Since 2011, the year of the first convention with this title, my sister Joy and I have been attending a genealogy-technology-mash conference. Yes. I love genealogy and all things (okay, most things) related to it. I have a passion for understanding where I came from, for knowing those people whose DNA created my body and whose blood runs in my veins. I want to hear their stories and see where they lived. I like to understand the trials they faced and how, through their own creativity, ingenuity or sheer determination and verve, they mastered their mountains and climbed out of their valleys.

I like recognizing their names and knowing their stories by heart.

My beliefs lead me to look forward to meeting them someday on a different plane than this earth. I feel they know me and love me, and maybe some of them even watch over me while I bumble along through my days here.

So why Rootstech?

My sister Joy feels the same way I do, and has incredible knowledge about our relatives. She keeps them straight in her head, and recognizes opportunities to gather and glean more tidbits, making the histories we have richer, and enrolls 2nd and 3rd cousins for support. Joy has essentially been my teacher. I have more about our story of becoming gen partners, which I will write about later.

Joy has been a steady partner for me in my quest to make sure our ancestors are known. As technology advances, it is easier to discover and preserve the information that tells us about these people. We go to this Rootstech conference together and take in all the latest gadgets, technology, and methods that have just been developed. We ask experts for input on how to solve problems of preservation and dispersion of information. We bask in the success stories of others, and generate new ideas for our own work, as we spend a good part of the day taking classes about all things research and genealogy, then wander through the merchant mall and chat with the vendors, finding out why and how their product can (or else won’t really) help us in our quest. We get charged up and inspired to continue on in what can often become a lonely or challenging work.

I have other sisters, and brothers, who are all very supportive of our efforts. They cheer us on, they compliment our work, they proofread, they transcribe, they handle the financial and secretarial work, they donate money, they layout our books ready for publication in programs they understand–really, we couldn’t be in a better situation.

In essence, we are all willing to be custodians of the stories.