It’s day 2 of RootsTech. It seems I have a habit of logging on just as the conference breaks up for lunch. No matter, I was able to watch a session on DNA from yesterday that I missed and one on the Portuguese of the East Coast from this morning before seeing some live sessions.
I popped in on the British at 2pm, watched some short demonstrations on the main stage at 3pm, and finished the day in Australia. I’m almost as well traveled as my ancestors now.
I watched these website and software presentations today…
Ancestry’s Annual Update – This update included a brief overview of the use of handwriting analysis technology to index records and more on using Ancestry’s Story Maker Studio to preserve your family memories.
Mylio Photos – This was a demo of the different things Mylio can do. I was especially impressed with how it can restore the colors one photo, then once you’ve got it set, you can select other photos in the same series and it will restor them all to those same specs.
Vivid-Pix – This included an overview of their product as well as the work they are doing with those who suffer from dementia with something called Photo Reminiscence Therapy
These are the live (and not so live) sessions I watched today…
DNA Misconceptions with Kelli Jo Bergheimer
Are you new to DNA testing for genealogy? Do you need a refresher on how this whole thing works? Are there things you find confusing? This is the class for you!
Even though I have been at this since 2014, I found this a good refresher course on some of the concepts that are so confounding with DNA. We all have misconceptions and assumptions about how genetic genealogy works. Kelli Jo helps break them down for us.
Portuguese Roots in the Eastern United States with Lauren Wake
I was looking more for history on the Azoreans who went to Massachusetts to work in the textile industry. Instead, this was a basic genealogy how to on researching your Portuguese roots from the Eastern United States back to their homeland.
If you’d like some tips on how to find your village and work backwards, this will be a good one for you.
Moving Out to Move On: Ancestral Migrations within the United Kingdom with Ian Waller and Debbie Bradley
In 2021, I burst through my English brick wall realizing my great grandfather, Harry Jackson, was hiding in the US under a fake name (he was really Ernest Jobson!) Since then, I’ve tried to learn as much as I could about my Jobson kin.
This session explored the reason why those in the United Kingdom left their rural villages for cities. Like most Americans, I’ve learned world history from a US perspective, so I was fascinated to learn how the Industrial Revolution changed Great Britain for better or worse.
The session is divided into two parts: understanding why they migrated within the United Kingdom and case studies on finding those who migrated.
Online Sources for Immigration into Australia with Jenny Joyce
My ancestors were a nomadic bunch. Sometime in the early 1800s, my Jones and Hayward ancestors ended up in Australia by force or by choice. I haven’t made much progress in this area except finding a birth record for my 2nd great grandfather, Thomas Augustine Jones.
This session covered the various records that exist for those migrating into Australia whether they were convicts, military, were hired for work, or chasing dreams. There were many records presented that I’d never heard of.
Some day I’ll find you people! Now I have a little better idea of what records might be there when I do.
Checking in on my distant cousin matches…
I now have 501 distant cousins at RootsTech. The closest is a 5th cousin on my Azorean side.
But, it’s Honeysett/Day cousins who are topping the chart. Just look at this beautiful design they create in the middle of the US map.
