Every ancestor, at every moment, occupied a specific, physical location. Maps decode and amplify the significance of those locations by providing context and background information. This heavily illustrated lecture shows examples of the map types best-suited to genealogy, and the syllabus provides links to quality online sources for those maps.
Because maps are visual they can often make a place more vivid and show our ancestors' lives in new ways. For example, maps show the land's fertility (soil map), the waterways (physical map), the closest courthouse (political map) and the neighboring farm's owner (cadastral map). Specialized maps can document battle history, locations of teen mothers, oceanic shipping routes, Chicago before and after the fire, and Africa's real size, to name only a few.
Maps, and other geographical tools, help with identify or relationship questions by augmenting or even starring in proof discussions. Proofs and case studies which relied on map evidence in rural and urban settings will be dissected and explained.
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Syllabus
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Super Info.
Syllabus was extremely helpful. I haven’t used maps yet so this information is a great guide.
Thank you very much. One cannot work on genealogical research without the use of a map!!!!!!!!
The presentation was very interesting. This was my first Webinar with BCG. This gives me another avenue of how to work out a genealogical research question using maps. Thanks for the presentation.
The webinar was a very interesting topic with many examples given. Thanks for the detailed syllabus with many references.
There were a lot of good tips presented in working with deeds and mapping the lots.
This is one of the best webinars I have watched on mapping. Excellent presentation!
Very enlightening. I enjoyed the presentation very much. Thank you!
Very fluid and interesting presentation. Such wonderful explainations and ideas for research and proof.
Very good webinar, excellent speaker!
Very helpful to see the process for determining land ownership & inheritance with sketch maps on index cards in conjunction with deed language. Thanks!
Very informative, looking forward to viewing more.
Very informative. As a librarian of many years, I applaud the presenter for being copyright conscious!
Very informative. Has given me some ideas that I can use to further learn more about my own ancestors.
Very interestig… lots of info
Very interesting, good explanations
Very interesting. Made you think of maps in different ways.
Very thorough, good detail, showed how it applied to research
Well presented. Information was very informative and detailed and speaker has a lovely speaking voice.
WOW! Wonderful presentation! A lot to comprehend! Thank you! 🙂
Fascinating information. really learned a lot about maps and research
Good information about using maps in genealogy. I use them but not as much as I should.
Good information and well presented
Great information, I am going to watch this one again and again.
Great maps
Great overview.
Great resource in the syllabus. Very interesting overview. I will use historical maps to place the last known location of a ancestor who disappeared. Perhaps I can see on a map a new way to think about his possible records.
Great! Lots of information I never knew! Maps are even more important. Thanks 🙂
Great, well prepared.
Great. Thanks.
-have never had “formal training” in use of maps. . . what was learned in school is 6 decades old – rusted out! Thanks very much for this stimulating presentation.
I found some useful information and resources.
I have used maps on a smaller scale. Thanks for all the ways & places to find different kinds of maps.
I love maps!!! Great webinar.
I love using maps in genealogical research, but in attending this webinar, I see where I can actually use additional
varieties.
I loved the case study. Brings it all together
Interesting seminar. There is a lot to maps guidance!
Interesting.
It was very informative and she’s a great speaker.
It was very informative. Thank you.
I’ve always been interested in and searched for old maps; I also use Google Earth to get a feel for what the area looked like; ie: whether they lived near a river, on a hill, in the mountains, etc. Loved it!
I’ve always enjoyed maps, and what they could tell me about the country. I did not realize until tonight how much they can
help with finding family at different times. So this will be an journey that I will take. Thank you, I would like to thank
Sara for her great presentation!
Lots and lots of info.
Lots of area to cover, and Sara did it well (pun intended). The handout is a gem — I’ve used maps for my projects, but have nowhere near this many resources in my cheat sheet, so I’m a very happy camper now. Thanks Sara, and I hope you will give us an update when you finish your research!
Lots of Info when I haven’t really gotten into how to use what I have collected – more putting a picture out there rather
than absorbing what the picture is saying. Your presentation shed new light on how to keep the “sleuthing” compulsion going.
Lots of valuable information in this presentation about finding ancestors via maps. Great job.
Maps are a wonderful resource. I really enjoyed the lesser known maps that were discussed. Thank you!
Much more interesting than had expected. A lot of information available from many ‘new to me’ sources.
Never thought about all of these ways to find our ancestors. Sara presented this webinar in a very good way, she was
organized and I enjoyed her voice, very calming – thank you
Outstanding
Pleasant voice and well-spoken
Sara did a great job covering the wide variety of maps.
Sara did a wonderful. Nice pacing. Good examples.
Sara made a good case for using maps in one’s genealogical research and how they can be helpful evidence to support a proof argument.
Sara was an articulate presenter and gave good information about maps. I came away with new ideas on how to use maps in my research.
Scribner was a knowledgeable and delightful speaker. Thank you very much for this valuable free resource, BCG.
She was a great presenter and I am going to try to use maps in my research. Thank you!
So much detail acquired through maps. Thanks
So smart!
Some useful new thoughts about using maps.