About this list: This guide is published by 23andMe and includes our own products, as marked below. Our editorial team selected the other 10 gifts, and we do not receive payment, commission, free products, or other benefits in return from any of those brands. Product details are the responsibility of each brand, images are for illustration only, and prices and availability may vary.
What do you get for the genealogy enthusiast who already has the books, the framed family crest, and enough Facebook connections to build out their whole family tree? The obvious gifts are off the table, and because they know more about genealogy than you can fathom, figuring out what to give them becomes as much a mystery as an empty branch in the tree.
Whether you’re shopping for a birthday, a retirement, or a holiday, these genealogy gifts complement any family historian’s collection. From DNA test kits to archival-quality photo restoration, here are a few options even the most seasoned genealogist hasn’t thought to ask for yet.
What Makes a Genealogy Gift Worth Giving and Keeping?
A genealogy gift is worth giving (and keeping) because it helps the recipient discover something new about their personal history. It’s not just another generic item anyone could get off the shelf.
The best presents for genealogists meet three criteria:
- It explores new territory: Great genealogy gifts offer something they can’t find in a Facebook group or archive; they learn something new.
- It protects what can’t be replaced: Original documents can fade and degrade over time. A scanned copy of prints, letters, photographs, and certificates stands the test of time.
- Its usefulness grows: Gifts that go beyond decoration give the recipient something to explore, revisit, and build on over time.
Genealogy Gift Ideas That Unlock Something New
Every genealogist hits a sticking point eventually, often because the record they need is behind a paywall or a login they don’t have. These family history gift ideas help them break through the brick wall and pick up new threads.
A Subscription to an Ancestral Database
A gift membership to American Ancestors opens up more than 10 billion online records for tracing family lines, especially roots in New England and beyond. Members can visit the organization’s Research Center in Boston for free and receive its quarterly magazine and scholarly journal. They also save on American Ancestors’ own research services and publications if they want expert help with a hard-to-find ancestor.
A Subscription to Rare Newspaper Clippings
A GenealogyBank subscription grants access to more than 16,000 newspapers dating all the way back to 1690. The archive contains 326 million obituaries, and roughly 95% of the content is unavailable on any other genealogy platform. It’s a valuable resource for genealogists looking to add depth to their research.
The Gold Standard for Genealogical Citation
For advanced genealogists, Evidence Explained, Fourth Edition from publishing company Genealogical helps weigh evidence and compose accurate citations for more credible conclusions. From a publisher with more than 65 years in genealogy, this edition replaces 170 citation models with 14 simplified templates, with guidance on archival records, printed publications, databases, and digital media.
Preservation Gifts for Genealogy Buffs
Preservation gifts help protect photographs and documents that are easily damaged over time, so genealogists can safeguard memories and keep using those resources in their research.
A Family History Starter Kit
For someone just getting started on their family tree, the Gaylord Archival My Family History Kit puts the basics in one place. There’s a 15-generation pedigree chart to fill in, a brochure with research tips and oral history questions to ask relatives, and acid-free folders, envelopes and clear sleeves for protecting old letters and photos. Everything stores in an archival document case. Gaylord has made archival supplies for libraries and museums for well over a century.
A Mail-In Digitization Kit
The Legacybox team digitizes tapes, film, slides, and prints by hand. Each kit comes with instructions, barcodes for each item, and a prepaid shipping label. Just fill the box and ship it off, and trained technicians will digitize your items. Digital copies are available in the Legacybox app (free for 30 days, with optional thumb drive or DVD), and the analog media is safely returned home.
An Archival Pen and Pencil Set
A pen set may seem a little unglamorous, but it’s also something every archivist needs, and probably hates buying for themselves. Ordinary ink bleeds through photographs and delicate documents. This pen and pencil set has four fade-resistant archival ink pens (two black, two blue), a regular gel pen, a pencil, and an eraser designed to remove marks without damaging paper.
Genealogical Gifts That Add Branches to the Tree
So far, we’ve covered gifts that help family historians organize the people already on their tree. The next few help them discover new people and add branches. A tree built from DNA, like the 23andMe Family Tree, grows on its own as new relatives test their genes.
From 23andMe: 23andMe Premium Ancestry: A DNA Ancestry Kit That Reaches Further Back
Records only go back as far as someone wrote things down. 23andMe Premium Ancestry picks up where the paper trail stops. The Reconstructed Ancestors feature uses DNA to offer a look at ancestors from generations back, and Historical Matches compares their DNA with ancient and historical individuals, from Ancient Rome to medieval northwest France.
For the family historian working through a long list of matches, advanced filters and clustering tools help them sort the relatives who share their DNA into family lines. Premium Ancestry also includes the foundations, including hyper-local origins and a Family Tree built automatically from their DNA. New historical matches and features are added throughout the year, so there’s always more to research.
