11 Genealogy Gifts to Excite any Enthusiastic Historian

There is an amazing selection of genealogy gifts available to treat your relative or friend. According to Time, genealogy is now the second most popular hobby (after gardening) in the US. So we have curated a list of ideas for gifts for genealogists to help you in your search for the perfect gift.

5 Best Genealogy Gifts

The Family Tree Problem Solver

This book by Marsha Hoffman Rising offers Tried and True tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors. It comes highly recommended due to the practical suggestions it has for getting through those brick walls so common in genealogy. For example Marsha gives hints on how to find records before civil registration began and how to find ancestors with common names. A great gift for all genealogists.

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DNA Test Kits

Humans have a deep need to understand where they come from, especially as people have moved around so much over the centuries. DNA test kits are a great place to start this journey of discovery and make a great genealogy gift. But beware, DNA results can often be surprising!

Ancestry DNA kit plus 3 months membership

Ancestry DNA kits are a great place to start the DNA journey. The kits are easy to use and the test takes six-eight weeks to process. Ancestry will then give an ethnicity estimate as well as matches to other Ancestry users. And bonus - this kit comes with a 3 month World Explorer membership. This is a one of the best gifts for someone interested in genealogy as it will give them a lot of information at the get go.

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Ancestry DNA Kit plus Traits

As well as the ethnicity estimate and matches, this kit offers an analysis over 35 traits including endurance, heart rate recovery and even earwax type! This is a great idea for family genealogy gifts as the whole family will be interested in the traits,who knows it may even shed light on a health issue.

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23andMe Premium Membership Bundle

23andMe is another popular DNA tester and genealogy site. This bundle is their most comprehensive offering as it includes the ethnicity report, traits and health information. If health is the biggest driver for the gift, then this is best option. If someone has already done the Ancestry test then this is a great addition and a good idea for gifts for genealogy buffs.

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Genealogy Books

A genealogy book is a safe choice as gifts for people who like genealogy. Here is our selection of the best genealogy books on the market.

Research Like a Pro with DNA

If your genealogist relative is anything like me they are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available through a DNA test. This book helps you to structure your work for the greatest chance of success. This is one of the better genealogy gifts.

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Unpuzzling your Past by Emily Anne Croom

Now in its fourth edition, this book is a great gift for someone into genealogy. It provides an introduction to genealogy tools and techniques with a focus on sources. But the best part in our opinion is the strategy section. It points a new genealogist in the right direction.

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History for Genealogists: Using Chronological Time Lines to Find and Understand Your Ancestors

This book by Judy Jacobson focuses on the idea of historical timelines as a tool for genealogy. She discusses events and trends that caused mass migration over the centuries. One section that is particularly helpful is a State by State review of timelines. An interesting approach to genealogy that will help to add background to the reasons that people moved for your genealogist friend.

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Equipment Gifts for Genealogy Lovers

Genealogy can be an expensive hobby so gifting genealogy equipment is a great idea for genealogy gifts.

Portable Scanner

This is a serious genealogy gift aimed at those genealogists who visit libraries and museums to view original sources. It can be a real problem to copy documents and this portable scanner will limit any damage to the originals. Digitalizing their finds is an important part of genealogy research so this is a fabulous gift for genealogy lovers.

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Fun Gifts for Genealogists

Genealogy can be a serious, dusty business so why not introduce the element of fun with these fun genealogy gift ideas.

I research dead relatives fun mug

This mug will raise a giggle from all sides. On the mug is written, 'I research dead relatives and annoy the crap out of the Living Ones'. This affordable small gift is an excellent idea for a genealogy Christmas stocking stuffer or even a Secret Santa gift for work colleagues.

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Yes I have a Retirement Plan - I plan to do Genealogy T-Shirt

You can't beat a T-shirt with a funny slogan to raise a smile. This one comes in a number of sizes and colors, and in different cuts for men and women. Cotton-rich and machine washable this is a great gag gift idea for genealogists.

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I Seek Dead People Key Chain

This stainless steel key chain features a disc with the words 'I seek dead people (I do genealogy) and a skeleton. A cute and affordable gift suitable for a Stocking Stuffer. Sure to raise a smile from your genealogist friend.

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