Whether you are new to genealogy or an experienced researcher, a time may come when you need to purchase genealogy supplies. If you are a genealogy newbie like me, you may be thinking, “What on earth are genealogy supplies? Don’t I just need a notebook to record my research and a family tree form that I can find for free online?” While it is true that you do not need much in the way of “supplies” to get started with genealogy, there are products out there that can help you turn your research into beautiful family trees and other heirlooms that are suitable for display, and for passing down from generation to generation. These items also make great gifts for genealogists to give or to receive.
What are genealogy supplies, and where can you find them? I looked around online and found a few web sites that offer a range of supplies from downloadable forms to software, books, scrapbooking items, and more.
Stevenson Genealogy has a large collection of beautiful family history binders as well as starter kits for LDS and non-LDS researchers. This web site also boasts a large selection of books, including two hundred personal and family histories that have been published by the Stevenson Company over the past fifty years.
Global Genealogy has a wide array of document preservation and organizing supplies such as acid-free storage boxes, folders, and binders for your family’s important documents and memorabilia. If you are looking for a gravestone rubbing kit, they have one of those as well as magnifiers to ease the strain on your eyes from all of those hours that you spend poring over ancient documents. Global Genealogy also has genealogy software and books.
Ancestry.com even has a selection of books, software, and historical maps. The maps are quite interesting because they depict the places as they were at a certain time, for example, Ireland in the mid-1820s. While genealogists need only the most basic tools – a notebook, some forms, and an all-consuming desire to track down hard to find documents, it is nice to know that there are other tools out there that can help preserve your family’s history and even turn it into a beautiful work of art.