Whether you are at RootsTech or NotAtRootsTech, today is a great day to hear from Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans of New York! He’s been on the road for about 6 weeks and Jen Allen reported that when he arrived in Salt Lake City the team was given a “do not disturb sign” hopefully to get some sleep.  After the first day of RootsTech, I am sure everyone who attended knows the feeling! It was a delightful yet full day of family history opportunities.

Here is the live-stream schedule for Thursday:Note that there are “RootsTech Rewind” sessions throughout the day: Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, LeVar Burton, and A.J. Jacobs. Who can forget LeVar Burton’s powerful keynote that only recently became available online? Although A.J. Jacobs book, It’s All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World’s Family Tree was released last Fall, A.J. is not here at RootsTech this year. We will miss him, Julie and their sons.

If you are #NotAtRootsTech, we hope that you are following along on Twitter. It is a challenge to keep up with the avalanche of tweets coming through about the conference, but it can be informative and fun. I still haven’t found my match for AncestryDNA’s RootsTech connect adventure.

Since I am a human in Salt Lake City reporting on the RootsTech conference, and I need sleep as well, here are some highlights of Day 1:

The “Access & Preservation” session offered a continental breakfast—a welcomed surprise!

Lunchtime at #RootsTech *after* the crowds have cleared!

Okay, the spelling is different but Jason Hewlett is singing “Sherry,” as recorded by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as his opening number at the #RootsTech General Session. #NotAtRootsTech? This is @CarolinaGirlGen, “Cheri” Hudson Passey! Spelling doesn’t count in genealogy, right?

Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International, gave a touching keynote that I would like to address more completely in an individual post. In the interest of time I will share just a couple of quotes;

When we connect and belong, we treat each other differently.

We must gather and connect records before it’s too late—too late for the records themselves and before its’s too late for the people on those records.”

David Nicholson and Hannah Morden of Living DNA announced some exciting news about their 3-1 ancestry kit—Family Networks! Also, the kit is available at the never-before-seen price of $49 for the next 4 days at the conference! Although I interviewed Hannah at the Media Hub, I could not get near the booth to purchase a kit, only to snap this photo. :-/

There is so much more happening at RootsTech! DNA Painter won the $50K DNA Technology Contest. More about that later. But, now it’s time to head to the conference for another full day at RootsTech!

The opportunity to attend RootsTech is still available. Hope to see you there!

About RootsTech

RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, is a global conference celebrating families across generations, where people of all ages are inspired to discover and share their memories and connections. This annual event has become the largest of its kind in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants worldwide.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am designated as an official ambassador to the RootsTech Conference and, as such, I am provided complimentary admission and other services to accomplish my duties. Nevertheless, I have been with RootsTech since its inception and with its predecessor for many years as a paid participant. As always, my coverage and opinions are my own and are not affected by my current status. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Copyright © 2018. Lynn Broderick, a.k.a., the Single Leaf. All Rights Reserved.