Your DNA Guide’s Ultimate Genealogy Gift Guide

Your DNA Guide’s ultimate gift guide for the genetic genealogist in your life. Check out our gift ideas below.

Our picks include affiliate links: you won’t pay more for your purchases, but we get a small commission from them. Thank you!

What kind of gift do you have in mind? Click on a button below to jump to that section

DNA Testing

Autosomal DNA Test

Great for: Anyone who is curious about their roots, looking for birth relatives, or building their family tree.

Great For: Genetic males looking to document or learn more about their direct male line.

FTDNA YDNA test

Great for: Anyone looking document or learn more about their direct female line.

FTDNA mtDNA test

Learn DNA/Genealogy

The Search Party Course

Great for: Anyone who’s curious about family history and needs concrete steps on how to do it.

The Search Party Course

Legacy Family Tree Webinar Subscription

Great for: Someone in your life that just can’t get enough genealogy learning.

Legacy Family Tree Webinars logo

Journey into German Genealogy Class

Great for: Anyone with German ancestors. 

Journey into German Genealogy Class

Organize Your Family Photos

Great for: Anyone with family pictures they’ve been trying to identify or learn more about.

Essential Photo Organizing Course

Share Discoveries

Custom Family History or DNA Charts

Great for: Friends or family members that want an eye-catching way to display their family history.

Family Chartmasters assortment of custom charts

Custom Family History Book

Great for: Anyone who wants to create a premium, keepsake-quality family history books.

Legacy Books custom printed book

Tell them Your DNA Guide sent you!

Conversation Cards

Great for: Anyone looking for a unique gift to foster genuine connections.

Lumitory legacy conversation cards

Research Sites and Subscriptions

Ancestry

Great for: Accessing billions of records, family trees, and AncestryDNA features.

MyHeritage

Great for: Accessing billions of records, family trees, and advanced MyHeritage DNA tools.

Newspapers.com

Great for: Searching for your ancestors in newspapers.

Newspapers.com subscription

Family Tree Magazine Subscription

Great for: The family history learner who wants to keep updated on a little bit of everything related to genealogy.

Family Tree Magazine

Findmypast

Great for: Accessing billions of records, particularly British and Irish records, and family trees.

FindMyPast logo

Storied

Great for: Building unique family trees that combine records with stories and memories.

Storied logo

Storied is a family history story site that allows you to build a tree and search records, but also write stories, share memories, and collect photos.

Artifcts

Great for: Capturing the history and memories behind your stuff.

Artifcts is an online service for preserving and sharing stories of your favorite objects. 

DNA Books

Click on the tabs below to see different types of DNA books

The Foundlings by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Morton Farrier, Forensic Genealogist Series

By Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Why we love it: The investigations of U.K.-based genealogist Morton Farrier always lead to fascinating historical stories–and sometimes dangerous places for Morton himself. Especially inspiring for genealogists is that Morton’s research process is part of the story. Recent novels incorporate DNA evidence, too.

The Chester Creek Murders by Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Venator Cold Case Series

By Nathan Dylan Goodwin

Why we love it: This cutting-edge series follows the life and casework of Madison Scott-Barnhart and a small team of forensic investigators who use real-life investigative genetic genealogy techniques to bring violent criminals to justice.

In the Blood by Steve Robinson

Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery Series

By Steve Robinson

Why we love it: In each book of this series, Jefferson Tayte is a genealogist who is hired to help solve various crimes. He usually ends up becoming a target of the villain, who knows Jefferson is hot on their trail.

The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell

The Blood Detective

By Dan Waddell

Paperback  Kindle

From the author of the bestselling Who Do You Think You Are? comes a haunting crime novel of blood-stained family histories and gruesome secrets.

Why we love it: Dan is a great writer and storyteller!

A Spanish Sunrise by Boo Walker

A Spanish Sunrise

By Boo Walker

Paperback  Kindle

A widowed father and his young daughter embark on a life-changing journey in a heartening novel of family and second chances by the bestselling author of The Singing Trees.

Why we love it: It’s a great story about a father and daughter going on a journey together to heal.

The Genealogist's Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy by David Vance

The Genealogist’s Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy

By David Vance

Paperback

Written with humor and a genealogist’s experience, The Genealogist’s Guide to Y-DNA Testing for Genetic Genealogy is sure to become a well-thumbed reference for every genealogist looking to break through the mysteries of Y-DNA!

Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies by Debbie Wayne Parker and Blaine Bettinger

Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies

By Debbie Wayne Parker and Blaine Bettinger

Paperback  Kindle

Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies helps intermediate researchers move up to the next level and advanced researchers apply the new DNA standards and write about DNA.

Why we love it: A great workbook to get practice using all types of DNA results.

DNA for Native American Genealogy by Roberta Estes

DNA for Native American Genealogy

By Roberta Estes

Paperback

Written by Roberta Estes, the foremost expert on how to utilize DNA testing to identify Native American ancestors, DNA for Native American Genealogy is the first book to offer detailed information and advice specifically aimed at family historians interested in fleshing out their Native American family tree through DNA testing.

Why we love it: This book gives anyone with suspected or known Native American DNA much needed support in their genetic genealogy work.

Native American DNA by Kim TallBear

Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science

By Kim TallBear

Paperback  Kindle

Who is a Native American? And who gets to decide? From genealogists searching online for their ancestors to fortune hunters hoping for a slice of casino profits from wealthy tribes, the answers to these seemingly straightforward questions have profound ramifications. The rise of DNA testing has further complicated the issues and raised the stakes.

Why we love it: This book highlights the concerns of Indigenous peoples with DNA.

