A. 'Historical' maps, i.e. modern (or, at least, later)
reconstructions,
showing regions according to their past political, ethnic, linguistic,
etc., divisions. These tend to be fairly small scale, i.e. they will not
show smaller towns and villages. They are, however, valuable for showing
you the correct name of the region at the relevant period and which
country (if, say, in central Europe) it belonged to then. For
historical maps see:-
B. Original maps, i.e. those describing the geography at the time
they
were made. These will vary widely in scale - from a whole continent down
to a single farm. If you are searching for a smaller town or a village
you will need to find a map that concentrates on the area concerned. If
the scale is given, it may need to be 1:200,000 or larger [i.e. a
smaller figure].
Before you can look for an early map to help with your genealogy project
you may have to find the name of the region at the time concerned [see
above about using an 'historical' map]. Then see:-
Images of early maps on the
web. [You may want to check first the 'Large' sites (those with
several hundred images); then go the relevant continent/country/region.
Low resolution images will not allow you to read the place-names; seek
out sites which have 'medium' or preferably 'high' resolution images]
'East European
Maps' [a listing, by country, of the best maps for place-name research
purposes, by Thom. K. Edlund, 1999]. [See also this version].
See (if still freely available): <http://www.sltrib.com/homeandfamily/ci_3322600 > 'Finding
your name on the family map' (by Brooke Adams in the
Salt Lake Tribune, 20 December 2005 - about Holly Hansen's Georgia map collection, gathered for
family history purposes); and also 'Plastic Bins Can Help Save Precious Documents' (a series of articles by Sharon Tate
Moody, on Tampa Bay Online, dealing with the genealogical value of, e.g. Sanborn and topographical maps,
June-July 2008).
Also relevant is Melinda Kashuba, Walking with Your Ancestors: A Genealogist’s Guide to
Using Maps and Geography [in the USA] (Family Tree Books, 2005). ISBN 1-55870-730-1. See a
brief review in the Map Room weblog.
If your genealogical research starts with an old place-name and you
wonder where it is, try a gazetteer. This is a list of place-names,
usually indicating the current region/country to which it belongs, and
sometimes including historical information as well. If the name is
unlikely to have changed, try a modern Gazetteer. If that
fails, seek out an older gazetteer. An increasing number of historical
gazetteers are being mounted on the web. A search for 'gazetteer +
[region]' might well prove lucky.
You can also find useful historical information on the
composite Infoplease site. For
significant places and geographical regions, Infoplease may offer you
alternative texts, from an almanac and from the Columbia
Encyclopedia, 5th edition (1993). The latter's texts are closely
related to those in the Columbia Gazetteer of the World, ed. Saul
B Cohen, 3 vols (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998). A fully
searchable, subscription version of the Gazetteer, allows
direct searching of its 165,000 places. However, for historical
information about smaller places you will need to consult the printed
version of the Columbia Gazetteer. See also:-
'Placename Finder
(160,000 UK place-names, 'designed to help those who study Family
Histories', with a facility to search for surnames in relation to a given
place - from the Archaeological Resource Collection)
Created 29 January 2002 (and updated subsequently) - please propose new links to improve this section
