The countdown is on to RootsTech 2017! I can’t wait to see all my Genfriends and meet new ones. This year I’ll be presenting at RootsTech (see schedule below), and blogging, posting and tweeting live from the conference as a RootsTech Ambassador.
Last year was my first year attending RootsTech, the largest genealogy conference on the planet, held annually in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an amazing experience. With more than 200 breakout class sessions to choose from, you can grow your skills and learn how to overcome tough challenges that arise in your research. The Expo Hall features hundreds of vendors of the latest apps, services and technology to help you make the most of all the tech devices you use in your research.
This year, I’m excited by two new offerings at RootsTech – the Coaches’ Corner, and a robust lineup of African American genealogy sessions.
In the Coaches’ Corner, located in the Expo Hall, certified genealogists will be available to answer your burning genealogy questions. You’ll have an opportunity to work one on one with experts who can help you overcome even the toughest genealogy brick walls.
And, this year, for the first time, you can fill your entire time at RootsTech attending sessions on African American genealogy! Please read on to view African American genealogy sessions for each day of the conference. Excited? The next step is to register for RootsTech 2017. Hope to see you there, and if you can’t attend this year, please watch for our live updates during the conference!
Thursday, February 9
Using Genealogical Periodicals for Research
Presenter: Frazine Taylor
Frazine Taylor | Intermediate
Thursday, February 9
11:00am
Although genealogical periodicals offer many sources of hidden information, they are often overlooked or underused by family historians in researching family history. The question becomes why do you think we do not search periodicals for our families? They are too hard, no index, some may have yearly indexes or none at all, just to name a few of the obstacles that makes periodical research difficult and underused. They are often Society publications and the resources necessary to make them widely available are scarce. However, the genealogical information in them are voluminous and genealogical and historical societies have published them for decades.This workshop will focus on the value of published cumulative indexes and time-saving tips to narrow the search for an ancestor using examples found in national periodicals and Alabama’s periodical collection.
Room: 255A
Session number: RT0763
RootsTech Track
Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau: New Research Guide
Presenters: Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier
Toni Carrier, Lowcountry Africana; Angela Walton-Raji, Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau | Beginner
Thursday, Feb 9
1:30pm
The records of the Freedmen’s Bureau are among the richest for tracing African American ancestors. FamilySearch recently announced the completion of the Freedmen’s Bureau Project, a collaborative effort to index all surviving Freedmen’s Bureau records. A new website developed by Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier, “Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau” (www.mappingthefreedmensbureau.com) is an interactive map interface to help researchers make the most of Freedmen’s Bureau records by identifying the Freedmen’s Bureau field office, hospital or contraband camp nearest their area of research interest, to make these records all the more accessible. This session will present an overview of the Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau website and present a case study which illustrates the importance of digging deeper into these valuable records after searching the FamilySearch index.
Room: 251D
Session number: RT1036
RootsTech Track
Exploring the Testimonies of Former Slaves in the Southern Claims Commission Records
Presenter: Bernice Bennett
Bernice Bennett, BB’s Genealogy Research and Educational Services, LLC | Intermediate
1:30pm
This session will explore the Southern Claims Commission Records that were created based upon losses in twelve states after the Civil War. The claimants testimony included a list of losses and witnesses to support those losses. These records produced eye witness testimonies from former slaves, family members and neighbors. Freedmen provide details about their lives and knowledge of their former enslavers.
Room: 255A
Session number: RT0772
RootsTech Track
From Nurses to Cooks: Black Women in the Civil War
Presenter: Angela Walton-Raji
Angela Walton-Raji, Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau | Beginner
Thursday, February 9
3:00pm
This workshop will explore the surprising records that reflect the names of women of color who served in multiple jobs during the war and will explain how to find them. Surprisingly there are service records, and even pension files that describe the work performed by these women. These records point to unwritten chapters in American history, and hopefully will pull back another layer of many untold stories of ordinary people who did extraordinary things.
