The best heritage gifts tell a true story about the family: a book about the history of the surname, a framed census page or passenger list, an old map of the ancestral town, a recorded conversation with a grandparent, or a visit to where it all began. If you choose a heraldry gift, describe it honestly, as the arms recorded for a particular person or family of that name, not “your family’s coat of arms,” unless you can show the connection.
Quick picks by occasion
| Occasion | Gift idea | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone birthday | A book about the history of their surname | Something to read slowly and share with the grandchildren |
| Father’s Day or Mother’s Day | A framed record of their parent or grandparent, such as a census page or passenger list | Personal, surprising and rooted in fact |
| Wedding | A history of each family’s surname, or an old map showing where both families came from | Honors both sides equally |
| Retirement | A planned trip to an ancestral town, or the tools to start researching | Time is finally on their side |
| Holidays | A heritage scrapbook or a recorded family interview | The whole family can contribute |
1. A book about the family surname
A well-made book about a surname gathers what the records say about where the name was first found, what it means, how it traveled and who carried it. When you compare options, look for three things:
- Named sources. Census returns, passenger lists, newspapers and armorials should be identified, so the reader can check them.
- Honest limits. A good book says what is known about the name and does not invent ancestors or claim a coat of arms belongs to everyone of that surname.
- Something to keep. A book is something a family can keep for decades and hand down.
Lineage & Heritage’s books, for example, are compiled from public records for your surname and delivered by email.
2. A framed historical document
Few gifts land like a real record with a familiar name on it. Good candidates include a grandparent’s census entry, the passenger list that shows a family’s arrival, a naturalization paper or a World War II enlistment record.
- Order a copy. The National Archives sells copies of its most frequently requested family history records online, including individual census pages from 1790 to 1940 and ship passenger arrival records from 1820 to 1959. You register as a user and pay by credit card.
- Use the free images. The 1950 census can be searched and viewed on the National Archives’ 1950 census website, so for anyone born before it was taken, you may find them listed as a child in their parents’ household.
- Add a newspaper clipping. Chronicling America, the Library of Congress’s free newspaper collection, covers 1770 to 1963. A wedding notice or a local news item about an ancestor makes a lovely companion piece.
Frame a good copy rather than an original, and add a small card explaining what the document is and where it came from.
3. An old map of the ancestral place
A map turns a place name into a picture. The Library of Congress’s Geography and Map Division says its digitized collections are free to use and reuse unless a rights statement says otherwise, and over a million images from its historical collections are online. For an American town, look at its Sanborn fire insurance maps, detailed street plans drawn for insurers; the Library describes its Sanborn collection as public domain and has put the public-domain sheets online. Finding the very street where great-grandparents lived, and framing it, is a gift people remember.
4. A recorded conversation with a grandparent
Perhaps the most valuable heritage gift costs almost nothing: an afternoon spent recording an older relative’s memories. The Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center publishes a free guide, Folklife and Fieldwork, that covers preparing for an interview, the ethics of interviewing, choosing questions, recording and taking notes. A few questions to start with:
- What do you remember about your grandparents, and where did they come from?
- How did our family end up in this town?
- Did anyone in the family ever change the spelling of our name?
- What did a typical holiday look like when you were a child?
If the person is a veteran, consider contributing the interview to the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project. It accepts the stories of veterans who served at any time since World War I, volunteers can be as young as 15, interviews must last at least 30 minutes, and the Project asks you to make at least two copies first, one for yourself and one for the veteran.
5. A visit to the ancestral town
For a retirement or a milestone anniversary, a trip to the family’s place of origin can be the gift of a lifetime. It works best when the paperwork comes first: find the town’s name in the records (passenger lists from the 1890s onward record a last residence, and from 1917 a place of birth), check the spelling, and contact the local parish, archive or town hall well in advance. Pack copies of the family documents, leave time for the cemetery and the church, and bring a notebook. Our guide on how to trace your surname’s origin explains how to find the town.
