Another year has passed by quickly and it’s almost the start of the holiday season.

Bloggers like to share their genea-wish list with others, but before I make my 2025 list, I’d like to do a “Part 1.”

I’m always hearing about or finding new websites, products and services that I’d like to try, but, with a limited budget, often don’t get around to signing up because of the cost and the item being a bit of an unknown quantity.

Therefore, this year, I’m asking for suggestions. I’m going to share my list of vetted products that I love and often use and I hope you will share your list, too – especially when mentioning less well known companies.

Perhaps my “favorites” list will inspire you to try out something new and I’m hoping that I will, in turn, be inspired by your suggestions and will find a new favorite resource to help with genealogical research.

Here’s my “big players” list:

Ancestry – I only use the basic U.S. version because I’ve learned that I can use other international sites, like Library and Archives Canada, the Danish National Archives and FamilySearch to access records that I need for free. I also wait for sales with my preferred price being about US$50 for six months. If the sale price is too high and wait it out and I drive over to my local public library/FamilySearch center.

MyHeritage – I love MyHeritage particularly for its immigration records collection, Scandinavian records and all the European cousins I find through DNA matches. DISCLAIMER: I receive a complimentary subscription.

American Ancestors – With most of my maternal side of the family tree connecting to colonial New England, I constantly use American Ancestors for my research. One of my favorite features is the database of journals like The American Genealogist, The Register and other society publications. If I could only afford one subscription, this would be it.

ArkivDigital – The absolute best resource for Swedish research. Subscriptions are offered by the year and month. they also offer specials for as low as US$5.00 for one month access. A lot can be accomplished in a month of research!

Your local society list will be very different than mine, but do consider joining either a society in your neighborhood where you can attend local meetings and/or societies located in the towns/counties/states where your ancestors settled.

Also, don’t overlook ethnic societies to celebrate your heritage.

My society list:

Pima County Genealogy Society – my local society offers hybrid meetings and most are recorded so I can listed to a program I might have missed. US$25.00/year

Sun City Vistoso Genealogical Society – my other local society, which meets in a much closer location to my home. I attend meetings in person and host a SIG. US$20.00/year

Essex Society for Family History – ESFH is based in England and has frequent Zoom meetings. I learned about this society a few years ago when they had a booth at (virtual) RootsTech. Some of their programs have a genealogical focus, but many tell the story of English history. The speakers are excellent and membership is inexpensive at £8.00 or about US$10.00.

Carpatho-Rusyn Society – With 50% of my tree being Rusyn, I love the programs offered online by the society. It’s a mix of genealogy/ethnic and cultural and religious (Byzantine Rite Church) events. US$30.00/year and US$25.00 for seniors

GRIVA – The Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia offers many online programs during the year and hosts SIGS for members. I enjoy both and attend frequent meetings. US$20.00

Utah Genealogical Association – I love the top-notch speakers who present to the UGA. There are hybrid meetings and even a hybrid chapter. US$35.00/year

Virtual Genealogical Association – All meetings are online with many opportunities to hear speakers, discuss genealogically-related topics, join a book club and to chat/socialize. US$25.00

My magazine/journal list:

The American Genealogist (TAG)– I love, love, love this professional journal that has been around since 1922. It’s a quarterly journal that publishes somewhat irregularly, but it’s worth the wait when an issue appears in my mailbox. There are some FASGs who regularly contribute articles and, over the past few years, I’d say about 75% of the issues have an article pertaining to one of my colonial American families. Back issues are included in the American Ancestors database. US$40.00/year

My tech list:

Cite Builder – This is another company that I learned about at (virtual) RootsTech. The Australian company offers a great product – templates that will create source citations. I find them much easier to use than some of the templates in genealogy software programs. Premium membership is about US$20.00 per year.

My education list:

Legacy Family Tree Webinars – This is the best opportunity to learn new genealogical research skills. There are thousands of archived webinars and quite a few presented new each month. Registering for a live webinar is free – HOWEVER, only subscribed members can access any/all of the handouts. Also, there are some webinars that are only available to members. If you listen to a live webinar, there will be a code offered at the end for 5% off and there are sales during the year for new subscribers. US$49.95/year.

That’s it for my current subscription list. I don’t spend a lot of money on other things, so I splurge a bit on genealogy items.

What are your favorite subscription sites and why? Share in the comments or, if you are a blogger, please share your list in a post.