Maps are essential reference resources for genealogical research. They provide a visual perspective of the spatial relationships of locations. They help us understand the physical proximity of our ancestors to specific natural and man-made features. They supplement our historical research by helping us see where our ancestors were located in relation to the sites of historical events and natural disasters.

More important, though, our use of historical maps from the time period when our ancestors lived in a particular locality help identify the geopolitical boundaries. Knowing what country, state, territory, county, parish, canton, census enumeration district, voting ward, or other political area helps identify the right spot for locating records created at the time and where they are likely stored.

Many people rely on resources on the Internet for both contemporary and historical maps. Certainly the Ancestry Map Center at Ancestry.com, the Perry-Castañeda Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, and the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection are brilliant online, digitized resources. However, your own research for your ancestors requires you to build at least a fundamental map collection. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let’s explore some types of maps that may be helpful to you.

General Maps and Atlases
Everyone’s research is unique because the origins of our ancestors, the migration routes they took, and the places they settled are all different. There are literally hundreds of types of maps, and you will have to choose those that make the best sense for your family research. Even so, there are specific general area maps that can form a core reference collection for you. These include maps with details of geopolitical boundaries, towns and cities, rivers, lakes, mountains, and other features. Such maps include:

• A contemporary world atlas
• A contemporary national atlas for the countries in which your ancestors lived
• Individual maps of states, provinces, territories, counties, provinces, etc. that show significant detail about populated areas and natural features
• A gazetteer or place name dictionary for the country or area where you are conducting your most significant research.

All of these can be found in bookstores, in online bookseller sites, and/or through many geographical and genealogical publishing companies. I get state and national maps through the American Automobile Association (AAA) with which I have a membership. Gazetteers and place name dictionaries also have been published and you can usually identify which one(s) you want and find used copies at online used booksellers’ sites such as alibris, Bookfinder.com, Biblio, and sometimes also on eBay.

Local and Regional Maps
You will certainly find more detail on local or regional maps to help you place your ancestors into spatial context. You may find atlases and gazetteers helpful or you may want to acquire other types of maps. Plat maps from county clerks’ offices may be helpful for property research, and the clerks may have older copies that they will sell cheaply or give away. I am also a real fan of state and county highway/road commission maps because they show primary, secondary, and unpaved roads and lanes, as well as natural features (rivers, streams, coastlines, mountains) and manmade features (churches, cemeteries, schools, government buildings).

Older maps are always to be found for sale at eBay. You can also search for maps at other online retailers’ sites.

Specialized Maps
There are many types of specialized of maps that may be of help to your research. Here are a few examples:

• Military maps are available in book and sheet form that show details of troop movements and battles of the American Revolution, the Indian Wars, the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, and others. These can provide visual details to supplement your knowledge of an ancestor’s participation.
• Migration maps showing routes for travel by sailing and steam ships, barges, horse, wagon, and railroad from various eras. (I made my own by purchasing a wall map of the U.S. and using different color felt-tip markers to indicate migration routes of family members or groups with which they migrated. I added dates and made a color-coded legend on the map and this visual aid reminds me where and when they moved around.)
• Historical postal delivery and shipping depot maps may show obscure and unincorporated towns and communities, as well as places used as central shipping or postal destinations -- including general stores and freight offices whose names or addresses appear on some genealogical documents.

There certainly are other types of maps you could use but this may give you an idea for some that may be of special interest to you. You can even adapt standardized maps to your own research needs as I did for the migrations map.

Organizing Your Collection
By now you are probably thinking that a map collection is going to bury you in more paper. Certainly that can happen if you let it. However, it is possible to organize these map resources in a logical fashion for easy reference.

I never file my maps with my surname files, not even if only one family was in that one place. I’ve developed a simple filing system that works for me. (You may organize your maps differently to match your research.) Here is what I have done.

1. Bound international and national atlases are on a shelf in my office, located close to my desk for quick reference.

2. I purchased archival-safe box hanging file folders that are nice and wide and can hold a good number of maps.
a. These are organized into geographic locations such as: U.S.-New England; U.S.-Southeastern States; U.S.-Midwestern States; U.S.-Southwestern States; U.S.-Western States; Canada; England and Wales; Ireland; Scotland; Scandinavia; Australia; Germany; Austria; Italy. Within each of these groups, I may have a folder labeled for a particular state, province, or region and maps filed inside. The folders I use for this are archival-safe paper or polypropylene folders or I may use top-loading sheet protectors. Into each of the folders, I may also place other documents that include local history information, details of boundary changes, and lists of repositories or online Web sites where I can find supplemental resources
b. Others maps are organized by type. This includes the military maps, migration pattern maps, postal maps, and any other maps that are of more general reference for a particular type of research.

3. Rolled maps can be a storage challenge, but one that can be easily overcome. “Tubular roll files” are available in many price ranges depending on the structural material used. Drafting supply locations have fiberboard, plastic-coated wire, steel wire, bins, and cabinet designs. My own choice was to use a simple, medium-size wrought-iron wine rack with space to hold 16 bottles of wine. The rack sits sideways atop a bookcase in my office with one rolled map resting in each bottle hole. One friend has stored her rolled maps in a large plastic storage box normally intended for gift wrapping paper. While it isn’t exactly archival-safe, she isn’t as concerned about these maps’ longevity, as she is about other irreplaceable items.

I also organize the online map resources I have found in a special Favorites bookmarks file called “Map Resources” and this is a sub-folder of my Favorites folder that I call “Reference.” You can then create sub-sub-folders, if you like, for general and then specific locations or types of online map resources.

Your Evolving Collection
Your map collection will grow over time, depending on many factors. Your research will dictate what maps are going to be most important and valuable to you. Starting with an atlas and then adding one map at a time, a gazetteer at a time, and other resources will ultimately grow your personal map collection. Remember, too, that public and academic libraries and archives can be a tremendous resource to visit for hands-on work with a wide variety of maps.

Happy Mapping!
George

ADN Editor’s Note: Couldn’t resist throwing in a couple of my favorite map links, being the map junkie that I am!

• MapPlanet
  This one is a bit new to me, but initial searches have been interesting. For more information, SearchEngineWatch ran an article featuring this tool on Wednesday, available here.
• Odden’s Bookmarks
  It is a database of all things cartographic. The collection can be browsed by type: maps and atlases, sellers of cartographic materials, map collections, carto- and geoservers, cartographic and geographical societies, departments of cartography, government cartography, libraries, literature, gazetteers, touristic sites and miscellaneous. A very cool tool to explore!

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