Chapter 1
Where My People Came From
Explore a map showing where your ancestors were born and died, grouped by country, or by state or province within the United States and Canada.
My Generations Book
Your family tree. Now an heirloom.
Turn generations of family history into a beautiful printed book filled with the people, places, and patterns that make your family unique.
Using the information already in your family tree, My Generations creates a personalized book of four, five, or six generations of ancestors. Explore their lives, see where they came from, and preserve it all in a book your family can enjoy for years to come.
No writing or design skills required. Books start at $67 USD, with free shipping to all 20 countries we currently serve.
Someone did the work.
Maybe it was you. Years of records, pieced together one source at a time.
Maybe it was a grandmother, an uncle, or a cousin you've never met. The tree is there, generations deep, but you know little about those in it.
Either way, having a tree full of names isn't the same as knowing who you come from.
A tree holds the facts, but it isn't always easy to explore the lives behind them, or share them with someone who doesn't use genealogy software.
If you built it, you've wanted a way to share it. If you inherited it, you've wanted an easy way in.
A family tree your whole family will want to read.
My Generations Book takes what's already in your tree (births, marriages, deaths, places, and relationships) and brings it together in a designed, printed book. One you can hand to someone and watch them turn the pages.
Discover the generations that came before you.
Your family tree is full of names, dates, and places. But together, those details reveal something more: the people, places, and experiences that connect you to generations of your family.
Chapter 2
The People Before Me
Get to know each ancestor through an easy-to-read narrative that brings together the details of their life, their family relationships, and historical context from the time and place they lived. Add your own photos and captions to make the pages even more personal.
Chapter 3
Patterns Across Generations
See the bigger picture: who lived longest, who married youngest, how large families were, and how far lives carried them from where they began.
Together, these details turn a collection of names into people you can know, understand, and feel connected to. This isn't an exhaustive biography of every ancestor. It's an accessible introduction to your family history.
Flip through a sample book →Works with FamilySearch
Already on FamilySearch? Just sign in.
Sign in with your FamilySearch account and we'll read your tree directly. There's no file to export, and your ancestors' portraits come along too.
- Fuller life sketchesWe read each ancestor's Life Sketch, stories and documents in FamilySearch Memories, and write a richer story of their life.
- Photos from MemoriesChoose photos from your ancestors' FamilySearch Memories for their pages in your book.
- Share back to FamilySearchWhen your book is finished, share its stories and photos to your ancestors' Memories, so the rest of your family can see them too.
FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
How it works
A one-minute look at the book and how you make it your own. Want the details? Watch the full 12-minute tour.
- 1Check your tree.Take the free Tree Readiness Test to see whether your tree has enough information for a meaningful book. If it has gaps, you can add information yourself, move ahead as it is, or get professional research help.
- 2Bring your tree.Sign in with FamilySearch and your tree is read directly. Or upload a GEDCOM file, with step-by-step instructions for exporting it. No file? Type in your family yourself.
- 3Choose your generations and order.Select four, five, or six generations. Your first draft is generated in minutes from the information in your tree.
- 4Preview and personalize.Review and edit the narratives and details, upload photos, add children to families, and regenerate narratives as needed. You're in control of what goes to print.
- 5Send it to print.When you're satisfied with your book, approve it for printing. You'll receive shipment tracking when it's on the way.
You have 12 months from purchase to edit your book and order your printed copy. For a gift, the 12 months start when it's redeemed.
Take the Tree Readiness Test
Your family history, beautifully printed.
A book designed to be enjoyed today and preserved for future generations.
- 8.5 × 11 inches; full-colour printing on 80# coated paper.
- Choose a black or white matte cover, personalized with your name on the front and spine.
- Softcover (perfect bound) or hardcover.
- Price includes one printed copy, a downloadable PDF, and free shipping to the 20 countries we currently serve.
Pricing
4 Generations
$67
5 Generations
$82
6 Generations
$97
| Hardcover upgrade to initial book | +$15 |
|---|---|
| Additional sibling copy — softcover | $47 |
| Additional sibling copy — hardcover | $62 |
All prices in USD. Page count varies with the number of generations and the information available in your tree.
One family history. A book for each sibling.
Once you've finished editing your book, you can order additional personalized copies for siblings. Each contains the same edited family history, with that sibling's name on the cover, spine, title page, and family tree (a married name is fine), and they're marked as "you" on your parents' pages. Softcover sibling books are $47 each; hardcover sibling books are $62 each.
You pay for all copies, but you can ship them to separate addresses, ideal for siblings who live far apart.
A family book for your children.
Making a book for your kids? Choose a family book and it's built from your children's point of view, so it covers both parents' sides of the family in one book. Your family's name goes on the cover, like "Megan & John Hillyer" or "The Hillyer Family", and no one child is singled out. Same price as any book.
Getting your tree from FamilySearch? Sign in with one of your children's accounts. FamilySearch only shows both parents' sides of the tree from your child's account.
Free shipping to 20 countries
We currently ship free to 20 countries, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and much of Europe. These are the only countries we currently serve. Need shipping somewhere else? Contact hello@mygenerationsbook.com and we'll see what we can do. Most books arrive within 1–4 weeks.
Give it as a gift
The most meaningful gift doesn't have to arrive by Christmas.
Give someone a beautiful book filled with their family's history — created automatically from their family tree, with the freedom to make it their own.
Purchase today and receive a personalized gift announcement instantly. Your recipient can discover their family's story, add their own special touches, and have their finished book delivered whenever they're ready.
- 1Give the gift.Choose a book and receive a beautiful printable gift announcement instantly.
- 2Discover their story.Your recipient signs in with FamilySearch, uploads their family tree, or types in their family, and their personalized book is created.
