At RootsTech 2025, FamilySearch’s CEO Steve Rockwood set the tone of the global event with the opening keynote. This year, RootsTech was all about the power of discovery. Discovery shapes who we are, Steve observed, and every day is a chance to find out something new. At RootsTech—and with FamilySearch—we get to do it together!
Discovery: The Theme of 2025
RootsTech is a “worldwide celebration of family discovery.” It’s all about moments of personal joy. That joy can come when you find an ancestor or unlock new family stories. “That’s the magic of RootsTech, and that’s the magic of discovery,” said Steve.
At RootsTech 2025, as with past RootsTech conferences, life-changing discoveries were made on stage, in the halls, and at home online. With all these amazing resources gathered in one place, a wealth of opportunities is available, said Steve. And you can ignite everything when you do one simple thing: add what you know. Family discoveries are there—just waiting for you.
Speaking on behalf of the many different family history-related products and services offered by a growing number of companies, particularly the sponsors of RootsTech 2025, Steve Rockwood explained the simple process of discovery, applicable in all aspects of life: “Each one of you can choose for yourself how much you want to engage. One name, one photo, one little sample of saliva will produce a wonderful moment of discovery. . . . The more you add what you know, the more you’ll watch those moments of discovery build upon each other and become ongoing journeys.”
The Power of Community
At RootsTech, people gather online and in person to find all they can about their families. It's a place to connect and spend time together, to learn from each other as a global community of people all working toward the same goals.
And it’s a time to learn about all the resources available to help in that search—the archives, libraries, societies, universities, clans, tribal village members, historians, and software companies—all there to open the doors to discovery. These resources encompass “all of those who hold the ingredients of your family story. Now with our collective vast resources, chances are we know quite a bit about your family,” Steve noted.
Joy in Discovery
With people all over the world working together and adding what they know about their family, the opportunities for discovery are limitless. Steve shared a personal story of recently learning something about his own family, thanks to someone else adding new information on FamilySearch. He told of a man he grew up hearing stories about, his great-great grandfather Albert Perry Rockwood. Albert Perry was an early pioneer who left his home in the state of Massachusetts in the USA to move out west. He was among the first company of pioneers who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
Steve said he knew all of that, but he recently discovered something else. Albert Perry, he learned, was appointed as the territorial fish superintendent of Utah and found ways to bring new varieties of trout, salmon, and other fish to Utah. At one point, he even brought in lobsters and oysters, hoping to farm them in the salty waters of the Great Salt Lake. The experiment didn’t work. But imagine if it had!
On the stage of RootsTech, Steve shared the joy he experienced in thinking about the trajectory of Albert Perry’s dreams. He mused he could have been the heir to a Rockwood lobster empire, after all! Thinking of his children and grandchildren, he said, “The discovery of lobster adds to the joy of knowing their own family story, knowing who they are, knowing where they come from, and knowing from whom they come. . . . The strength, the resilience, the joy that comes from knowing their own family history, and thus their true identity.” That is the power of engaging with the FamilySearch community.
What Is Your Lobster?
Your family tree is full of stories waiting to be discovered. What “lobster” stories are waiting for you, and what will you discover at RootsTech?
With the help of a community of genealogists and industry resources, you can tap into a world of discovery. This year especially, you can take the opportunity to learn about advances in generative AI and how it can help you in your journey by accessing online RootsTech sessions from a variety of industry pioneers and specialists and other resources on FamilySearch.
Explore 2025 RootsTech content online, including free RootsTech classes, to learn from family history and genealogy experts around the world.
What Is RootsTech?
RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, we have hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit our on-demand learning library or make plans to join us for our next virtual or in-person conference event.
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
