We’re All Related (and why it matters)

Click image to learn more and register for RootsTech.

It’s ti-i-me!

Time for RootsTech, that is (March 6-8, 2025), and time for my favorite feature, Relatives at RootsTech.

The largest annual genealogy conference in the world is a hybrid event. If you register for the FREE virtual portion of the conference you will get a different experience, of course, than if you go in person. But there are benefits in registering, even if you are only semi-interested, and even if you can’t attend on those dates. Like what? Like access to recorded educational sessions from previous years, and access to Relatives at RootsTech.

What is “Relatives at RootsTech”?

It’s a tool that shows how you are related to others who are also registered for the conference. The first time I saw that I was related to tens of thousands of other conference goers I thought, “Well, that can’t be right.” But when I realized how many people attend RootsTech, and how many have common ancestors with me on the order of 10 generations back, and thought about how many descendants those ancestors must have by now, my doubts vanished.

Why do I like Relatives at RootsTech so much?It reminds me that everyone is related. While I may not be related to YOU, I very well also might be!It’s fun to be able say you’re related to a client, or friend, or colleague, and also to know exactly HOW you’re related.It can benefit your research and enrich your life to connect with a distant cousin who is researching common ancestors.Did I mention it’s free?Can I trust Relatives at RootsTech?

No. It’s not a matter of trust!

This link isn’t working and I don’t know why. Just register for RootsTech and you’ll see Relatives at RootsTech!

FamilySearch is a crowd-sourced world tree, so it’s subject to errors introduced by users who are not experienced genealogists. But it also includes a plethora of free resources and many wonderfully-documented ancestor profiles. The Relatives at RootsTech tool provides the path by which you are supposedly connected, based on input from you and other researchers. It’s up to each of us to analyze the information we encounter, and to make corrections (or to at least initiate discussions with other researchers) if we are in possession of more, or better, evidence.

How to use Relatives at RootsTech:First, register for RootsTech. There is no cost for the virtual part of the conference, but you will need to create an also-free FamilySearch account to get started.Look for the Relatives at RootsTech feature during the month before and the month after the conference.If you don’t see that you are related to anyone, add a couple more generations to your tree (first yourself, then your parents, then your grandparents, and so on) until it connects with the larger world tree.If you don’t see that you are related to anyone you know, ask someone you do know to also register for the conference so you can see if, and how, you are related.If you are related, but it’s 10 generations back and not all of the names look familiar, use the provided path as clues. Document each step along the way on both sides before resting assured it is a legitimate path to a common ancestor. I’ve had some good luck with the paths I’ve been presented, but I am always wary of each step (branch, leaf) until I see (or find) sufficient documentation for each one. I don’t want to end up climbing someone else’s family tree!If you don’t have time to do the research now, take a screenshot to refer to later.What if Relatives at RootsTech isn’t available?

The reason Relatives at RootsTech is exciting is because it’s not available all year round. It’s only available the month before, and the month after the conference. This is the only time you can find out how you’re related to living persons, since living persons are not searchable on FamilySearch (or other genealogy platforms) for privacy’s sake.

What is available all year, though, is a page called Famous Relatives. In the same way you saw (and proved) you were related to a friend, acquaintance, or distant cousin, you can see (and prove) whether or not you are related to a famous person in one of the following categories: Leaders, Inventors and Scientists, Entertainers and Artists, Trailblazers, and Athletes.

So, even if you aren’t related to ME, you are almost certainly related to somebody famous.

Why Does it Matter?

Is it important to have famous ancestors? No, of course not! It’s mostly just fun.

As I wrote in my introduction to the Albuquerque Genealogical Society, whose board of directors I joined last month, “Most of my ancestors immigrated to America from the British Isles in the 1600s. The most intriguing ones (so far) include Quakers, loyalists, slaveholders, and that one 3rd great-grandfather who went to the gold rush and was never heard from again.”

Most of my ancestors were unsung pioneers and farmers (plus a few drunks and rent-jumpers). Some I’ve traced back 12 generations, while others left so few records of themselves that I’m stuck only a few generations back in time searching for them.

I think it’s important in these divisive political times to focus on what we all have in common, not what separates us.

If we go back far enough, we are all descended from so many ancestors that finding common ground is inevitable. If I find that I am descended from royalty, or related to famous people, the point is not that I’m special. The point is that we are ALL special. Even those ancestors who left few records are special. People who think they aren’t related to royalty, just don’t know yet that they’re descended from both royalty and their servants. And, if you live in the United States, and you aren’t a Native American, you are an immigrant no matter how long ago your family came here.

Related blog posts and Resources: How and when to find a common ancestorv (I solved a family mystery and determined my relationship to a historical figure by finding our common ancestor. And you can too!) What the heck is a second cousin once removed? (Even genealogists need charts to figure out cousin relationships.) Black Lives Matter in Genealogy Too (Aka Slaveholders in the Family) Are we all descended from royalty? (Spoiler alert: Most of us are distantly related to rulers such as Charlemagne, Genghis Kahn, and other historical figures with an abundance of descendants.) Witches in the Family (Included here for the sections called “How do I know we’re really related, though?”, “Do the math”, and “My ancestors are all immigrants, and yours probably are too”.) Genealogy Resource Roundup (These are the resources I use most often.)

Are you registered for RootsTech?

Are WE related? Who else are you related to?

Please leave a comment below!

______________________________________________________Hazel Thornton is an author, genealogist, and retired home and office organizer.
Book: Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror Book: What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy Book: Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook Feel free to link directly to this post! Click here to ask about other uses.Copyright 2025 by Hazel Thornton, Organized for Life and Beyond

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