A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. If that's true, I
think we could cut back on the number of words out there by making a few more
pictures. In particular, I think we can make maps that show the migration paths
of our families, and gain a different understanding of their lives. This is
not strictly an American pursuit—but the US is a country where everyone
came from somewhere else. We are truly a nation of wanderers. Let's talk about
what a "family migration map" is, where you can look at a couple of
examples, and how you can make them.
Family Migration Maps
A "Family Migration Map" is a document that shows how a family moved
from one place to another. Each "point" typically is labeled with
some combination of a name, date, and place, along with a note to identify the
event being mapped. For example, one point might be labeled "Rutherford
Co., VA. 1750-1800." Or "Miami Co., OH. 1830 Census." Or "Marion
County. Born 1805."
The idea is to show, at a glance, how a person or a family moved around—and
by implication, where to look for land records, census records, wills, estate
papers, and the like. For example, Malachi Sharbrough was found in Pasquotank
County, North Carolina, on the 1790 census, and in Alabama on the 1810 census.
On the 1800 census he was in western North Carolina, in Guilford County.
Beware of the temptation to connect your dots with straight lines. We have
a tendency in the U.S. to think that people and baseball teams only move west.
Many people don't remember the lesson of the St. Louis Browns, who moved east
to become the current Baltimore Orioles.
Further, beware of the temptation to think that people only moved from Point
A to Point B one time. Lilburn Scott moved from Missouri to Oklahoma in the
Second Run, but gave up his claim and moved back to Missouri the second time
that the wind blew away all of the seeds that he had planted. The next year
he moved back to Oklahoma and rented a place. Those events might have complicated
my map, but they told me a lot about the people I was researching.
Many families who lived near the Mason-Dixon line moved temporarily. Garner
Bobo moved his family north from Carroll County, Arkansas, into Missouri during
the War Between the States. He and his wife were divorced during that time,
and they later moved back to different places in Arkansas.
Just keep adding information until your map looks cluttered, and then take
some off.
Online Examples
There are several good online examples of migration maps. Here are five that
I found in just a few minutes.
Grimes Family Migration. Grimes Family Genealogy.
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~grimes/migration.html
Ohio Migration Trails. Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman.
homepages.rootsweb.com/~maggieoh/Gwen/migration.htm
Quaker Migration Routes. Kindred Keepsakes.
www.rootsweb.com/~quakers/migration.htm
Migration Map Project. Melody Lasalle.
www.islandroutes.com/articles/octfhm2.shtml
Crook Migration Path. Crook Genealogy.
www.geocities.com/janie_gg1/Migration.html
Five Ways to Make Them
--- You can get out an atlas, trace the outlines of the states or counties involved,
and write in what you want to add. This is an effective way to get the graphic
you want, but like the old handwritten group sheet, it has to be completely
redone when it changes significantly.
--- You can use the Microsoft Map with Excel. Click on the blue globe in the
toolbar, and choose the appropriate map, such as the United States. Then draw
a box for the map to be displayed in. If you only want a part of the U.S., zoom
to 250% or 400%. Then use the buttons on the Mapping Toolbar to reposition the
map to suit you. Add labels and push pins, and you have a map.
--- You can step up to Visio, a Microsoft diagramming program. Visio has images
for arrows, boxes, office furniture, and many states and countries. If you drag
the states you like to the map, you can get creative and leave the space between
them empty. That helps emphasize the information you want.
--- You can use Mappoint and Excel to make a data-driven map. Mappoint will
allow you to customize a map very creatively. You can make a spreadsheet that
shows the state, county, and the note you want posted. Then you can link the
spreadsheet to the map. This will allow you to change the colors of the counties
where your ancestors lived. With all the highways, this kind of map can get
very busy.
--- You can use the online mapping features of the U.S. Census and USGS GNIS
pages. The census maps are in the public domain, and you can find maps for various
regions and "paste" them together to make a big-picture Migration
map. The Crook Map is based on this technique.
The RootsWorks site contains examples of migration maps created using Excel,
Visio, and Mappoint.
A few years ago, there was a program from Parsons Technology called "Family
Atlas for Windows." It would map all of the locations in a GEDCOM file
specified by the user. That would be a great way to get a glance at the migration
of a family. I can't find that program on the Broderbund site with the other
Parsons software today. I wonder if it still exists.
Other Useful Links
RootsWorks Migration Maps. RootsWorks.
www.rootsworks.com/migrationmaps
Census Bureau. Census Tiger Maps are public domain.
www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tigermap.html#IMAGE
Cyndi's List Migrations.
www.cyndislist.com/migration.htm
Migration Maps. Routes and Routes.
www.rootsandroutes.net/migmaps.htm
Copyright 2003, MyFamily.com. The RootsWorks series of articles focuses on genealogical
applications for generic technologies. Beau would like to hear from you. Whether
you have something to add or something to ask, please point your browser to www.rootsworks.com/forums
and discuss this or any topic related to the use of technology in family history.
Tell us about your mapping experiences. Please note that he cannot assist you
with your individual computer problems. Beau is scheduled to speak in Dallas in
September, and in Des Moines in October. Visit the RootsWorks website (www.rootsworks.com
) for links to previous articles and Beau's lecture schedule.
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