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SALT LAKE CITY — Sean Astin shared his love of family and his newfound appreciation for genealogy Saturday during RootsTech family history and technology conference.
The "Lord of the Rings" actor explained how his family was with him while he was filming the trilogy and it helped him figure out who he was. At the time he had been struggling with his own identity, but his family is ultimately what helped him push forward.
"At the end of every great quest, what you learned when you fought dragons and had been in armies and done all these things, is that, really, the most important thing is your family and tilling your own soil," Astin said.
He jokingly praised J.R.R. Tolkien as a "passionate faux-genealogist" because he wrote so much family history into his books.
Astin's daughter Ali is passionate about genealogy and, over the last 7 years, has traveled to visit relatives to hear and record their life stories. He asked his daughter why she cared so much about genealogy, and Astin got choked up as he read her response.
"It's the way to learn about the ancestors that live on through me," she told him. "We are the key to our ancestors' eternal life, and through my children, in a way, I'll live forever. So it's important to honor that."
Astin admitted that up until he was asked to speak at RootsTech, he didn't really care about family history. Even with his daughter who was so engrossed in it, he didn't feel the importance of it yet.
When FamilySearch approached Astin about being a keynote speaker, he agreed to attend and thought it would be a good way to answer his question of why family history and genealogy is so important to people.
"Really, the emotion of it hit me today. I don't think it's ever hit me before," he said. "This idea that history is alive, it's alive in us."
History is alive, it's alive in us.
–Sean Astin
Astin said the answer came to him Saturday and he now sees how important it is to honor our forbearers, and that the impact goes beyond religious communities. FamilySearch provided Astin a copy of his family history, and he was moved by the stories he was already learning from it.
Learning from his ancestors is a "cheat sheet to solving life's greatest problems," he said, adding that amid so many things trying to pull society apart, learning about family history is a way to bring people together.
"You can be more alive and more animated the better you understand the truth of where you come from," Astin said. "In America, where we are so divided politically and we have such troubles, the idea that you could actually reach out and learn about your biological family, your extended family, your friends and it's a proactive effort at interconnectedness."
Adassa — singer and voice actress for Dolores in the Disney movie "Encanto" — was RootsTech's special surprise guest on Saturday. After Astin's speech, Adassa performed a few musical numbers with Utah's One Voice Children's Choir, including the infamous song "We don't talk about Bruno."
A video showed Adassa's reaction to receiving dozens of documents, records and stories as part of her family history. She, too, got emotional as she read through the records and connected with family who had come before her.
"We're all part of a mosaic and we are fragmented — and until we unite, we won't see the clear picture of who we are and who they were," Adassa said.
Through her interest in family history, the singer has been able to unite her living family more than before, and she is so grateful she gets to share these stories with her children.
"It affects me so much because I am different now," Adassa said. She advocates for all people to seek out their ancestors and learn from their mistakes, and find areas you can resonate with them because it "deepens the love of family."
Adassa said through her family history, she sees that her progenitors have left a legacy of never giving up, having faith in God and prioritizing family as the most important things in life.
We're all part of a mosaic and we are fragmented and until we unite, we won't see the clear picture of who we are and who they were.
–Adassa
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke with his wife Sister Susan Gong. They shared experiences of searching out their ancestors by visiting relatives in Hawaii and Ireland, and learning their stories.
"The more we know about the lives of our ancestors, the closer we feel to them and the more gratitude we have for them," Sister Gong said. "Greater understanding gives us a sense of belonging. And knowing the stories of those who gave us life, gives our life context, perspective and purpose."
Elder Gong said uniting families on both sides of the veil by strengthening relationships with those who are alive, and conducting family history work to connect with those dead is the "greatest cause in the world."
"As we come to Jesus Christ and his Atonement, he will help heal us and strengthen us and unite our families in time and eternity, happy and forever," Elder Gong concluded.
More information about RootsTech, as well as videos of talks given Friday and Saturday, can be found online at familysearch.org/rootstech.