Room: 250D
Session number: RT0805
RootsTech Track
Census Data: More Than Just a Population Count
Presenter: Janis Forte
Janis Forte | Beginner
Thursday, February 9
3:00pm
Every genealogist is familiar with Schedule I of the federal census as the official population count. However, this schedule does not present the census in its entirety. In the form of supplemental schedules, each ten years congress authorized topical reports to describe growth in the country. Titled ‘supplemental schedules’, from 1820 to 1880 these reports capture data on agriculture, business, industry, mortality and social variables in the newly formed country. Now available in digitized format, these schedules aid in completing family composition. The schedules may identify missing and reveal cohort groups and community relations. These schedules list those in asylums, institutions and those incarcerated in a county jail or prison. With the growth of the internet, accessing these schedules provides valuable genealogical and community content information which expand the cultural and community of ancestors.
Room: Ballroom B
Session number: RT0615
RootsTech Track
Freedmen's Bureau Records on FamilySearch
Presenter: Ken Nelson
Ken Nelson, Family Search | Advanced
Thursday, February 9
4:30pm
In 1865 the Freedmen’s Bureau was established in the South to provide assistance to freedmen and refugees. It provided to those in need food, medicine and clothing, established schools, and hospitals, provided transportation, helped with labor contracts and assisted soldiers with pension claims. For many researchers with African American ancestry, Bureau records are a starting point in making that link to that first generation of former slaves. This class will focus on the Freedmen’s Bureau records on FamilySearch by understanding how best to search the record images, the scope of the Discover Freedmen Project, by looking at the records that were indexed and discuss a strategy for using the records with other Reconstruction era collections such as census records, and voter registrations.
Room: 255D
Session number: RT1046
RootsTech Track
Friday, February 10
African American Genealogy for Newbies
Presenter: Nicka Smith
Nicka Smith, Who is Nicka Smith, BlackProGen | Beginner
Friday, February 10
1:30pm
America’s youth both between 1982 and 2000 now number 83.1 million and are more diverse than the generations that preceded them with 44.2 percent being part of a minority race or ethnic group.1 Many of these Millenials identify as African American and have relatives who likely don’t check the same racial designation box as them who are eager to help them trace their genealogy. In this session, learn the basics of researching African American genealogy and have a safe space to ask burning questions.
Room: 255A
Session number: RT1666
RootsTech Track
Dealing with African American Genealogy Challenges
Presenter: Shelley Murphy
Shelley Murphy | Beginner
Friday, February 10
3:00pm
All genealogy has the so-called brick walls or genealogy challenges. This session will help you consider your research goals, understand what are you looking for and what challenges you will face in researching African Americans. In addition attendees will be provided with some tools and online resources that are available to help combat the challenges.
Identity by Descent: Using DNA to Extend the African-American Pedigree
Presenter: Shannon Christmas
Shannon Christmas, Through The Trees Blog | Intermediate
Friday, February 10
Using illustrative examples, this session demonstrates how DNA analysis, when used in concert with traditional genealogical research methods, can help family historians overcome challenges unique to African-American genealogy research.
Saturday, February 11
The Art of Storytelling: It's More Than Names & Dates
Presenter: Kenyatta Berry
Kenyatta Berry, Genealogy Roadshow | Beginner
Saturday, February 11
11:00am
When doing family research we often focus on the names, dates and locations of our ancestors. However, it’s important to develop a story using historical context. Learn how to use online resources, history and technology to create a compelling family story. Using my experience as a host on Genealogy Roadshow, I will talk about our development process from research to story to screen. You will walk way inspired to create your own family story.
App Attack! Never Leave Home Without Them
Presenter: Shelley Murphy
Learning can happen anywhere. Researching & learning online are very useful tools for genealogists. Attendees will get a glimpse of some of the best online genealogy learning sites along with some genealogy cell phone applications. Some of the applications highlighted will be Ancestry, Family Tree, Genealogy Gems, Legacyfamilytreewebinars, Monticello, FindAGrave, & Ben Franklin’s World.
How to Get More from Your DNA with GEDMatch.com
Presenter: Shannon Christmas
Shannon Christmas, Through The Trees Blog | Beginner
Saturday, February 11
1:30pm
Learn how to mine your autosomal DNA results for genealogical gems using the most popular third-party tool for genetic genealogy.
Roots Tech Survival Guide
FamilySearch has published a very helpful Survival Guide to RootsTech 2017. Here you can learn about what to pack, what to expect, and how to use the RootsTech 2017 app to plan your customized class schedule.
