Our 2023 Recommendations for the Genealogist on your Holiday Gift List
What do you get for the person who has everything? If that person is a genealogist, there’s always another book they want. Here are a few of our members’ holiday gift recommendations.
Suzan Younger’s recommendation
NGS Quarterly and NGS Magazine
National Genealogical Society
Give a gift that gives throughout the year. Receive a journal in March, June, September, and December offering the highest quality genealogical articles. Receive a magazine filled with articles and news each January, April, July, and October. Give an annual membership to the National Genealogical Society and receive their NGS Quarterly and the NGS Magazine. Additionally, membership comes with discounts on all NGS publications, education, conferences, and genealogical records collections.
Tony Hanson’s recommendation
They Came In Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record
by John P. Coletta, PhD.
This book is an invaluable resource for those seeking immigrant shipping records. One of its most important benefits is identifying when records began to be required for immigrants in the United States and Canada. He also provides a comprehensive list of references for sources of information about immigrants who arrived before centralized records were required. In addition, he outlines search strategies based on the about of information that is known about the immigrant. Its only shortcoming is that it was written before the widespread availability of much of the information referenced became available on the internet, so it lacks detailed information about performing online searches. However, that does not detract from the value of the information provided.
Barbara Ware’s recommendation
North Carolina Research Genealogy and Local History
by Helen R. M. Leary, C. G., F.A.S.G (editor).
I’ve been told by knowledgeable genealogists that this book not only helps in researching North Carolina, but is a good book for South Carolina research as well. This year I joined the North Carolina Genealogical Society and attended one of their seminars. They offered the book for sale, so I broke down and bought the hardback version. It’s 44 chapters, 620 pages. Here is a look at the table of contents.
This is the second edition, published in 1998 published by the North Carolina Genealogical Society.
Available from the North Carolina Genealogical Society.
Michelle Dwyer Cohen’s recommendation
Genetic Genealogy in Practice
by Blaine T. Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne
For the genealogist on your list who is interested in learning more about DNA, Genetic Genealogy in Practice is top of my list. It’s a great book to get practice and understand how to use DNA in your research. A great gift for your favorite family historian.
Susan Rainwater’s recommendation
Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Love Affair With A Famous Cartoonist
by Bill Griffith
Shortly after his mother’s death, Bill Griffith received a box of memorabilia from his uncle. The box contained the usual sorts of family records and something unexpected – evidence that his mother had hidden a secret romantic relationship with the man she worked for.
While this book is not written in a standard genealogical style, it’s in every way a genealogical story. It’s also not so much written, as drawn, because Griffith is a cartoonist. Any genealogist who has turned a pile of old documents into a credible narrative will empathize with Griffith’s research journey.
Invisible Ink is a wonderful read and I recommend it for any genealogist on your holiday gift list.
Available from Amazon.com