A Chromosome Mapping Subscription
With DNA Painter, genealogists can import their DNA match segment data and test different chromosome mapping approaches in up to 50 maps to see which parts of their DNA come from specific ancestors. The tool also supports up to 50 ancestry trees, plus 50 probability trees through the WATO (What Are The Odds) tool, which helps investigate family mysteries and figure out where people fit into the family history.
Personalized Research from Accredited Genealogists
For the family historian who’s hit a dead end, Legacy Tree assigns professional researchers to dig into their tree. The team includes genealogists with degrees in the field, professional accreditations or many years of hands-on experience. They can search archives and records that aren’t always available online. Legacy Tree says most projects wrap up in four to six months.
Genealogy Presents Under $50
Buying for more than one genealogist? Consider these under-$50 presents for genealogists so you can keep costs manageable.
Award-Winning Genealogy Software
RootsMagic 12 is a one-time purchase, with no subscription required. This genealogy software works on both Windows and Mac, living on the recipient’s device rather than on a company’s server. For those who have struggled through cloud-based platform changes, this is a great way to track work, find new records, and document sources.
One-Click Image Restoration Software
Vivid-Pix Restore is a quick and easy way to restore faded prints, slides, and documents, sharpening scanned images and correcting color in just a few clicks. It offers a free trial with 10 free fixes, no credit card needed, so recipients can test it out before committing.
Family History Gift Ideas You Make Yourself
Some of the most meaningful genealogy gifts don’t cost anything. A few hours spent finding, organizing, or preserving pieces of someone’s family history can become a gift they’ll keep for years.
- Track down a family record: Find a death certificate, land deed, ship manifest, or another historical record connected to their family. The document itself may uncover a name, date, or other detail they’ve never known.
- Find or photograph an ancestor’s grave: If an ancestor is buried somewhere they can’t easily visit, locate the gravesite or arrange to have it photographed. Free volunteer networks may be able to help when the cemetery isn’t nearby.
- Interview an older relative and give them the recording: Capture stories and family details that may exist nowhere else. This is one genealogy gift where waiting can mean losing the opportunity altogether.
- Transcribe an old family document: Turn a difficult-to-read letter, family Bible page, recipe card, or other handwritten keepsake into something they can read and share.
Give a Genealogy Gift They’ll Use
The best genealogy gifts give the recipient something new to explore in their family tree: a story, a record, a connection or a piece of their ancestry. You don’t have to be a genealogy expert to pick a one. Start with what they’re curious about, whether that’s the stories behind the names, a stubborn brick wall or where their family came from.
23andMe DNA Ancestry Kits are one way to give someone more to discover. It can show where their ancestors came from across 5,000+ regions, and if they choose to join DNA Relatives, they may connect with relatives who’ve also opted in. Whichever gift you choose, you’re helping the recipient add a new piece to their story.
FAQ
Look for gifts that add to their research instead of repeating it. A GenealogyBank subscription adds a newspaper archive on a separate platform, and the Gaylord Archival My Family History Kit gives their original documents proper storage. A 23andMe Premium Ancestry kit adds DNA to the paper trail. 23andMe’s DNA Relatives matches are made within 23andMe’s own customer database, so they may find cousins who haven’t tested anywhere else, and their Family Tree is built automatically from their DNA.
Good genealogy gifts under $50 include RootsMagic 12 genealogy software and Vivid-Pix restoration software. Something they’ll keep referencing tends to get more use than a gadget or knick-knack.
For physical gifts, allow enough time for shipping. A DNA kit such as 23andMe offers is the gift itself: the recipient opens it, registers it, and mails in their sample when they’re ready, so the kit just needs to arrive on time. Software and subscriptions can usually be delivered digitally, which makes them good last-minute options.
Premium Ancestry includes the first year of membership, then renews at $69/year unless canceled. New Historical Matches and features are added throughout the year and are included with the membership. If you want to offer the gift of health, consider the Premium Ancestry + Health kit. Compare our DNA tests to find the right fit.
Yes, a 23andMe DNA test is safe to give as a gift. The recipient creates their own account and decides how their data is used. Research participation is optional, and they can change their consent at any time. 23andMe will not voluntarily share their data with insurance companies or law enforcement. Learn how we protect your privacy.
Records show where an ancestor appears on paper, and DNA shows who they’re connected to genetically. 23andMe Premium Ancestry builds a Family Tree automatically from their DNA, connects them with DNA Relatives who have opted in and includes Historical Matches with ancient and historical individuals. For many genealogists, that’s a way to start from the DNA and work back toward the paper trail.
