As a RootsTech Ambassador, I got to spend a ton of time in the Vendor Hall. In my opinion, the Vendor Hall is one of the things that makes RootsTech one of the premier conferences in the world. Where else are you going to get so many big and small vendors in one place? The hard part is sorting it all out. This is my review of the new technology, books, and some old favorites that impressed me this year. This certainly isn't a comprehensive list, but should be a starting point. Make sure to head to Twitter and look through my feed to find videos with tons of vendors and other genealogy bloggers and tweeters.
***None of the links below are sponsored or affiliate. I get nothing from these companies for listing their products, this is my honest review of things that got me excited this year.
***None of the links below are sponsored or affiliate. I get nothing from these companies for listing their products, this is my honest review of things that got me excited this year.
Best New Books
Your DNA Guide: The Book by Diahan Southard - This isn't just another book about DNA testing. This is a step-by-step problem solving guide that will help you not only understand how DNA works, but also how to solve DNA brickwalls. This is a must-add for your collection. You can purchase it through Diahan's website here: https://www.yourdnaguide.com/yourdnaguidethebook/book
The Magic of German Church Records: Finding the Key to Your Ancestor's Past by Katherine Schober - I spent the majority of my research time at RootsTech searching through kirchenbuchs on B1 at the Family History Library. Katherine knows German records inside and out and this guide should be on the wishlist of anyone with German ancestors. You can purchase it through Katherine's website here: https://sktranslations.com/product/the-magic-of-german-church-records-finding-the-key-to-your-ancestors-past
Turning Little Hearts: Over 90 Activities to Connect Children with Their Ancestors by Jonah and Charlotte Barnes - I met the authors on the first day of RootsTech and was thoroughly impressed with the content of their book, which would work for children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, or even in the classroom. If you're interested in getting some young people who are special to you connected with their ancestors, this book is your handbook. You can purchase it through the publisher here: https://www.cedarfort.com/products/turning-little-hearts and visit the authors webpage here: https://turninglittlehearts.com/
Best New Tech
Treasured.ca - This new site really impressed me. It allows you to create a 3D virtual museum of your family history and lets you curate your collection, collaborate with family members, all with 24/7 customer support. If you're not convinced, then watch the promo trailer on their homepage and you'll be just as enthusiastic as I am! You can check out their website here: https://treasured.ca/index.html
Audiobiography.com - Audiobiography allows you to record memories by recording their voice. They have an interactive prompt book, and each page has a QR code (those weird squiggly boxes) and using their app, you scan the code and the story plays back. They also have QR stickers you can place on archival photo sleeves that will record the story of your photo! So cool! You can check them out here: https://audiobiography.com/home
Permanent.org - Permanent is the first (to my knowledge) non-profit cloud storage site. That's right. Non-profit. They are a 501 (c) (3) charity and will never mine your data, invade the privacy of your files, or claim copyright over your files (seriously though, read the fine print on your cloud server) And they're even willing to give you a free gigabyte of storage! This is an organization to watch. Visit their website here: https://www.permanent.org/
Audiobiography.com - Audiobiography allows you to record memories by recording their voice. They have an interactive prompt book, and each page has a QR code (those weird squiggly boxes) and using their app, you scan the code and the story plays back. They also have QR stickers you can place on archival photo sleeves that will record the story of your photo! So cool! You can check them out here: https://audiobiography.com/home
Permanent.org - Permanent is the first (to my knowledge) non-profit cloud storage site. That's right. Non-profit. They are a 501 (c) (3) charity and will never mine your data, invade the privacy of your files, or claim copyright over your files (seriously though, read the fine print on your cloud server) And they're even willing to give you a free gigabyte of storage! This is an organization to watch. Visit their website here: https://www.permanent.org/
Best of Vendor Hall
Vivid-Pix - The Vivid-Pix Restore software is something all genealogists should have. Period. It walks you, step-by-step, through restoring old photos and making the colors, well, vivid! I've loved this software since I got it last year and it has become indispensable. And they've rolled out expert help through Maureen Taylor, Life-Bio, and the Genealogy Guys. You can head to their website here: https://vivid-pix.com/
CelebrateDNA - Want to show the world what you're made of? CelebrateDNA can help you do just that with customized shirts, totes, mugs, hats, posters, etc. In world where people are growing increasing distant, what a great way to bring people closer together! They have dozens of designs and a portion of each purchase goes to help Youth Celebrate Diversity! You can immerse yourself in there catalog here: https://celebratedna.com/
Traditions of the Ancients (TOTA) - TOTA is a unique offering in the genealogical community. They allow us to connect to the culture of our ancestors in a way no other site does. As an anthropology major in college, I love their collection of cultural artifacts, articles, and more and you will too. You can even upload traditional recipes or write articles on your culture! Check them out at: https://www.tota.world/
Archival Methods - As genealogists we all are archivists and if we're just throwing our precious photos and heirlooms into an Amazon box, we're not being very good family archivists. Archival Methods provides you with the resources you need to properly preserve your family materials for generations. I was impressed with their digital storage (to archive your flash drives, CDs, etc.) and their customizable kits. You can peruse their products here: https://www.archivalmethods.com/
FamilyScrybe - FamilyScrybe is a multi faceted website with inspirational blog posts for recording your family story, links to professional genealogists, coaches, educators, and genetic genealogists, and a vendor marketplace that allows you to browse through dozens of other services. They will be launching web-hosting for family sites later this year, and it looks awesome. Check out their demo site here: https://familyscrybe.com/free-family-websites/
Vintage Aerial - Most of us an farming ancestors. This site allows you to search through aerial photographs taken from the 1960s to the early 2000s and look for ancestral farms and homesteads. If you know where your ancestors lived, just drill down on the map and search for nearby images. So much fun. You can search for images by going to: https://vintageaerial.com/
CelebrateDNA - Want to show the world what you're made of? CelebrateDNA can help you do just that with customized shirts, totes, mugs, hats, posters, etc. In world where people are growing increasing distant, what a great way to bring people closer together! They have dozens of designs and a portion of each purchase goes to help Youth Celebrate Diversity! You can immerse yourself in there catalog here: https://celebratedna.com/
Traditions of the Ancients (TOTA) - TOTA is a unique offering in the genealogical community. They allow us to connect to the culture of our ancestors in a way no other site does. As an anthropology major in college, I love their collection of cultural artifacts, articles, and more and you will too. You can even upload traditional recipes or write articles on your culture! Check them out at: https://www.tota.world/
Archival Methods - As genealogists we all are archivists and if we're just throwing our precious photos and heirlooms into an Amazon box, we're not being very good family archivists. Archival Methods provides you with the resources you need to properly preserve your family materials for generations. I was impressed with their digital storage (to archive your flash drives, CDs, etc.) and their customizable kits. You can peruse their products here: https://www.archivalmethods.com/
FamilyScrybe - FamilyScrybe is a multi faceted website with inspirational blog posts for recording your family story, links to professional genealogists, coaches, educators, and genetic genealogists, and a vendor marketplace that allows you to browse through dozens of other services. They will be launching web-hosting for family sites later this year, and it looks awesome. Check out their demo site here: https://familyscrybe.com/free-family-websites/
Vintage Aerial - Most of us an farming ancestors. This site allows you to search through aerial photographs taken from the 1960s to the early 2000s and look for ancestral farms and homesteads. If you know where your ancestors lived, just drill down on the map and search for nearby images. So much fun. You can search for images by going to: https://vintageaerial.com/
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