This conference has been a blast. There are a ton of vendors and many excited genealogists from all skill levels. The conference’s focus this year has been on stories, creating a story to engage the audience. The keynote speakers this morning have emphasized that theme over and over. They’ve shared their stories, often times moving the crowd to tears. My favorite from the first day was Paula Madison, a African American woman searching for her Chinese heritage. She created a documentary called Finding Samuel Lowe about this adventure taking her from the US to Canada to China. It looks wonderful and I will definitely be checking it out.

The session I enjoyed the most on Thursday was a class taught by Angela Walton-Raji called Native American Genealogy in 19th and 20th Century. An excellent primer on the dos and don’ts of Native American Research. The big eye opener was the fact that there are so many more records which can be easily accessed other than just the Dawes or Guion-Miller Rolls.

So many vendors, so little time. Between sessions, I was working with my pals at the booth #1334, The In-Depth Genealogist, talking with convention-goers and making new friends. For my first RootsTech, it’s been great. I’m looking forward to what’s in store for the next two days.