Using Maps in Genealogy Though their names have changed, some of these places may be noted on an old map. The location of some others may be found in sources such as lists of abandoned post offices, local histories, government records, microfilm records, or clippings from old newspapers, old city directories, or old county atlases kept in the library archives of a town, city, or county in the region. If you find unfamiliar place names during your search, the U. S. Geological Survey can help. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the Nation's official data base of place names. The GNIS is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and can often provide information on name changes. This data base contains 2 million entries, including the names of places that no longer exist, as well as variant names for existing places. Getting Started and Marriage Records. If not, you can pur- chase a copy from the U.S. Government This automated system also contains the Maps are one of the many sources you Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. names of every type of feature except roads may need to complete a family tree. and highways. It is especially useful for Finally, online searching on terms such as genealogical research because it contains In genealogical research, maps can provide "genealogy" through any of the major World entries for communities, as well as for church- clues to where our ancestors may have lived Wide Web search engines (including es and cemeteries, even those that no longer and where to look for written records about www.yahoo.com, www.excite.com, and exist. them. Beginners should master basic genea- www.infoseek.com) or online bookstores can logical research techniques before starting to direct you to Web sites and other resources To use this free service, e-mail: use topographic maps. that can help. [email protected], telephone 703-648-4544, or write to U.S. Geological Introductory books on genealogy suggest Survey, Geographic Names, 523 National timesaving ways to plan, gather, organize, How Maps Can Be Useful Center, Reston, VA 20192. You can also visit and record findings. the GNIS Web site at geonames.usgs.gov. Once you've gathered as many facts To learn basic genealogical research tech- about family history and customs as possi- Constantly changing place names are not the niques, it's best to start with the most concise, ble, turn to maps to uncover more specific only challenge; the boundaries of many politi- easy-to-read books, gazetteers, articles, pam- information or to solve historical "myster- cal jurisdictions where early Americans lived phlets, and other sources that apply directly to ies." have changed one or more times. Some the kind of research you plan to do. American families lived in the same locale for Old and new maps can help you track down hundreds of years. Yet, their homes may have Books on the shelves of your local library may facts about a branch of your family. How? In been swapped back and forth a number of not include those that will best serve your pur- the United States, birth, death, property, and times between different political jurisdic- pose. However, many libraries and bookstores some other kinds of records are normally kept tionsCtowns, provinces, States, or countries. have the latest edition of Books in Print. Its by the county governments. If you can name subject guide gives the titles, authors, publish- the place where an ancestor lived, new or old This can greatly complicate your work. In one ers, and prices of hundreds of books on maps of that place may also show the county case, for example, the place where a family genealogy. seat where useful data about your kin can be lived for the entire 19th century was at various obtained. times part of seven different counties. In such Many libraries also have directories that give a case, you might have to query all seven the names and addresses of local, State, Old maps can be particularly useful in this courthouses to obtain data needed about mem- regional, and national associations of genealo- regard because pinpointing the name of the bers of the family. Records or copies of gists, historians, and ethnic groups. place where an ancestor lived can be like try- records were rarely acquired by a succeeding ing to hit a moving target. Many towns, coun- county. You may also find a copy of the pamphlet ties, cities, and even countries have experi- Where to Write for Birth, Death, Divorce, enced numerous name changes over the years. Similar but even more complex problems arise when you must search for personal records in U.S. Department of the Interior USGS Fact Sheet 099–02 U.S. Geological Survey September 2002 the archives of faraway lands. The names and help you gain access to the rich holdings of the Township Atlas of the United States: Androit boundaries of countries seem to be forever in USGS, National Archives, and the Library of Associates, McLean, Va., 1979. flux, and many public and private record cen- Congress, and to international sources of maps ters disappear or move from place to place. and other resources needed by genealogists. A Series of County Outline maps of Southeastern United States of the Period Libraries of local historical groups may be 1790C1980: Department of Geography, Finding the Right Maps your best bet to find some resources, such as University of North Carolina, 1973. old city and business directories; old city, To find useful maps, you must have strong county, and regional atlases; and files of obitu- clues as to where and when your ances- aries and other articles from microfilm copies For information about place names around tors lived. of local newspapers. the world, try any of the following: The best maps for your purpose are ones that: The reference sections of many libraries also Chambers World Gazetteer: ACZ of have these useful directories: Geographical Information: Cambridge show in great detail an area around the University Press, 1988. place where your relative lived; Directory of Historical Societies of the United States and Canada: American Association for Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World: show its location within a county or other State and Local History, Nashville, Tenn., Columbia University Press and J.B. jurisdiction; and 1990. This directory lists about 1,000 sources Lippincott, 1962. in a genealogy index. name and show the borders of neighboring Gazetteers and Glossaries of Geographical areas Official Museum Directory [American Names of the Member Countries of the United Association of Museums]: National Register Nations and the Agencies in Relationship with A plat book in a town hall or county court- Publishing Company, Wilmette, Ill., 1989 the United Nations: Bibliography, 1946C1976: house or an old fire insurance map may show Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1984. an outline of your ancestor's house and its Your local librarian may also be able to sug- placement on you ancestor's property. gest someone who has access to sources such Names on the Globe: Oxford University Press, as Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, New York, 1975. Such maps should help you picture where your 1790C1920: Genealogical Publishing relatives were born, resided, attended school, Company, Baltimore, 1988. This 445-page Parish Maps of the Counties of England and worked, shopped, voted, traveled over land or book shows all U.S. county boundaries from Wales, Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical water, courted, married, raised families, and 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps, Studies, Logan, Utah: Everton, 1977. were laid to rest. You may need later maps of old county lines are superimposed over mod- the same area or other places to track down ern ones to highlight boundary changes in 10- Shtetl Finder: Jewish Communities in the 19th ensuing generations. year intervals. and Early 20th Centuries in the Pale of Settlement of Russia and Poland, and in Maps usually suggest some patterns of settle- Lithuania, Latvia, Galicia, and Bukovina, with ment and movement and rule out others. For Separate books or papers have been pub- Names of Residents: Heritage Books, Bowie, example, topographic and other relief maps lished about the "genealogy" of each of a MD., 1989. may show hills or mountains that impeded large number of States, counties, and migration or access to certain areas. Rivers other areas. For national place name reference help, bridged now may not have been bridged when try the following: kin lived nearby. Yet, a river can aid migratory For example, Abstracts of the Earliest Wills travel because sometimes it is easier to travel Upon Record in the County of Suffolk, Biography of Place-Name Literature, United on water than through dense forests and under- Massachusetts: Genealogical Publishing States and Canada: American Library growth, and it is even possible that your ances- Company, Baltimore, 1984. Association, Chicago, 1982, 3d ed. tors traveled by waterway to market, to attend church or school, or to pursue a host of other Surnames in Ireland, Special Report On National Gazetteer of the United States of interests. [together with] Varieties and Synonyms of America, Concise 1990, U.S. Geological Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland: Survey Professional Paper 1200-US: U.S. Maps covering larger areas may suggest vari- Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, Government Printing Office, Washington, ous kinds of trade, employment, and social, 2 v., indexed, 1901, 1909 (reprinted 1988). D.C., 1990. recreational, or other interactions among the peoples of neighboring towns, settlements, or Geographic Names and the Federal other locales. Analysis of such maps may Historical atlases can also prove useful.