Foundation CEO Jesse Brackenbury was a key speaker at the RootsTech 2024 “Impact Forum.” He offered an overview of the Foundation’s history and teased a soon-to-be-announced initiative that will transform the Ellis Island visitor experience.

Brackenbury also spoke of the Foundation’s long-standing partnership with FamilySearch to introduce millions to the world of genealogy. Speaking of the conference, he said, “I was honored to be invited to speak at RootsTech. This collaboration is key to helping the Foundation fulfill its mission, and we are all very excited about our next initiative.”

The Foundation was also represented at the virtual Archives and Records Custodians Symposium. Here, Jon Da Silva from the American Family Immigration History Center shared how he and his colleagues help visitors decode some of the mysteries of family history research with a presentation titled Laying a Foundation for the Next Generation of Genealogists.

Rounding out the Foundation’s contribution were two on-demand webinars from our “Stories From Ellis Island” series.

Exploring the Immigrant Journey Through Manifests sheds light on some of the more curious pieces of information included on arrival manifests and dispels common myths about the Ellis Island Immigrant experience (No, immigrants’ names were not changed at Ellis Island!). With The Name Game presentation, Family History Center director Stephen Lean suggests best practices to yield accurate results and explores the sources and evolution of given and surnames of the many ethnic groups that made their way through Ellis Island.

All RootsTech presentations are available free online.  Enjoy watching!