The Ancestors Within Book Series and Journals at RootsTech 2026

The award-winning The Ancestors Within book series and companion journals will be featured at RootsTech 2026, available at the Irigenics Booth 1041. Attendees can purchase their copies in advance and conveniently pick them up at the event through the Priority Line, ensuring their books are ready and waiting.

During RootsTech, these books are offered exclusively for $18.00, which is $4 less than the cover price. If you pre-purchase by March 6, you will only pay $15.00 per copy. 

Volume 1: Reveal & Heal the Ancient Memories You Carry

Volume 1 includes 25 chapters packed with practical tools for addressing ancestral traumas that may be repeating patterns in your life. This volume is designed for a variety of readers, whether you are exploring your heritage as an adoptee (Amy Gillespie Dougherty), looking to access family history without prior knowledge, or seeking meaningful family reunion activities such as planting a tree together (Sondra Lambert). Each chapter provides valuable resources and free online activities. One notable example from a recent family reunion involved 185 out of 800 cousins bringing soil from their homes and farms to plant a birch tree on the original homestead, fostering a deeper connection to their shared roots.

Volume 2: Discover & Connect with Your Ancient Origins

Volume 2 features another set of 25 chapters, each offering free online resources and tools aimed at helping readers establish meaningful connections with their ancestors. Topics include the examination of inherited traits and the use of ancient Hawaiian methodologies to engage with ancestral heritage (James Kawainuii) and ancestral traits as they appear in your eyes (Amy Gillespie Dougherty). This volume provides comprehensive guidance for building significant and lasting relationships with your lineage. Notably, it also contains a chapter covering the ancestral trait experience featured at RootsTech.

Volume 1 of The Ancestors Within series features a dedicated chapter, as does Chapter 2, written by non-verbal autistic authors Noah and Adriana Smith. In these chapters, Noah and Adriana share their unique perspectives on ancestral connections and their lived experiences as autistic individuals. Their contributions offer valuable insights into how neurodiverse voices can enrich the understanding of one's heritage and the broader ancestral journey.

Journal 1: Companion Activity Guide

Journal 1 serves as a family keepsake and companion book to Volumes 1 and 2, specifically crafted as an activity book to guide a weekly ancestral experience for individuals or families. The format encourages families to designate an ancestry night each week, during which they collectively explore a chapter and its associated tool from the first two volumes. Following the session, each family member engages in their respective activities throughout the week, culminating in a family discussion and journaling session the following week. This process not only deepens ancestral engagement but also creates a lasting family memento, as the completed journal is intended to be passed down through generations as a treasured keepsake.

Volume 3: Recognize & Embrace the Gifts of Your Origins

Volume 3 of The Ancestors Within series presents 26 chapters focused on recognizing and celebrating ancestral gifts through creative activities. Highlights include Megan Reilly Koepsell’s chapter on preserving family stories, Carolyn McGee’s guidance on tracing plant lineage in the home, and Donald Dodson Jr.’s instructions for making a leather-bound journal cover from a loved one’s belongings. Each chapter encourages readers to connect with their heritage and keep their family legacy alive through hands-on project

Volume 4: Celebrate & Honor Your Sacred Origins

Volume 4 includes 25 chapters focused on honoring ancestors through various sacred activities. It begins with Dr. Ahriana Platten on connecting with sacred sites, and Crystal Rasmussen on living well as a way to honor the past. Arielle Jones contributes unique practices for fostering ancestral connections, while Star Studonovik and Shirley Scranta offer guides for organizing ancestral dinners—events that celebrate family legacies and integrate remembrance into modern life.

Journal II: A 52-Week Family Activity Guide & Keepsake

Journal II is thoughtfully crafted as a cherished family keepsake, intended to be passed down through future generations. This journal is designed to align with the chapters found in Volumes 3 and 4, providing encapsulated activities for each chapter. The activities are presented in a way that allows families to engage in them directly within the journal, without needing to reference the original volumes.

Readers are encouraged to embark on a year-long journey by dedicating one night each week to participate in these ancestral activities with their family members. This weekly commitment fosters stronger family bonds and creates meaningful shared experiences. Through consistent participation, families can build a lasting treasure—a keepsake that represents their collective heritage and connection, to be treasured for generations to come.