Fortunately for us, there is help on the Internet. But, it can take a bit of digging. First, we need to pinpoint our ancestor's location within a time frame, then find the historical information we need.
I wandered around the genealogical Internet in search of an easy route to find what you need. Genealogical Sources on the Internet provides a quick way to get to the information that you are looking for. Scroll down to the list of states. That will take you to GenWeb and other state historical resources. Don't overlook the mailing lists. Subscribing to the one for your target location can get you details about the area that will save you vast amounts of research time.
Historical maps are another resource, and fun, too. Ones that show roads and trails from a time when travel options were limited are a wonderful clue to the movements of your forebears. Two such maps are US Scanned Map of 1834 and Exploration Map of 1850.
I discovered that cartographers are busy on the Web. In fact, I was overwhelmed. Here are a couple of good places to start homing in on your location: United States Atlas 1895 and The University of Texas at Austin's List of Historical Maps of the United States. For a unique view, take a look at The Panoramic Maps Collection by the Library of Congress, 1847-1929.
Until next week, I hope you have as much fun as I did looking at maps.
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK: Read the book online - Beginner's Guide to Family History Research, by Desmond Wall Allen & Carolyn Earle Billingsley.
Next week: Help in finding locations outside the United States.
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