We have been preparing and talking about RootsTech 2026 for a year now, and somehow it still snuck up on me. Ready or not it was time to get going. We had a good travel day with no delays. That’s always a great way to start any trip. We arrived in Salt Lake City on Tuesday evening with enough time to order dinner, get settled, and prepare for a day of research at the Family Search Library the next day.
Since we didn’t have any appointments with the Memory Lane this year, we had a slow and relaxing morning. We had breakfast before going to the Family Search Library. It was packed as usual, but we were able to not only get computer stations, but we were able to get computer stations next to each other. We arrived at the library just after 9am and stayed until just after 1pm. While it wasn’t a great research trip, I was able to find some interesting information on a family line, the Ward family. We attended the RootsTech Media dinner, and got to talk and catch up with people we hadn’t seen since last year. It was good to be able to talk and enjoy the company of other family historians. We got back to the hotel around 9pm just in time for me to review my schedule for the official first day of RootsTech.
According to my tentative schedule that I had planned, I had an 8am session. It seemed like the alarm went off shortly after I laid down. But I was able to get to the Salt Palace Convention Center around 730am with enough time to get my coat checked and walk to the other end of the building for my first session. When that session was over I had the great privilege of interviewing Andre Kearns. It just so happen that he was the speaker for my 8am session. We had a great conversation about his 20 years of family history research, his company – Black Ancestries, and his experience at RootsTech.
Today was a very busy day. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I attended some wonderful sessions, ate lunch with some genealogy friends, and took some time to walk around the expo hall. We ended up leaving the Salt Palace around 6pm, grabbed some dinner, and walked back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel I reviewed my schedule for tomorrow only to learn it would be another early morning. I’m excited to about what I will learn, the people I will meet, and who I will get to see and catch up with. But first I’m going to get a good night’s sleep.
Sessions I attended:
8am – From Virginia to Guam: Tracing a Black Family via DNA and Maritime Records, presented by Andre Kearks
11am – Keynote Speakers, Steve Rockwood- CEO of Family search and Marlee Matlin – Academy Award Winning Actress
130pm – America 250 Series: Historical and Genealogical Importance of America’s Forgotten Patriots, presented by Ric Murphy
3pm – Taxes and Tithes: Researching Enslaved Communities in Colonial Virginia, presented by Orice Jenkins
430pm – Finding and Using US Obituaries More Effectively, presented by Sunny Morton
Journey Through the Generations 
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