RootsTech 2025 will feature several workshops by Canadian presenters. The annual family history conference — held online and in person March 6–8, 2025 — welcomes millions worldwide and celebrates past, present and future connections.
Many of the online classes will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing. No preregistration or fee is required to view sessions online.
Speakers at RootsTech come from around the world and cover a wide range of subjects related to family history. Canadians will be presenting the following workshops:
Online Sessions
“So, You’ve Got a Canadian Ancestor, Eh?”
Presented by Kathryn Lake Hogan
March 6, 2025, 4:30 p.m. MST
You’ve discovered a Canadian ancestor in your family tree and don’t know where to begin. Discover the top free websites to kickstart your family history research in Canada. Featured websites include records groups, such as Canadian censuses, immigration records, historical newspapers, etc.
“Learn Genealogy Faster and Easier With Artificial Intelligence”
Presented by Mark Thompson
March 6, 2025, 4:30 p.m. MST
This beginner-friendly session will help you discover how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can take the mystery out of learning genealogy. Learn how to pick up key research skills quickly, make sense of tricky records and turn complex data into actionable insights. AI isn’t just the future — it’s here today, ready to transform how you learn and discover your family history.
“Navigating Holocaust Resources Online”
Presented by Kaye Prince Hollenberg
March 7, 2025, 9:30 a.m. MST
This presentation will look at the various resources available online for finding Holocaust victims, survivors and displaced persons. Learn how to navigate and piece together the records available from sources such as Yad Vashem, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Arolsen Archives the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and smaller regional repositories. View databases that include records related to concentration camps and learn about ongoing efforts to document victims in towns and cities.
“Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy”
Presented by Kathy Behling, Lynn Broderick, Steve Little, David Ouimette and Mark Thompson
March 7, 2025, 4:30 p.m. MST
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in genealogy is new and rapidly changing. This expert panel will present what have been identified as best practices when using various forms of AI. These practices are congruent with existing genealogical standards and ethical practices.
In-Person Sessions (Salt Lake City, Utah)
“Marking Your Ancestors’ Footsteps in Google Maps”
Presented by Lianne Kruger
March 6, 2025, 8:00 a.m. MST
Learn to use Google Maps to see where your ancestors walked, plot their migration, mark where your earliest-known ancestor was located and organize an ancestral trip. See what is now in the location of an ancestor’s home, add these locations with stars and labels under your Google account and share them with other family members.
“Learn Genealogy Faster and Easier With Artificial Intelligence”
Presented by Mark Thompson
March 6, 2025, 4:30 p.m. MST
This beginner-friendly session will help you discover how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can take the mystery out of learning genealogy. Learn how to pick up key research skills quickly, make sense of tricky records and turn complex data into actionable insights. AI isn’t just the future — it’s here today, ready to transform how you learn and discover your family history.
“Home, Home on the Range. What Range Road Was That?”
Presented by Lianne Kruger
March 7, 2025, 9:30 a.m. MST
Were your ancestors homesteaders in the United States? Using a couple of case studies and a family in Clay County, Missouri, this session will show how to find homestead records and understand each document component, including meridians, townships, range roads and sections. Learn to convert the information for use in Google Maps to see what the land looks like today.
“Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy”
Presented by Kathy Behling, Lynn Broderick, Steve Little, David Ouimette and Mark Thompson
March 7, 2025, 4:30 p.m. MST
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in genealogy is new and rapidly changing. This expert panel will present what have been identified as best practices when using various forms of AI. These practices are congruent with existing genealogical standards and ethical practices.
“Surname Study. The Whys, Hows and Wherefores of a One-Name Study”
Presented by Lianne Kruger
March 8, 2025, 3:00 p.m. MST
Learn what a surname study is and how it can help you. Discover where to find resources, how to share information you have found and how to find and enlist other family members to help. Learn why Y-chromosome DNA is helpful for one-name studies and explore FamilyTree-DNA groups.
“Research Documents and Letters With Artificial Intelligence”
Presented by Mark Thompson
March 8, 2025, 3:00 p.m. MST
In this beginner-friendly session, learn how artificial intelligence (AI) can assist you in analyzing and researching your family’s personal archives. From summarizing key points to quickly identifying names and relationships, AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude can speed up your research. You’ll also learn how to responsibly use other aspects of AI, like transcription and translation.
Canadian Presenters
DOWNLOADKathryn Lake Hogan, from Windsor, Ontario, is a professional genealogist and educator. She is the past Dominion Genealogist of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada and a past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Ontario Genealogical Society: Ontario Ancestors. She wrote, produced and hosted the weekly webinar series “Genealogy With a Canadian Twist” from 2018 to 2020.
DOWNLOADKaye Prince Hollenberg is a librarian and professional genealogist in Hamilton, Ontario. She specializes in Jewish genealogy and Holocaust research. She was the founding curator of the Margaret’s Legacy Holocaust Learning & Jewish Advocacy Centre. She is currently the director of education for Gesher Galicia and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She also writes a genealogy column for the Hamilton Jewish News.
DOWNLOADLianne Kruger of Red Deer, Alberta, is a professional genealogist and speaker specializing in Canada, homesteading (U.S. and Canada), one-name studies, one-place studies, family history videos and the use of technology (such as Google Maps, Google Drive, Word and Evernote) in all aspects of genealogy. She earned a computer science degree and has taught computer software courses since 1982. She is a member of the board of mitoYDNA.org and the advisory board of Ancestry.ca. For over 10 years, she has volunteered at the Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS), serving as AGS vice president and Red Deer Branch president.
DOWNLOADMark Thompson, from Victoria, British Columbia, is a professional genealogist and public speaker who specializes in the application of artificial intelligence to genealogy. He has a background in executive IT leadership and currently serves as president of the Victoria Genealogical Society, where he chairs the DNA Special Interest Group. As co-host of the “Family History AI Show” podcast, alongside Steve Little, he helps genealogists bridge the gap between high technology and their family history research.
For more information about RootsTech 2025, and to see all it has to offer, review the 2025 schedule.