Things ancestor hunters love span a wide price range. That offers possibilities for a mother, a spouse, a sibling, a cousin, a neighbor or a friend at work...you name it.
Two High End Gifts
These two gifts are bound to please:
- A subscription to Ancestry--this website offers unparalleled resources for locating ancestors. It is an open door to vital records, deeds and probate records, old newspapers, military records, census records and thousands of online family trees. The search features lead to millions of records of value to genealogists. Price: $156.00 per year (less when on sale). Order: Call 1–800–ANCESTRY.
- Family Tree Maker genealogy software—it organizes data and offers a variety of report formats for doing print-outs. It is the most popular and versatile genealogy software and is also used for sharing information with other genealogists. Price: $35.00 (less when on sale). Order from: Family Tree Maker has a website. This links to the Ancestry store, which also has lists of CDs, books and other items of interest to genealogists.
Mid-Range Gifts
The best mid-range gifts for family researchers are the components of a basic at-home genealogy library. Some of them are how-to books. Here are four recommended selections.
- Greenwood, Val D., Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, third edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000. If you only do one book in this category, this one is tops.
- Jacobus, Donald L., Genealogy as Pastime and Profession. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1986. This is the master sharing his expertise.
- Everton Publishers, Inc., Handybook for Genealogists. (eighth edition). Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1991. Includes state and migration route maps, plus listings for each state, county or parish, with information about its records.
- Hoffman, Marian. Genealogical & Local Books in Print, fifth edition, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. This is a four-volume catalog of privately and commercially published books on genealogy and local history.
A large selection of genealogy books is available on the website of Genealogical Publishing Co. Here is where you might also discover a history of a town your ancestors lived in. Some of these town histories contain notes on founding families.
Low-Cost Gifts
This is the fun shopping and it can all be done online at one place. Cafepress has tee shirts for toddlers, mom, dad, grandparents and even pregnant mom. There are tank tops, golf shirts, sweat shirts and hoodies, too. All relate to family history.
An entire line of products features flags of various foreign countries which say “Made in America with (nation) parts”.
Here are some of the illustrated sayings you can choose from:
- For the holiday season: I*Rish You a Merry Christmas (* = shamrock).
- Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
- Genealogy: It’s how I raise my spirits.
- My family tree is full of NUTS.
- I’m not the only nut on my family tree.
- Genealogy: Because they were.
- Genealogists Playground (Illustration is a cemetery)
- I got bit by the genealogy bug
- Eat. Sleep. Genealogy.
- Got DNA?
- Genealogist: Passion for the Past
- Genealogists dig family trees
- Genealogists really dig the past (excellent illustrations on this one).
- New this year is: BEGORRAH! ‘TIS O’BAMA (with a shamrock in the O).
There are also greeting cards, bumper stickers, teddy bears, note cards, tote bags, mugs, mouse pads, barbecue aprons, magnets, throw pillows, baby bibs and other items with a genealogy theme. Many of these can be embossed with a surname.
One popular item is an infant creeper suit which says: “I’m the newest sprout in our family tree.” Most Cafepress items range from $4 to $30.
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