RootsTech: United with the Keynotes

RootsTech was back in person this year, and although there had been keynotes during the online conferences, there was something extra special in having live keynotes again. There was an energy and an excitement from being in the Main Hall along with so many other people, all listening to the people on stage. The keynotes this year included Jordin Sparks, the youngest ever winner of American Idol, and photographer, Me Ra Koh, but for me the best session was on the Saturday.

I had grown up in the 60s watching Sean Astin’s parents on TV. The Addams Family starred his father, John Astin, as Gomez Addams, and I regularly watched his mother’s two roles in The Patty Duke Show. I knew he was their son, but I had never seen any of his movies, even The Lord of the Rings (even though I had read the books when I was young).

Sean Astin came across as such a grounded and self-effacing person. He seemed genuinely nice.  Never was this more apparent than when he was telling the story of how an Anasazi elder had given him a trail name: “Gentle Wind Eagle.” He told Sean ‘the eagle has the greatest vision of all animals and you have the ability to see into people’s hearts.’

Another thing that came across was how important to him his wife and daughters are.

He told us about his eldest daughter’s interest in genealogy. She investigated their family background, including the adopted and step members as well as the biologicals. When Sean told her he was doing RootsTech she said that she could trace his ancestry back to Charlemagne, but was stuck on one 4^th great-grandfather on mother’s side and one person other on his father’s side – could he please ask the FamilySsearch people for help.

Sean texted her and asked why she loved genealogy, and a reply came through: “‘It’s the way to learn about the ancestors that live on through me. We are the key to our ancestors’ eternal life & through my children in a way I’ll live on forever, so it’s important to honor that … I think we all repeat certain generational patterns and learning from my ancestry is the biggest cheat-sheet to solving life’s greatest problems.” This is something that resonates with all of us who are addicted to family history.

Sean’s mother had told him stories when he was growing up, but he didn’t care, which he is now embarrassed about. Even when his daughter was looking into their family history he didn’t understand the attraction. Then Tamara from FamilySearch presented him with his genealogy. And there is so much that suddenly bought it alive – a great-grandfather who registered and served in WWI and as an old man in WWII, and a grandfather who served in WWII. He was particularly fascinated by the picture he was shown of the boat two of his ancestors came out on.

He was proud to learn that six of his eight great-grandparents had come from Ireland: “they were workers”. His mother had said of him “you worked so hard for this success”, which is one of the nicest things she’d said, and now he sees that that work ethic didn’t just come from his mother, but comes down through his lineage. Sean said that understanding where you come from really helps you become “more”. “This is a way to bring us together. There are so many things that pull us apart”. When asked what he wanted his grandchildren to focus on about him, he considered the question and answered “kindness”.

Next in that session was a surprise guest: Adassa, who voiced Delores in Encanto. A video was shown where she was presented with stories of her family history. Then she sang.

As the song started it sounded a bit familiar. The I realized that she was singing Uniting, the song RootsTech’s own Jonathan Wing had written as the conference song. She was joined in the performance by Chad Truman and the One Voice Children’s choir. This was a slower version of the song, but it sent a chill down my spine. Listen to the two versions and see what you think: the version on the kickoff video, and the Adassa/Chad Truman/One Voice Children’s choir version (the song comes in at 42:47).

Disclaimer: As a RootsTech Influencer I receive complimentary admission to the event, invitations to some extra events and dinners and a free registration to give to one of my readers. I bear the cost of my return airfares from Australia and pay for my accommodation and meals.