RootsTech 2025 was a lot, and that's a good thing
But how do I put all that into words?
Release Date: March 9, 2025
Finding a place to start
RootsTech 2025 wrapped up yesterday, and it was… a lot. I’ve spent the last several hours typing and then deleting this post, trying to put words to my experience.
I thought I could start with a list:
Affirmed
Overwhelmed
Inspired
Humbled
Connected
Expectant
Clueless
Genealogied-out
But that didn’t work, especially that last one, since it’s not even a real word.
Maybe it’s about the learning
Then I thought I could share some of what I learned, but frankly, I’m still processing a lot of that. Wondering how to incorporate it into what I do, what to take and what to leave behind, or at least put aside for another time.
It seems inevitable that AI is the future of genealogy, research and writing, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I love the processes involved in those things SO much, the creativity and crafting, the boundless curiosity inherent in them. And I want others to love them as much as I do, which is probably weird, but it’s the truth. And how will anyone fall in love with digging through old documents, or putting together a family puzzle or finding just the right word, the perfect phrase that brings a story to life, if those things are handed off to AI?
So yeah, that section should probably be deleted.
Hey, but I’m psyched to find another story that requires a deep dive into legal and court records thanks to Judy G. Russell. I could share about that! But then, I’d probably have to rehash the entire Aimee Henry and Mary Martha Parker story, and most of my readers have already read that, and I’m not quite ready to share the next chapter of that story so…
Let me try a different appraoch
For a while I thought I could write about some of the people I met. There were so many. I mean SO MANY. I’m not really a people person, and they were everywhere. EVERYWHERE. But then, there WERE a lot of people doing amazing things.
Like the women who facilitate the donation of DNA kits to Holocaust survivors and their families in hopes of finding them another lost family member who also somehow survived. Imagine thinking you were the only survivor of your entire family and then finding out there are others? I’m still humbled by their work.
There was the young guy who found a photo of his enslaved great-great-grandpa, noticed they had the same exact hands, and suddenly felt a connection to the past – and hope for the future -- for the very first time. He was a trip!
During one presentation I sat next to an 82-year-old woman who said she was there to learn how to do oral histories so she could interview the old people in her neighborhood. I couldn’t help but think of my own grandma who, at 86, talked about driving all the old ladies to church auxiliary meetings, most of whom were under 70. And then, of course, I teared up and had to pretend I’d gotten something in my eye so people didn’t think I was a nut job.
Ok so the stories about the people I met could get a little messy. Maybe a bit too much.
Scratch that idea.
Was I finally at summer camp?
Ok so maybe I start with the atmosphere. A trendy descriptor is “electric”, and I hesitate to go there, but there was definitely a lot of excitement and energy in the air. But, for me, there was something else.
Did you ever go to summer camp?
RootsTech had that kind of feeling. You walk in a wee bit nervous but excited, but mostly unsure and expectant, but then someone comes over and introduces themselves, asks you some questions, takes your hand and brings you to that place you belong. And suddenly you find yourself surrounded by a bunch of folks feeling the same way as you do.
Maybe you share a common story or a Nothing Bundt Cake, and next thing you know you’re talking to strangers like long-lost BFFs and learning to dive off the high board, and everyone poolside starts to cheer.
Ok, so there weren’t any cheers for me, but, man, there were cheers for speakers and presenters and breakthroughs and crazy new ideas and ways of doing something, and so much more.
RootsTech had that same vibe. And, by Sunday when things were wrapping up and it was time to pack, the hugs were genuine, the friendships were forged, the connections were real. The memories made.
And the ride home was filled with stories. So. Many. Stories.
That wasn’t just me, was it? Ugh.
That whole “big table” idea
Finally, I decided to just go back to the “Big Table” analogy I love so much.
RootsTech showed me, without a doubt, that the genealogy and family history community has a really big table, and there’s room at that table for everyone who wants a seat.
For people who want to investigate every existing record of an ancestor’s life, and for those who just want to find out if they’re related to George Washington or maybe George Clooney.
