Cosplay at RootsTech ~ Family History Fanatics

When I told my daughter that RootsTech was like a ComicCon, I was trying to explain the scope of the event to her. Little did I know that there would be a few cosplayers at RootsTech that would make my analogy more accurate.

Before I show you want I’m talking about, you have to understand a few terms.

ComicCon – a convention where comics, movies, and science fiction fans can:

Explore vendors selling items specifically to that group (niche)
Meet the authors, actors, and writers that support the comic, movie, and sci-fi industry
Attend classes and workshops centered around the niche
Dress up as their favorite fictional characters

SpaceCity ComicCon 2016… Two Lee Superheroes

I dressed up at Catwoman and went to a ‘con’ in Houston with my daughter, who was dressed as Ms. Marvel.

How is RootsTech similar?

RootsTech in Salt Lake City, Utah is a convention where genealogy lovers can:

Explore vendors selling items specifically for family historians
Meet the authors, educators, and writers that support genealogical research
Attend classes and workshops centered around the niche

Those are the key features, but I soon discovered that there were folks who enjoyed cosplay.

What is cosplay?

For ComicCons, cosplayers are individuals who dress up as a character from a movie, book, or video game! Just like my daughter and I in Houston.

But I found some genealogy cosplayers!!!

The vendors of Heritage of Heros dressed up in period attire, and I just had to have my photos taken with them!

Heritage of Heroes and Devon Noel Lee

I got to try on a Tricorn hat, similar to what Ross Poldark wears!!!
(Have you watched the Masterpiece Theather Poldark Series?)

Heritage of Heroes creates family history highlight videos about grandparents or parents with a young child in mind. Viewing a sample video about a man and his horses and then asking a child which person in a group photo was their ancestor made tears well up in my eyes. If you don’t have photos to accompany the photo, no problem. The service will create stencil art to help tell the story. The service is lovely, and the costumes were great. (To learn more, visit their website at https://heritageofheroes.com)

Scott Fisher, your radio roots sleuth at ExtremeGenes family history radio dressed up this year as Abe Lincoln on Saturday!

Extreme Gene Fisher gets his “Honest Abe” on!
(photo courtesy of Scott Fisher)

If you’ve never listened to Fisher’s radio broadcast, then head on over to his website http://extremegenes.com. You’ll be able to listen from your computer or find links to podcasts!

But the best cosplayer of all was the tree promoting RootsFinder!

Rock on! RootsFinder tree and Devon Noel Lee!

RootsFinder is a service that integrates with FamilySearch but allows you to control your own tree. You can see hints from FamilySearch, Findmypast, and other partners. And is a great memory sharing site. To learn more about RootsFinder, visit

All the details of the cosplay costume

What makes the RootsFinder cosplayer so amazing was not only the creativity but the fact that the man in the tree knew what cosplaying means. When I shared how my daughter loved ComicCons and cosplaying, he gave me insight into the details of creating his costume using foam and PVC.

The attention to detail with foam sponge brushes

Built of PVC pipes

When I went home and showed the photos to my teenager, she was impressed with costume and told me more about just how long the tree man had worked on this project. I was amazed. Simply amazed.

And the branding on the back! Well done RootsFinder

True, you won’t find Cat Woman or Ms. Marvel at the 2018 RootsTech in Salt Lake City. But maybe we’ll find more ancestral costumes on vendors in the Expo Hall, or another amazing cosplayer helping to promote genealogy overall!

Marian B. Wood says:

November 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

What a fun post and the photos are priceless! Thanks, Devon!

Devon Noel Lee says:

November 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

You deserved to be spotlight. Amazing dedication and talent. What will you do next year? I might need to find out.

Barmy Bob says:

November 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

Thank you for the mention in your blog. It took my wife and I about eighty hours to build the tree outfit, but it was well worth the effort. It was awesome meeting and hanging out with you. Hope to see you there next year too!

Dana Leeds says:

November 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

That looks like so much fun! And, what a great way to get children interested in genealogy.

Devon Noel Lee says:

November 18, 2018 at 1:10 am

Thanks Marian! That's me, the fun girl. I believe if family history isn't fun, you're doing it wrong. But I just realized, I needed to add a photo of my daughter and me at ComicCon.