The 2026 RootsTech Conference was filled with information to deepen family history work for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Latter-day Saints strive to gather their families through family history, not only to better understand themselves and their families, but also to bless the family of God and help their ancestors receive the blessings of salvation.
During the 2026 Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged Church leaders to experiment with family history resources, help others do the same and see for themselves why people are drawn to family history work.
“Experience the light and joy that comes with it,” he said. “We are children of God, and He wants us safely all gathered home to Him with our families, with our friends, with our loved ones.”
Experts at the 2026 RootsTech Conference shared several resources and practical tips for Latter-day Saints in their family history efforts.
Ordinances Ready and ‘add what you know’ in FamilySearch
The Ordinances Ready tool on the FamilySearch Family Tree app searches a member’s family tree to find ancestors needing temple ordinance work done on their behalf.
Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy who is the executive director of the Church’s Family History Department and chairman of FamilySearch International, suggested starting with this tool for those who might feel overwhelmed at the thought of doing temple and family history work.
Elder Bragg also encouraged a principle called “add what you know.” The idea is simple: If one has a family photo, memory or even beloved recipe, start family history by adding that information into FamilySearch.
Elder Bragg said this practice helps individuals remember that they are not just taking names to the temple — they are taking people. Anything that opens the door to the spirit of Elijah “is worth that effort,” he said.
The added benefit of adding “what you know” to FamilySearch is that the information is also available to others in your family tree — so relatives can share in the joy of family stories.
Use the Church History Library
The Church History Library is the official archive of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Emily Stanford Schultz, customer experience manager at the Church History Library, shared several ways to use newly available resources and recent updates to uncover and enrich one’s family story.
The collections at the Church History Library include oral histories, manuscripts, journals, photographs, a biographical database and the Church History Catalog.
Schultz said the Church History Catalog allows one to “find your family in Church history.”
In a RootsTech session, Schultz shared the story of finding a letter from one of her ancestors to Church President Joseph F. Smith regarding a mission call. The letter was unknown to her mother, and they were able to read it together.
“There are a lot of beautiful color stories in these records,” Schultz said. “It’s wonderful to find these gems of history.”
Involve the whole family
Researchers have found that doing family history — including sharing family stories — actually helps reduce anxiety, increases self-esteem and builds resilience.
Researchers at Brigham Young University in 2023 found that family history knowledge is linked to healthy adolescent identity development. Researchers at Emory University in 2020 found that when children learn family stories, it creates a shared history, strengthens emotional bonds and helps them make sense of their experiences when something senseless happens.
In a RootsTech session, Jennifer K. Davis and Emily Oldroyd shared how they have involved their children in family history, including using activities in the Friend magazine, on FamilySearch.org, in the FamilySearch Family Tree app (available on iOS and Android), the FamilySearch Together app (available on iOS and Android) and the FamilySearch Memories app (available on iOS and Android).
Oldroyd said her son has enjoyed doing the activities in the Together app.
“This is what drew him in,” Oldroyd said, adding that the Memories app is a great way to “add what you know” by writing down memories, recording audio memories and sharing photos.
Davis said sharing family stories with her children has also blessed her and her family. She told how her son would ask her to tell him stories at bedtime, and she would tell him stories from his ancestors’ lives.
“Hearing the stories of his family made him feel like he was surrounded by his family and surrounded by love,” Davis said. “And that brought him the comfort that he needed to fall asleep. He just wanted to feel that togetherness with his family.”