For folks who can trace their family roots back to Adam and for those who find out as adults they aren’t who they thought they were and are just looking for answers and support.
For people who love writing proofs and dealing with citations and for those who want to tell a good story, facts be damned.
For folks who see a past injustice and want to prevent history from repeating itself, and for those who want to create a new narrative for themselves, their family and maybe even the world.
For people who see genealogy as a fun hobby or a professional career, and for those who view it as an obligation, a mystery to solve, a technical minefield to be traverded, or a personal development tool.
And for folks like me.
When my mom died, I felt uprooted. There was no one to tell me the stories of who I was, where I belonged. How I fit in. And without those stories, what would become of me?
Then, among her things, I found old photos. And in those old photos I found faces that looked like me and the people I loved.
They had the stories:
Eva Rosina, who gave birth to nine children, seven of whom died in childbirth, and one of whom grew up to be my great grandpa. I can survive loss.
Caroline Augustine, a midwife who delivered over 2,000 babies, including all of her grandchildren except my grandpa and great aunts. I can make a difference.
Margaretha, who boarded a ship in Bremen with her husband, three sons and a baby – my great grandma – on the way, to start a new life in America. I can be brave.
Genealogy and family history taught me then, and continue to teach me every single day, why family stories matter and why they need to be shared. It’s because they are the roots that ground us in who we are, where we belong and how we fit in.
Whew, that was painful but worth the effort
Which, I suppose, gets me back to these last few days and RootsTech 2025. Yes, there were a lot of people, and yes, my mind was spinning like a top a few times, and yes, I felt all those words I started listing earlier in this piece, and then some.
But mostly I just felt connected. Deeply and genuinely and, I’ll say it, weirdly connected to every other person there. The ones who do family history the way I do and the ones who don’t. I got them and they got me, which comes with a really wonderful sense of peace and promise and, dare I say, homecoming.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that RootsTech was a lot. And, as someone who has, on occasion, had those same words said about me, I feel truly blessed to have experienced as much of the event as I could handle.
Did it change me? I’m not willing to go that far, but it — and this amazing genealogy and family history community being built here —have most definitely filled a little well inside me that I didn’t honestly know was running dry.
Before I go
Firstly, a huge shout out to
at Genealogy Matters and and to both of them at for putting in the hard work of sharing so much RootsTech content with all of us. The RootsTech Ride Along live programs and videos were amazing, and just so much fun! Thanks to all of you who participated. If you missed any, they’re available in the archives.If, like me, there were too many great choices to choose from during the live RootsTech event, I want to remind you that scores of presentations and events were recorded this past week, and they’re available to watch free of charge at your convenience. Check them out here » Video Library
Thanks to all the folks at RootsTech who were generous with their time and knowledge, who graciously talked with me, consented to being interviewed, shared their stories and inspired me. You might not know who you are — and I might not remember all your names — but you made the event even better by your presence and kindness. Thanks especially to
, , Pat at , , , Jason and Amy, Walt English, Taieno Cook, Claire Bradley, Judy G. Russell, and so many others!And finally, although I’m done sharing RootsTech 2025 announcements and stuff here, I brought a lot of great stories and story ideas back with me, and I’ll be sharing those here at The Lost & Found Story Box as well as over at Culinary History is Family History in the coming weeks and months.
Have you read the incredible true story of Aimee Henry and Mary Martha Parker? Call Me a Bastard is my longest serialized story to-date, and the one that started it all here on the Lost & Found Story Box. Check out the story from the beginning.
And in case you missed it, here’s a link to one of my most popular short series to-date, The Incorrigible John George. I hope you’ll agree that “incorrigible” is the best way to describe this old scoundrel!
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Love the short snippets you shared about your female ancestors and how their stories inspire qualities in you like courage and resilience in the face of loss.
Your RootsTech wrap up is very moving Lori. There were even tears here. I love you 'Big Table' analogy. You have reminded me that RootsTech is much more than a conference. You have reminded me of how I felt after attending in person in 2016. All being well, we hope to be there next year. I've been dealing with too much FOMO from here!