6. A heritage scrapbook
A scrapbook is a wonderful holiday project because the whole family can add to it. Scan old photographs, write names, dates and places beside each one while someone still remembers them, and add copies of documents, a simple family tree and a page of family sayings or recipes. Make a copy for each branch of the family so no one has to choose who keeps the original.
How to choose a respectful, accurate heraldry gift
Heraldry makes a beautiful gift when it is presented truthfully. The College of Arms is clear that “there is no such thing as a ‘coat of arms for a surname'”; arms belong to particular people and their descendants. The Court of the Lord Lyon is blunter about arms simply bought for a name: “What you have bought is simply a souvenir and has no authenticity.” That does not mean you should avoid heraldry. It means you should choose and word it with care.
- Ask for the source. Which book or register records these arms, for which family, in which place and period? A genuine record can answer. See how to verify a coat of arms.
- Prefer history to decoration. A gift that explains what the shield shows, using real sources, is worth more than a pretty design. Our guides to reading a coat of arms, heraldic symbols and heraldic colors help.
- Use the right words. A crest is only one part of a coat of arms; see coat of arms vs. family crest and what a family coat of arms really is. The same care applies to mottos, which belong to the person who bears the arms.
- For the real thing, think long term. If someone truly wants arms of their own, the honest route is a petition to a heraldic authority, which takes time and paperwork; see can anyone have a coat of arms?
| Avoid saying | Say instead |
|---|---|
| “Your family’s coat of arms” | “Arms recorded for a family of the [Surname] name” |
| “The [Surname] family crest” | “A coat of arms from the history of the [Surname] name” |
| “Your ancestors’ arms” | “Arms granted to [named person] in [year],” when you know it |
Worded this way, a heraldry gift becomes a doorway into the history of the name rather than a claim no one can back up, and it is just as handsome on the wall.
See the arms recorded for your surname →
Sources
- College of Arms, “FAQs: heraldry”: https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/faqs
- Court of the Lord Lyon, “Frequently Asked Questions”: https://courtofthelordlyon.scot/faqs.htm
- National Archives, “Order Reproductions”: https://www.archives.gov/research/order
- National Archives, 1950 Census website: https://1950census.archives.gov/
- Library of Congress, Chronicling America: https://www.loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america/
- Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, “Digital Collections”: https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/geography-and-map/collections/digital-collections/
- Library of Congress, Sanborn Maps, “Rights and Access”: https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/about-this-collection/rights-and-access/
- Stephen Winick and Peter Bartis, Folklife and Fieldwork: An Introduction to Cultural Documentation, 4th edition (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 2016): https://www.loc.gov/item/2019667028/
- Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, “How to Participate”: https://www.loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/how-to-participate/
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for someone who loves family history?
Something that tells a true story about their family: a book about the history of their surname, a framed copy of an ancestor’s census page or passenger list, an old map of the family’s town, or a recorded interview with an older relative. Gifts built on real records tend to be kept and passed down.
Is it accurate to give someone ‘their family coat of arms’?
Usually not. The College of Arms states that there is no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname; arms belong to particular people and their descendants. A heraldry gift is accurate when it is described as arms recorded for a named person or family of that surname, with a source.
Where can I get copies of an ancestor’s records to frame?
The National Archives sells copies of frequently requested family history records online, including individual census pages from 1790 to 1940 and ship passenger arrival records from 1820 to 1959. The 1950 census can be viewed online free of charge, and many old newspapers are free in the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America collection.
How can I record a grandparent’s life story?
Plan a few topics, find a quiet room, and record the conversation on a phone or recorder. The Library of Congress’s free guide Folklife and Fieldwork explains how to prepare and conduct an interview. If your grandparent is a veteran, the Veterans History Project accepts interviews of at least 30 minutes for its permanent collection.
What heritage gift works for a wedding?
Consider something that honors both families equally, such as a history of each surname or a framed old map showing where both families came from. Avoid merging two ‘family crests’ into one design; heraldry only combines arms for people who actually bear them.