It's time to think about what you want to bring with you to RootsTech. With only two weeks left, you'll want to download the RootsTech app, choose your classes, download the syllabi, and decide how you're going to take notes. Here are some suggestions to help you do this (and otherwise enjoy the conference)! This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. Thanks for the support! 8 Tech Tools to Bring to RootsTech 1. Tablet/iPad or Lightweight Laptop: Last year I brought a bulky laptop and got really...
BeFunky.com is a photo editing website you can use to create coloring pages out of old family photos. The web tool is free for general photo editing but the "sketcher" filters which you apply to make coloring pages, are available in the plus version only. BeFunky Plus costs $4.95 per month or less if you pay annually. The BeFunky Mobile app, however, is free! BeFunky Website Go to BeFunky.com and click on the photo editor. Add your photo then select the "artsy" category on the left toolbar. In the example below, I used the sketcher 2 filter. The photo I used...
Do you have a letter collection or ancestor journal that you'd like to transcribe, but the task seems overwhelming? I previously shared my friend Karen's experience with inheriting over sixty family letters from 1828 to 1921. She learned how to archive the letters and developed a great system for enlisting the help of other family members in transcribing them. Today, with her permission, I'm sharing the steps she took. How to Set up a Family Letter Transcription Project Preservation Karen and her sister first took the letters to the Special Collections Department at Brigham Young University. The staff instructed her on...
The RootsTech 2017 Innovator Showdown received 41 submissions. Innovators from all industries were encouraged to submit their family history related ideas for unique hardware, software apps, or services in the contest. I eagerly looked at all of the submissions. Here are the ones that stood out: Fun/Games Cuzins - see how you're related to friends and celebrities and how celebrities are related to each other Little Family Tree - This app was submitted last year but has new games, including water coloring pages created from family photos. My 3-year-old daughter enjoys this game and I love seeing her interact with the photos of our relatives pulled...
When registering for RootsTech last year, I tried to find more information about Innovator Summit to know if it was for me. After finding only one blog post about it, I decided that my interest in entrepreneurship and technology was reason enough to attend. I have always admired friends and family members who start their own businesses. I respect their courage, inspirational work ethic, and determination. I love to watch ABC’s Shark Tank and learn about people who put their all into a business often started in their garage. Looking for the RootsTech Pass Giveaway Contest instructions? Scroll to the bottom of...
Last year was my first time attending RootsTech. In prior years, I watched the live streamed sessions from home. I knew that I wanted to go eventually, so after I started this blog in August 2015, I decided that I would go to RootsTech in February 2016. Although I was pregnant and had two kids at home, I made arrangements with my family and a babysitter to be able to attend. I flew to Utah on Tuesday and arrived at 9pm. The next day, I attended the Innovator Summit while my mother (Diana) researched at the Family History Library and attended...
I recently received the following press release for a family history games app for children that we love! I'm so excited to share this news. Little Family Tree, A Genealogy App for Children, Now FREE to Download Herriman, Utah, October 1, 2016Yellow Fork Technologies LLC has just released a major update to their app, Little Family Tree, making it FREE to download through the mobile app stores. Little Family Tree is an app that teaches children about their family history through interactive games and activities with information obtained from an online family tree. Today's children intuitively understand how to use...
Have you ever spent an hour at the doctor's office waiting for your turn, wishing you had something more interesting to do than scanning Facebook? Try the FamilySearch Tree Mobile App! I just discovered the "Descendants with Tasks" feature and it's pretty smooth. You can go to an ancestor, view their profile, and click the menu button to see the "Descendants With Tasks" option. There you'll see a list of all that ancestor's descendants who have "tasks" - either record hints to attach (blue icons) or temple work to reserve (green temple icons). When you click on the blue record hint icon,...
Are you the lucky recipient of your family's genealogy? Do you have a box, a barrel, or in my instance a suitcase full of letters, documents, photos, family group sheets, etc? You are probably feeling overwhelmed with either joy or despair. Go ahead and be ecstatic that you inherited priceless stuff. Don't despair because I'm going to show you how to take care of your papers, one step at time. When I started my genealogical journey in 2003, I met my parents at the airport on their way to Hawaii. My dad handed me a suitcase full of thirty years...
