Do You Use Maps in Your Genealogy?

Question

Do you use maps to help you advance your genealogy and break down brick walls?  There is a short video at YouTube about various map resources.  Ancestry did sponsor the video, but it has a good list of free resources.

Answer 1

Thanks Vic. I do use maps. Maps of early Jamestowne helped me track neighbors and search for marriages between neighbors.

Answer 2

Google custom maps see Space:Westlund_Vannsäter_resources 

Coordinates to a house and also Google Streetview see Space:August_Wiberg_hus_Möklinta 

1. N 60° 5' 51.88 E 16° 32' 35.51 
2. Google Street view

What I would like to see is that we are allowed to create templates for coordinates ==> then you could start creating timelines and maps of a person/family life.....

Cool example Wikiminiatlas  how Wikipedia has a lot of geocoded articles that you can find from a map

 

• About Geo_(microformat)
• Coord: How to from Wikipedia

Answer 3

Late to the party as usual.

An update for anyone wanting to utilise Google Earth or Family Atlas into their genealogy, as well as create personalised maps, with events included, may want to watch one of these two videos.

Family Atlas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb6fA2utieo

Google Earth - http://files.rootsmagic.com/webinars/2011-05-25-Google-Earth-for-Genealogy.mp4

Comments

Hi Steve, Your link to the Rootsmagic webinar just takes me back to this question. Could you correct it? Thanks.

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The link won't take you to the site, it downloads the mp4 to you device so you can watch it at your leisure.

If you want to watch online then go to http://rootsmagic.com/webinars/ , this is the main listings page, useful for all their webinars, you want item No. 19 towards the bottom of the page then just click the watch button.

Answer 4

Yes use maps.  Land ownership was wealth and following the land sales, purchase and inheritance helps put family together.  It also helps follow the movement of the family from one area to another or even state to state. Once you know where to look you can utilize census information, church information, tax information etc...

Answer 5

I nearly always have a map window open when I'm doing genealogical research. I find that having a map that was created in the period you're researching is particularly useful. ​

• Old Maps Online is great, as it's got an interface that makes it really easy to browse by region and filter for time period.
• Historical Topographic Map Explorer gives access to a huge library of detailed US topographic maps from the 1880s to present.
• I haven't found something similar for Canada yet, but Toporama is a somewhat clunkier interface for current Canadian topographic maps. Great for identifying tiny locations that don't always make it onto commercial maps.

Comments

Hi Sean, Your first link is dead, and the 2nd just takes me back to this question.  Could you update them? Thanks.

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Sure, sorry about that. I just fixed the links and all 3 should work now.