Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

What to give the genealogist on your list?

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As a professional organizer, I see over and over again how difficult it is for people to let go of items they were given as a gift, even if those items no longer serve them. This observation has changed the way I give gifts. As I’ve written repeatedly on my organizing blog, I think it’s much kinder to give a gift that doesn’t have a chance to turn into clutter.

Luckily there are many non-tangible gifts that won’t turn into clutter. And if you have a genealogist on your holiday gift list especially easy, since there are so many fun, clutter-free gifts available, even at the last minute. I’ve updated the list I published last year, I hope you find it helpful. Here are my ideas:

  • A subscription to an online service, like Ancestry, Fold3 or MyHeritage
  • A membership in a local society (even if it’s not local to your gift recipient) that offers webinars, like the Florida State Genealogical Society or the Southern California Genealogy Society (among many others). Access to the webinar archives is an amazing, inexpensive gift.
  • A gift certificate to work with a professional genealogist
  • A photo consultation with Maureen Taylor, photo detective
  • My Orderly Roots Bundle (you could download it for them and email it, or contact me after you pay for it for a special code they can use to download it themselves)
  • Your help with their genealogy (maybe offer to spend a couple of hours on one of their brick walls)
  • Your help decluttering or organizing their research space
  • A trip together to a cemetery or research library
  • Registration for a genealogy conference
  • A date to attend the 2023 RootsTech conference together virtually or in person!

As much as I love clutter-free gifts, I do have a suggestion of a physical gift for the genealogist in your life who wears necklaces. It’s the family tree necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs, which you can have made with your own surnames. I adore the one I gave myself back in 2014.

Photo by Lore Schodts on Unsplash.

Gifts for the genealogists on your list

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As a professional organizer, I see over and over again how difficult it is for people to let go of items they were given as a gift, even if those items no longer serve them. This observation has changed the way I give gifts. As I’ve written repeatedly on my organizing blog, I think it’s much kinder to give a gift that doesn’t have a chance to turn into clutter.

Luckily there are many non-tangible gifts that won’t turn into clutter. And if you have a genealogist on your holiday gift list especially easy, since there are so many fun, clutter-free gifts available, even at the last minute. I’ve updated the list I last published in 2016. I hope you find it helpful. Here are my ideas:

As much as I love clutter-free gifts, I do have a suggestion of a physical gift for the genealogist in your life who wears necklaces. It’s the family tree necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs, which you can have made with your own surnames. (Currently, there’s a limited-edition version with leather and turquoise that is especially tempting!) I adore the one I gave myself back in 2014.

Illustration by Traci Gardner via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.

DNA Test: A great Mother’s Day gift

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Mother’s Day is coming up here in the U.S. I have a friend who is eagerly anticipating an Ancestry DNA test as a Mother’s Day gift. Her husband and two sons are being tested too. I think that’s a wonderful gift!

My mother, Betty Brown Adams, passed away two years ago, on 17 June 2015. In February of 2015, when I was at RootsTech, I purchased three kits from Family Tree DNA for my parents. I had each parent do an autosomal test (Family Finder) and I had my father do a Y-DNA test as well. (Those choices were based on a terrific RootsTech presentation I’d heard, given by Diahan Southard, Your DNA Guide.)

I’m the administrator for my parents’ tests (no computer at my parents’ condo!) and I’m so happy to have the information to play with, though I have a lot of learning to do about making good use of the results. (That’s a whole different post.)

When I had my mother take the test, I had no idea she would only be with us for four more months. (She had Parkinson’s Disease, but her passing was pretty sudden.) I am so grateful that I didn’t wait to ask her to take a test.

If your parents are still alive and haven’t been tested, I urge you to consider ordering the tests for them. My folks had literally no interest in it, but they were happy to do it as a favor to me. Depending on your folks’ level of interest, it could be a wonderfully unique Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) gift!

Clutter-free genealogy gifts

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Since I deal with clutter in my clients’ homes all year long, this time of year I’m always thinking (and writing) about the benefits of giving intangible gifts. A year ago I created a post about clutter-free gifts for genealogists. It still holds true, so I’ve decided to run it again today (with a few updates).

As a professional organizer, I frequently help clients declutter their physical possessions. Over and over again I’ve seen how difficult it is for most folks to let go of an item they’d received as a gift, even if they don’t use or love it.

This realization has changed the way I give gifts. As I’ve written repeatedly on my organizing blog, I think it’s much kinder to give a gift that doesn’t have a chance to turn into clutter. So I find myself giving these types of gifts:

  • digital gifts (iTunes gift certificate, or a subscription to Amazon Prime, for example)
  • services (gift certificate for a massage or a float)
  • ephemeral goods (like edibles and cut flowers) and
  • experiences (an outing or meal together)

If you have any genealogy enthusiasts on your list, you’re in luck. There are all sorts of opportunities to give clutter-free gifts to those folks. Here are some ideas.

  • A subscription to an online service, like Ancestry, Fold3 or MyHeritage
  • A membership in a local society or other association, like the NGS or the Southern California Genealogy Society (so they can have access to the webinar archives, my pick for deal of the century)
  • A gift certificate to work with a professional genealogist
  • The story behind a mystery photo, revealed by Maureen Taylor, photo detective.
  • One or more of my Orderly Roots guides (you could download it for them and email it, or contact me for a special code they can use to download a guide you pay for)
  • Your help with their genealogy (maybe offer to spend a couple of hours on one of their brick walls)
  • Your help decluttering or organizing their research space
  • A trip together to a cemetery or research library
  • Registration for a genealogy conference (they could hear me speak at RootsTech 2017!)
  • A donation in their name to a worthy genealogy cause (like Preserve the Pensions or their favorite genealogy society)

If you do want to give a physical item, be sure it’s useful. You could consider a Flip-Pal mobile scanner or a ShotBox portable photo light box. Perhaps less utilitarian, but a lovely, meaningful gift is the family tree necklace. I adore the one I gave myself.

Before you buy anything, check out the Genealogy Bargains area of the Geneabloggers website to see if there are any special deals to be found!

Illustration by Traci Gardner via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License.