- 3Make it their own.They can add photos and memories before ordering their included printed copy.
Your recipient can sign in with FamilySearch, upload their family tree as a GEDCOM file, or type in their family themselves. Gifts include printing and free shipping to the 20 countries we serve, never expire, and are fully refundable until they're redeemed.
▶ Watch how giving a book works
Give a Book as a GiftNot quite ready?
Tree Ready + Research
$250
USD · three focused hours
Learn About Tree Ready + Research
Your tree doesn't have to be complete or perfect to become a book. But if you'd like help verifying information, correcting errors, or finding missing ancestors before printing, I can help.
For $250 USD, I'll spend three focused hours researching and improving your tree. I'll prioritize the areas that can make the biggest difference for your book, correcting dates and relationships and filling gaps where the records support it. You'll receive a summary of the work completed, supporting sources, and recommended next steps.
Some trees need more than three hours, and additional research blocks are optional. This service makes progress toward a stronger tree; it doesn't guarantee every issue will be resolved.
Tree Ready + Research clients also qualify for a six-generation My Generations Book for $47 instead of the regular $97. The book is purchased separately when you're ready.
Made by a genealogist
Hi! I'm Megan Hillyer
I'm a professional genealogist and educator, and I've spent eight years helping people find their families. What fascinates me most is how knowing where we come from helps us understand who we are.
I wanted to see my own lineage in one place: the people, the places, the patterns. So I made this book, and now you can have one for your family, too.
Is it right for you?
Yes, if
- You built a tree and want it shared, not stored.
- Someone in your family built a tree, and you want to get to know the people in it.
- You want a meaningful gift for someone who's hard to buy for.
- You want one book your children can share, with both sides of their family.
- You've wanted a family history book but haven't had time to make one.
Not quite, if
- You want long, exhaustive biographies of individual ancestors.
- You expect the book to do new genealogical research or verify every fact automatically. It reflects the information in your tree; research is available separately.
Questions
- How long does it take?
- Your first draft can be generated in minutes. How long you spend reviewing details, adding photos, and editing is up to you.
- What if my tree has gaps?
- The book still works. Missing ancestors are skipped, and their positions remain visible in the family tree charts. You don't need a perfect tree to start.
- What about adoption or foster care in my family?
- Each person in your book follows one set of parents. If your family includes adoption or foster care, you choose which family line to follow: on FamilySearch, mark those parents as preferred, or change them on the edit screen before you finalize.
- I didn't build our family tree. Can I still make a book?
- Yes. If your family's tree is on FamilySearch, sign in with your own FamilySearch account and it's read directly. Otherwise, ask the person who built it for a GEDCOM export, then upload that file. The process includes guidance for exporting a GEDCOM. Or type in your family yourself.
- What if I don't have a family tree file?
- You can type in your family yourself. Start with your own name, then add your parents, grandparents and further back after checkout. A name is enough to begin, and you can add dates, places, photos and family stories as you go. If you get a family tree file later, you can upload it and your book is rebuilt from it.
- Does it work with FamilySearch?
- Yes. Sign in with your FamilySearch account and your tree is read directly, with no file to export. You can also write fuller life sketches from your ancestors' FamilySearch Memories, add photos from Memories, and share your finished stories and photos back to FamilySearch.
- Is the AI accurate?
- Narratives are written from facts in your family tree, along with historical context about the times and places your ancestors lived. The AI is instructed not to invent details, and additional checks help catch errors, but mistakes are still possible. You review and edit every narrative before printing.
- What about living relatives?
- Living relatives in your direct ancestral line can have their own pages, with narratives based on what is in your tree. Their information is used to make your book and PDF, not published elsewhere or sent to FamilySearch. You can edit or remove details before printing.
- Can I add photographs?
- Yes. Upload photographs to individual ancestor pages during editing. Sign in with FamilySearch and your ancestors' portraits come along, and you can choose more photos from their FamilySearch Memories. GEDCOM files don't include photographs, so with a GEDCOM you'll upload your own. Photos are optional.
- Can I order sibling copies?
- Yes. After editing the original book, order additional copies with each sibling's name on the cover, spine, title page, and family tree, marked as "you" on your parents' pages. You pay for all copies and can ship them to separate addresses. Softcover copies cost $47 each; hardcover copies cost $62 each.
- Can I make one book for our whole family?
- Yes. Choose a family book when you start. It's built from your children's point of view, covers both parents' sides, and carries your family's name on the cover instead of one person's. Getting your tree from FamilySearch? Sign in with one of your children's accounts, so both sides of the tree are included.
- How long can I edit and order my book?
- You have 12 months from purchase to edit your book and order your printed copy (for a gift, from when it's redeemed). After that, the editing link and print ordering close.
- My tree needs work. Can you help?
- Yes. Tree Ready + Research provides three focused hours of professional research and cleanup for $250. Some trees need additional blocks. Research clients qualify for a six-generation book for $47 rather than $97.
- Can I give a book as a gift?
- Yes. You'll receive a printable gift announcement right away, with a link and gift code. Your recipient uploads their own family tree whenever they're ready, and their printed copy is already paid for, including shipping. They can sign in with FamilySearch, upload their family tree as a GEDCOM file, or type in their family themselves.
- Where do you ship?
- We currently offer free shipping to 20 countries, including Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and much of Europe. Most books arrive within 1–4 weeks. For other destinations, contact hello@mygenerationsbook.com.
- What if I need help?
- Email hello@mygenerationsbook.com.
Your tree doesn't have to be finished.
Family history is never really complete. There will always be another record to find, another ancestor to discover, or another question to answer.
But you don't have to wait until every detail is perfect to preserve what you already know.
Turn your family tree into something you can hold, explore, share, and pass down. Your family's history deserves more than a place in a database.