GenFriend members
shared many suggestions for locating different maps to aid in our genealogy
research and fill out our family stories during the October Roundtable
Discussion Group.
Google Earth and Google Maps are well-known resources that offer much more than
the current view of an area. Google Earth Outreach offers a Learn section with tutorials to create
custom maps. A quick Google or YouTube search will bring up instructional
videos, such as this one, on how to overlay historic maps.
Current and historic maps can also be compared side by side in two different
windows. It was noted during the Roundtable that these maps can provide some
clarity if known locations are viewed in relation to county and/or state
boundaries or other known landmarks. For example, the answer to why your
ancestor always went to another state to give birth could be as simple as the
nearest medical facility was closer to home but just over the state line.
The largest
collection of Sanborn Maps is found at the Library of Congress.
These maps were created for the fire insurance industry and provide information
on the construction materials and size of structures in a particular vicinity.
Each map will have a key on it explaining all of the symbols and colors used
for that map. It’s advisable to read the “About this Collection” for further
information. These maps can help us picture the homes of our ancestors and
their neighbors along with other structures in the town. Sanborn Maps can also
be found in many other places including regional collections, manuscript
collections, and at historical societies.
The online Perry-Castaneda Library
(PCL) Map Collection is a small part of the PCL holdings at The University of
Texas Libraries. This is an extensive collection of many different types of
maps from throughout the world and can be browsed by region, country, state,
type of map, etc. Most of the links still seem to work, but there is a notice
on the front page that the website is archived and no longer being updated.
There are links for additional information.
USGS provides topographical maps of the United States,
including a Historical Topographic
Maps Collection and a Geographic Names search. These maps are useful for
providing the historical names of creeks and other places that are sometimes
mentioned in deeds and other paperwork. This can be very helpful in determining
more exact locations for our ancestors.
Land
ownership maps, known as plat maps, are another useful tool for locating the
exact location our ancestors lived in a given vicinity. They show how the land
was divided at the time the map was created. The surname of the owner of each
tract of land is written in that property’s space. The owner’s name will
sometimes include the first name or initial. If a widow owns the land, that is
often indicated with Widow or Mrs. It’s a good idea to search for plat maps at
any genealogy site you use as many resources have at least some for their area
and maybe additional locations. HistoryGeo offers a searchable database and
document images but is a subscription site. Access to it is available through many public
libraries, including the Plano Public Library, with your library card.
Several
other large sites offering a variety of maps are Historic Map Works, the David Rumsey Map Collection, the Bureau of Land Management, Digital Public Library
of America,
and the National Archives. The Library of Congress also offers other maps in addition
to Sanborn.
Other
types of maps:
Cemetery
maps similar to what can be found at Burial Search and the VA’s National Cemetery Administration. The specific cemetery of your
ancestor might also have a plot map.
Transportation
maps such as the Railroad Maps found at the Library of Congress.
Military
maps of battles/locations where an ancestor might have served. The National Archives has Civil War maps, for example.
Migration
route maps can be found at many websites via a Google search. The National Park Service offers some good information and
maps about historic routes in America.
Sites
helpful for understanding map information:
A United
Kingdom website, MapServe, has information about Ordnance
Surveys in other countries.
The Newberry Library offers an interactive website
depicting historical boundaries for US Territories, States, and Counties.
Creating
personalized maps:
Family Atlas is a genealogy mapping and
publishing software available from Roots Magic for a modest cost. It’s a
stand-alone product, not a subscription.
Many family
tree programs provide some sort of timeline/map option. The timeline feature at
Family Search, for example, is accessed on the
profile page of a person in your family tree and includes a map.
There are
many more sites to access maps useful for our family history research. In
addition to the ones mentioned above, there are some older but still helpful
options. USGenWeb is a completely free website that
was created almost 30 years ago by genealogists and maintained by volunteers.
The Internet Archive and
Wayback Machine provide access to a wide range of materials and past versions of
websites. County courthouses, historical societies, and local libraries can
provide suggestions, if not actual maps, for possible locations where your
ancestors might have been. State archives and college collections are another
good source. A simple Google search with terms such as ‘historic map + (place
name)’ or ‘(town name) + Sanborn map’ could yield new materials to research.
GenFriend members also mentioned to search again at sites you have checked in
the past as many sites continue to digitize additional records.
Serendipity
often leads to genealogy finds. Many years ago, I was watching a genealogy
show, probably Who Do You Think You Are, when a 1641 plat map of New Haven, CT,
popped up on the screen. I was not related to the ancestor of the guest on the
show, but my eyes immediately focused on two names, Joshua Atwater and David
Atwater, as Atwater is the maiden name of a gggrandmother in one of my paternal
lines. I had not yet researched her line, but I wondered if there could be a
connection. It turns out that the David Atwater on that 1641 map is my 9x
greatgrandfather! You never know what direction a map might lead you in your research, so they're always worth looking at.
