Roberts Roots & Branches

“As a storyteller speaking to storytellers, you don’t need the whole picture; in fact, in some ways sometimes the best way to tell a big story is to tell a small story.  Tell it in depth and tell it in a way that you can find passion in it and somebody else can find passion and connection through your passion.” Feilr, Bruce, Opening General Session Roots Tech 2016, 4 Feb 2016.

Posted 2 January 2014, by Gordon Clarke, (Partner News) on the Family Search.org blog is this regarding a new research tool called Puzzilla: "Puzzilla is now Tree Access certified. Looking for new relatives to take to the temple? Is your pedigree picked over? Is there really no work left for you and your family to do? The Puzzilla.org Descendants Viewer lets you see hundreds of descendants of your ancestors from an aerial view using compact symbols to reveal patterns of incomplete research. You can pick up where prior research left off. Click on a pedigree ancestor and Puzzilla will show you their descendants, revealing holes where research might uncover spouses, children, and generations of relatives waiting for you to find them." This is an amazing tool to help you find your collateral descendant ancestors.  Most experienced researchers have done this in their head, and it is a difficult concept to teach people.  However, if you can see this...

for  Roots Tech 2014 February 12-14, 2014 Salt Lake City, Utah They always have great keynote speakers,  wonderful classes and exceptional exhibits in the exhibition hall. It is so fun to get to meet and be with "genealogy geeks" and "technology geeks" all at the same time. There is nothing like being able to learn the newest and upcoming ideas and innovations in the genealogy and family history world! Every year I have attended I have been re-energized in my own family history work, learned some wonderful ideas for blogging, and overall been uplifted and edified! If you are just a wee bit interested,  go you won't be disappointed! from the RootsTech website: "This inspiring family history and technology  conference has something for everyone." Roots Tech here for registration and for other information.

Roots Tech 2014, Saturday, Stephanie Nielson, the author of “Heaven is Here” and the blog Nieie Dialogue shared her truly amazing and beautiful story of inspiration.     I sat down to watch the video online.  I turned on my laptop, grabbed a pen and paper for notes.  What I needed was a soft comfy chair and a box of tissue. I did not write down a single word. I was mesmerized. I am changed. Go watch this beautiful woman's story. You can watch it here :  Mrs. Nielson is the last of the keynote speakers for Saturday.  

“ They live among us, and are in every home and come from every faith, ethnic group, and walk of life. They eat, breathe and live their “passion” and their consumption level is heroic, if not epic. You may even be one, or a future one and not even know it. Zombies? No, we’re talking about the family history crusader and keeper of family stories. We’re talking the Genealogy Hero! ” David Adelman, of ReelGenie - http://reelgenie.com , “ Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family’s Genealogy Hero”, RootsTech 2013, Saturday Salt Lake City, Utah watch here:  

It is frustrating when you go out to eat and the restaurant has only Coke products or only Pepsi products.   Personally, I like some of both and it depends on my mood!   Very few dining places carry both Coke & Pepsi products; limiting a customer's choice of soda beverage! Imagine a place that carries both brands; Mt. Dew, Diet Coke, and Dr. Pepper!   That is what RootsTech has done—gathers all of the types and brands of software programs and data based family history businesses and assembles them up for the biggest experience for attendees! RootsTech is not "us" versus "them", but rather a common place where businesses can exist and work together.     This partnership is especially shown in the recent announcements from Ancestry, Fold3, My Heritage, Archives, and Family Search.   Thus, researchers win all around!   There is no all-inclusive database in either Family Search or Ancestry.com, but rather both sites should be utilize...

Notes and quotes from Keynote speaker, Judy Russell, Friday March 7, 2014 at RootsTech, Salt Lake City, Utah, video online: Oral family history can be lost in three generations.   December 18, 2013, Aaron Hold, archives technician at the National Archives Fort Word, said it is not unusual for genealogists today to have conflicting stories about an ancestor if oral history was not passed down in a deliberate way through the generations.   (Article by Judy Everett Ramos, Examiner.com, 18 Dec 2013)(1) “It only takes three generations to lose a piece of oral family history.   It must be purposefully and accurately repeated over and over through the generations if it is going to be preserved for the genealogists today.”   Aaron Hold as quoted by Judy Russell (1) “My family has these stories because they were purposely and accurately passed down from generation to generation.   And if there is any lesson that I learned from this, it’s that the s...

Friday: Roots Tech 2014, Shipley Munson, Head of Marketing Family Search International: “There is no question that we research our family history differently than generations before us.   We not only have online tools, but we reach out to others online in many ways.   If you don't know the answer, someone else out there is bound to know and help you.” Saturday: Roots Tech 2014, Shipley Munson, Head of Marketing Family Search International: “…we are all the sum total of those who have gone before.   And you know, every family does have a story and what is yours?” Online here: