spoke. President Holland was the president of Brigham Young University when I was a student there and I had the privilege of taking a religion class from him. Now he serves as the acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He has such a gentle nature and exudes love of and for Jesus Christ. It was wonderful to see him and hear him speak, as well as to see and hear Elder and Sister Andersen. The Piano Guys performed at that session, and one of the songs they chose to do was "Story of My Life." They showed the following video on the screens as they performed the song live. I'm thankful for the spirit felt at RootsTech.
10. The last class I attended was titled, "Genealogy Intertwined with Gratitude." You KNOW I had to go to that class! The presenter mentioned how even the difficult parts of family stories can inspire gratitude. She said that family history gives us perspective, and that we can not only look back and forward through the years, but also up to see our family's faith and over the horizon to glimpse our family's hopes. I'm thankful for my family.
11. I'm thankful for John. He supports me in my interests and encourages me in my endeavors. He had dinner waiting for me every night when I got back, which was so thoughtful. Thanks, John--for everything!
What have you discovered, and what are you thankful for? Be sure to check out the other blogs, and leave a comment or link up your own post!
It is sad to think about families which have no living descendants any longer, I'm glad you are trying to find the information on this particular one, so they won't be totally forgotten.
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