Treat someone or gift yourself a genealogy gift. There’s lots to choose from! Here’s a gift guide to get you started.
Low Cost and DIY Genealogy Gifts
When you’re looking for a family history gift and don’t want to spend much, you can still give something thoughtful and meaningful.
First, remember that the thrill of the chase is a huge reason why genealogy is such a popular hobby. If you need gift ideas for someone who likes doing genealogy research, don’t give them the results, give them the tools to get there.
For almost no cost, you can find a printable family tree chart online. Pick a style you like and then look for a set of charts that go together. Some forms that always come in handy are 1-generation family trees, 3-generation family trees, and 5-generation family trees, though by this point you will be running out of space on letter-sized paper.
Take a look at how your family historian stores their files. Do they use a certain kind of binder? How about file folders and labels? Get them more of what they already use, if it sounds like they can use more. You don’t have to spend much to show you’re paying attention and want to support their hobby.
Copies and scans of family photos, old and new, can be very meaningful. If you have a family album, the fact you take the time to scan and share copies of the pictures can mean a lot. It’s even better if you can label the pictures – too many albums end up in the hands of people who have no idea what they are looking at! Don’t limit yourself to old pictures. Some day your own baby pictures and those of your children will be old.
If you are giving prints of pictures, and not just digital images, get them printed on acid-free paper and try and put them into an album using the same. If you write on the photos or in the album, use a pencil, not a pen. Avoid plastic sleeves and never laminate anything original.
Useful Gifts Beat Gag Gifts!
Maybe this is just my opinion, but a lot of us who do family history have already got enough “stuff”. Instead of a coffee mug or T-shirt with a funny genealogy quote on it, look for something we can use.
Moving up the cost ladder, keep in mind that family history is done offline as well as online.
A good magnifying glass comes in handy when the print on a map or the computer screen is hard to read.
Printer ink is more expensive than a printer, it seems. If you’re giving a gift to someone who does print a lot, sneak a peek at their printer and ask how they like it. Even ask them if it uses a lot of ink.
Unless they tell you they need a new printer, or they say they never run out of ink, go ahead and get some replacement ink for them. If this seems too boring, dress it up with a personal card telling them how much they mean to you, and that the ink is to help them enjoy the hobby they love.
Some people use archival supplies, though not everyone does. It is very bad to laminate the various certificates some of us collect – birth, marriage, and death certificates and other original records. These are expensive, around $25 each in a lot of cases.
To preserve them, keep them in stable folders that won’t cause the paper to break down. Look for acid-free products when buying file folders, printer paper, and storage boxes. One of the leading suppliers is Gaylord (Gaylord.com). However, most people who do family history are not creating archives so much as reference files, so don’t go overboard! You can get what you need for most hobbyists at a well-stocked stationery store.
Subscriptions to Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.co.uk, and Other Databases
One of the biggest expenses in genealogy is the cost of a membership or subscription to an online service. However, this is also where the most value can lie, because a serious genealogy fan will use one of the services several days a week. The cost per use soon goes down.
Before purchasing a subscription for someone, you need to know they will use it. This is a case where a gift of cash might be better. Include a note saying, “I hope you’ll use this for next year’s Ancestry.com subscription”.
Genealogy Books
You may think the Internet has made books obsolete, but genealogy and history are areas where books are still very important.
For someone who is new to family history research, a current “how to” book can be really helpful. Ask at your local library and bookstores for suggestions. In a future post, I’ll share some of my own favourites.
Atlases
Along with books of text, consider books of maps. I love looking at maps and while again, there are many online, sometimes a paper map is much better.
Your genealogy friends and family won’t usually be looking for maps of the whole world as it is today. More often, they can use current and historical maps of the places the family came from. You may have to do a bit of detective work, and perhaps even ask your gift recipient if there are any books on their Christmas list to get the right thing. Making the effort shows you care.
I do a lot of research in London, England. My favourite atlases are the historic A to Z series, especially The A to Z of Victorian London.
I also subscribe to Old-Maps.co.uk, a service that shows maps from the mid-1800s to about 1987 for many places in Great Britain. I use it a lot for England. It’s a very useful tool for anyone who enjoys using maps and is researching in the areas it covers.
A Big No to Gift Cards
Personally, I would avoid buying gift cards for anything. Too often they expire unused. I know it can be hard to make a cash gift but your genealogist will thank you when they splurge with your money!
Memberships, Courses, and Conferences
There is a family history society for almost everywhere, it seems, often organized at the state, province, or (in the UK) county level. Membership in the nearest one usually is the best option. A local society typically does two things: develops expertise and resources in the family history and history of the local area, and collects and shares resources from other areas (potentially, anywhere in the world) of interest to its members.
Some people join their local society and also one of more societies from the places they are researching. Over the years I have had memberships in about five other societies as well as my own, depending on what I was working on at the time.
Family history societies sometimes put on short courses or hold conferences where much learning and fun socializing goes on. There are larger conferences as well, and some people plan their travel and vacations around them. The registration fees are just part of the expense when going to an out-of-town conference. Maybe you can help with the travel and hotel expenses as a Christmas gift or other special treat.
These are just a few genealogy gift ideas. The main idea is to look at what your genealogy fan is already using and try to offset the money they are spending. It may not seem very imaginative but if you wrap your gift in love, it will be appreciated.
You can always make an attractive Christmas gift by wrapping up your item in a gorgeous way and getting it under the tree early. As with a fine dinner, the care you put into making it look beautiful, and the anticipation of what might be inside are more than half the appeal of a gift.
You can also add immense intangible value, even to a free genealogy chart, by including a personal note or other loving touch.
What are your favourite genealogy and family history gifts?