The United States is a big country, and it definitely takes more effort to learn the US geography, US capitals, US states & American flags compared to other countries. The United States is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on its west coast, the Atlantic Ocean on its east coast, Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south. This is why it helps to determine exactly where the ancestor lived according to the political borders of the time.The United States of America is located on the North American Continent.
Therefore, researchers will need to be able to locate the proper county offices to find information on their ancestors. In the United States, property records, death records, and birth records are usually maintained by county officials. However, landowners are not often listed on maps. Such comparisons can also show changes in borders between countries, counties, towns, and other political borders. Map Comparison as A Genealogy SourceĬomparing older maps to newer maps of the same area can often yield information about changes in names of different towns and places over time. There are plenty of guides readily available to help first-time genealogical researchers.
Of course, it’s important for new genealogists and researchers to start out with basic research skills before they take on map analysis. However, they are a significant piece, and focused study can reveal fascinating information. When it comes to researching your family tree, maps are just pieces of the puzzle. After all, maps come in many different types and can offer a wealth of information about the time period. Some people become so fascinated by maps that they choose to focus on map research only. Maps can also offer some very interesting information about public documents and other records pertaining to certain ancestors. By simply examining a variety of maps, it will be possible to date improvements in your property over time. More detailed maps reveal property or home acreage along with property names. These are especially helpful because they also record owners’ names and with features within the local communities. For example, many historical maps show distinct buildings. Genealogists should not ignore map resources and all that they have to offer, as a map can immediately provide valuable information and facts. Maps, and state atlas maps.Īlabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming How Maps Help Genealogy Research Past and present maps of US are overlaid so that you can see the changes in county boundaries, downloadable County D.O.T. The goal of this site is to help you discover important information to get started.Įach State page contains rotating animated maps showing all of the county boundary changes & all of the county boundaries for each census year for each year. This information can tell you what and whom you need to research to learn more. Because maps can give you important details about business and property ownership, they can be a significant source of information. Are you researching your family history? Historical maps can be an exceptional tool when you are beginning a genealogy research project.