SALT LAKE CITY, Utah-- Mindy McLane is a Rexburg local family history researcher. She volunteers Thursday mornings at the Rexburg Family History Center, but last Thursday morning she was in Salt Lake City attending the largest family history conference in the world, RootsTech.
McLane is a BYU graduate who recently got her advanced family history research certificate.
“I really enjoy family history and I wanted to be able to break through my own family history brick walls and I knew there were a lot of skills that I needed to learn,” McLane said.
Her interest in family history began as a child, hearing the stories told by her grandmother. This interest grew when she began working on her own family tree as an adult.
Each year RootsTech has theme for attendees to rally around. The theme for 2026 was ‘Together.’
“This theme of ‘Together,’ really is about community,” McLane said. “I think about this with my own tree because I like to research my tree, but maybe I have a cousin who likes to add the family photos. Somebody else might be really good about writing the family stories. Somebody else might be good at putting together a family reunion. There's so many ways we can all participate.”
This is McLane’s second year attending the RootsTech conference.
“I want to come back every year,” McLane said. “It's the first year was just so fun and I learned so much and I just thought I've got to come back. It's well worth it.”
As the largest family history/genealogical conference in the world, RootsTech attracts thousands of attendees in person, and millions of participants online.
Keynote speakers and sessions can be viewed online on the RootsTech website.