DNA USA by Bryan Sykes

DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America

By Bryan Sykes

Hardcover  Kindle

Crisscrossing the continent, a renowned geneticist provides a groundbreaking examination of America through its DNA.

Why we love it: This book is essential for understanding the cultural landscape in the U.S. testing scene.

Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings

by Chrysta Bilton

Paperback  Hardcover  Kindle

This riveting, nuanced memoir about unforgettable individuals thrown together by chance and DNA tells a story of nature, nurture, and coming to terms with one’s true inheritance.

Why we love it: Chrysta was conceived by a sperm donor and has dozens of half-siblings that she invites to a party. It’s part memoir, part exploration of the uncharted and unregulated territory of sperm donation.

The Lost Family by Libby Copeland

The Lost Family

By Libby Copeland

Paperback  Hardcover  Kindle

In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. She explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story. Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject.

Why we love it: This book looks at the impact of home DNA testing on the American family using true stories.

The Foundling by Paul Joseph Fronczak

The Foundling: The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me

by Paul Joseph Fronczak

Paperback  Hardcover  Kindle

This is the inspiring and page-turning true story of a man who discovered he had been kidnapped as a baby—and how his quest to find out who he really is upturned the genealogy industry, his own family, and set in motion the second longest cold case in US history.

Why we love it: A compelling and beautifully-written story about the author finding his birth roots.

The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth

The Stranger in my Genes

By Bill Griffeth

Hardcover  Kindle

Bill Griffeth, longtime genealogy buff, takes a DNA test that has an unexpected outcome: “If the results were correct, it meant that the family tree I had spent years documenting was not my own.” Bill undertakes a quest to solve the mystery of his origins, which shakes his sense of identity. As he takes us on his journey, we learn about choices made by his ancestors, parents, and others, and we see Bill measure and weigh his own difficult choices as he confronts the past.

Why we love it: Bill takes a DNA test and finds out the man who raised him was not his biological father.

 

Strangers No More by Bill Griffeth

 

Strangers No More: A Sequel to The Stranger in My Genes

by Bill Griffeth

Hardcover  Kindle

The follow-up to “I Know Who You Are” that continues Bill’s journey to learn more about his newly-discovered biological family.

Why we love it: Bill shares more about his newly-found family.

I Know Who You Are by Barbara Rae-Venter

I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever

by Barbara Rae-Venter

Paperback  Hardcover  Kindle

“I Know Who You Are” captures both the exhilaration of the moment of discovery and the sheer depth of emotion that lingers around cold cases, informing Rae-Venter’s careful approach to her work.

Why we love it: It’s a true crime read focusing on investigative gentic genealogy cases.

The Milkman's Son by Randy Lindsay book cover

The Milkman’s Son: A Memoir of Family History. A DNA Mystery. A Story of Paternal Love.

by Randy Lindsay

Hardcover  Kindle

This memoir recounts the author’s possible genetic match to a sister that he learns about from taking a DNA test. This ultimately leads Randy on a quest that ultimately changes his life.

Why we love it: This is a story of accepting, forgiving, and reuniting, as well as the bonds that connect us.

My First Book About Genetics by Patricia J. Wynne and Donald M. Silver

My First Book About Genetics (Dover Science For Kids Coloring Books)

By Patricia J. Wynne, Donald M. Silver

Paperback

Learning is fun with this entertaining and informative book about genetics. Forty-six illustrations are accompanied by easy-to-read captions explaining that genes are “chemical instructions” necessary for living things to stay alive and reproduce.

Why we love it: Perfect for kids ages 8 and up, this book describes what genes control and how they are passed along from one generation to the next, genes and DNA, genes and proteins, genes that turn on and those that turn off, genes that protect us from harmful bacteria and viruses, and genes that scientists transfer from one kind of living thing to another.

My Family and Me: A Family History Fill-In Book by Cara J. Stevens

My Family and Me: A Family History Fill-In Book

By Cara J. Stevens

Paperback

Get to know your family! This fun, colorful activity book designed for families to complete together will help parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others share their stories. This activity book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 7 to 9 who are reading independently. It’s a fun way to keep your child engaged and entertained.

Why we love it: This family history activity book is perfect for genealogy fans, nontraditional families, and anyone looking for a fun activity to bring family members closer together. An excellent resource to use for family history projects at home and at school.

Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney

Me and My Family Tree

By Joan Sweeney

Paperback

Where am I on my family tree? A beloved bestseller that shows children how to understand their place among their relatives, now refreshed with new art from Emma Trithart.

Why we love it: In this edition of Me and My Family Tree, with new art by Emma Trithart, a young girl uses simple language, her own childlike drawings, and diagrams to explain how the members of her family are related to each other and to her.

National Geographic Kids Guide to Genealogy by T.J. Resler

National Geographic Kids Guide to Genealogy

By T. J. Resler

Paperback

This lively guide will get you started on researching your family’s past and let you in on the newest and most up-to-date technology for genealogy research. Get tips on how to interview family members, create a family tree, and much more. Fun facts, lists, and sidebars offer additional tips and bring the dusty past to vivid life!

Why we love it: Inspired by the growing ancestry and DNA-testing crazes, this guide helps readers dig into the past and learn more about their own family history.

Roots for Kids: Finding Your Family Stores by Susan Provost Beller

Roots for Kids: Finding Your Family Stories

By Susan Provost Beller

Paperback

Roots for Kids: Finding Your Family Stories celebrates all the wonderful stories and family traditions that make you who you are and that tie your family, past and present, together.

Why we love it: Each beautifully illustrated chapter ends with an activity related to the subject of that chapter. Younger children will have fun doing these activities with their parents, while older children can work on them on their own.