Genealogy can often feel like a solo job. We venture out to local libraries, archives, and cemeteries. We go off to do some online research for a few hours. We study our families and conduct our research when we can find the time, but so often it is done alone.
And that, y'all, is where conferences and the online genealogy community come in!
Our community is a dynamic one, too. Whether you're on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (or all three, right?!) you can connect with writers, bloggers, speakers, professional genealogists and amateur family historians alike.
Following #genealogy or #familyhistory can keep us connected to others, and if you think about it...that's why most of us study our families to begin with. To feel - or to truly be - connected to them. To discover the story of you.
As I've followed my friends and colleagues online, I can't help but be a little jealous of something I wasn't able to attend recently. This past week was RootsTech London, the first time RootsTech went to Europe. I've only been to London once, and that was just for a few hours during a long layover. So to go to a genealogy conference in the land where nearly all of my ancestors come from sounds so much fun! And from photos I saw, it looked like a really great conference!
Even though I missed out on RootsTech London, guess what's coming up soon!? Like 117 days, soon. RootsTech 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah!!
I've been counting down the days for many months, but as we get closer to 2020, I'm getting that much more excited. It's a chance to see friends, to make new ones, and to make sure that the fire of excitement for family history is rekindled and made strong again. During the year, we get busy and our focus on our individual research can often fall by the wayside in light of immediate priorities. But after attending a conference, we're given new ideas, given fresh vision to see the holes in our research, and the new ways we might be able to approach our brick walls.
I hope you'll join me this year at RootsTech from February 26-29, 2020. It's only $189 for 4 days of amazing content. Find your flight now, book an Airbnb, and you'll save a lot of money...and make a great trip to bolster your genealogy research. Trust me, it's the third RootsTech I'm making in a row! You won't regret it!
*****
My ancestors - and your ancestors - deserve the best researcher, the most passionate story-teller, and the dignity of being remembered. So let's keep encountering our ancestors through family history and remembering the past made present today!
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