It’s truly amazing how much information is available online now. I started searching for genealogy online back in 1999 or so and I was stunned back then! Not only can you find transcribed records these days but there is a wealth of other information to help you create a “picture” of your ancestors.
Where they chose to call home plays a big role obviously in how their lives played out. You might discover that several related families lived near each other. Or perhaps you will find out how far away the nearest town was and you can imagine how often they went and how long it would take to get there. There is a lot that can be learned looking at old maps of the city, state, region or country your ancestor lived in. Fortunately for you, lots of folks with time and money on their hands have acquired or made available large collections of historical maps and put them online.
Here are some of my favorite sites with collections of historical maps online:
David Rumsey Collection – This is probably my favorite map site. He has a huge collection that is searchable by place and year. This is great for finding maps of your ancestors’ homeland from the appropriate time in history. Some of these maps can also be turned on inside Google Earth. Very cool if you get the chance to try it.
Perry-Castaneda Library – This is the University of Texas library collection. It’s a very large collection, also very good.
Library of Congress – These maps go back to the 1500s.
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