A Late Night Night or an Early Morning

In a recent post I shared my excitement about being chosen as a subject for a Wikitree Challenge. 

As the event, The 2024 WikiTree Challenge 11,  will be launched on zoom at 2am tomorrow (my time in Australia). My immediate issue is do I go to bed early and set an alarm for 1:30ish or do I try and stay awake? I'll see how my day pans out. 

Promo for the WikiTree Challenge

I'm now sitting in my geneacave dealing with a range of emotions:

* Gratitude for the invitation to have my family chosen as the focus of this project

* Delight to have a light shone on my band of ordinary ancestors and forebears that includes labourers, convicts, indigenous Australians, Irish immigrants, sportsmen and a pioneering priest.

* Appreciation for the Wikitreers who have signed up to work on my tree

* Apprehension as my sometimes dodgy research will be on show to a band of experienced genealogists

* Embarrassment that my Wikitree is not too deep or wide

* Pride that Australian Genealogy research is the focus of the eventt

* Excitement that the volunteers may learn a little about Australian History as they climb my tree

* Joy that my tree is receiving the love it deserves

* Suspense as I ponder on what the volunteers may dig up

Roll on 2am.

Mr Familysearch - Steve Rockwood

I note that one of the keynote speakers at Rootstech in 2018 is Steve Rockwood.

Dennis Brimhall and Jill 2012

I would guess that nearly all of my genimates use the resources of Familysearch but they probably wouldn't recognise the name of the man at the helm, Steve Rockwood or of his predecessors Jay Verkler and Dennis Brimhall.

One of the perks of being a Rootstech Ambassador is that I get to interview some of the stars who attend the annual Rootstech Conference. There are pop stars, sporting stars, tech stars, people with a strong social conscience and geneastars. I have been fortunate to conduct personal interviews with all three of the Familysearch CEOs since the first Rootstech in 2011,  Steve Rockwood and his predecessors Jay Verkler and Dennis Brimhall. That's a pretty big deal for a little old granny from downunder.

Jay Verkler and Jill - 2011

What has impressed me is that, although these three very tall individuals have brought different emphases to Familysearch during their time at the top, they are genuine nice guys who are passionate about family history and their mission as the Familysearch CEO. Although they have been super busy they have been most gracious in spending time chatting with me.

Steve Rockwood suggests that when people engage with genealogy they experience feelings “They’re feelings of the heart. I don’t care where you are; people tell you what feelings they felt. . . . They’ll tell you, ‘I feel love; I feel joy; I feel peace.’ These are powerful, core feelings that everyone has.”

If you use Familysearch and don't know Steve Rockwood please take the time to get to know him in this interview I recorded  at Rootstech 2017.