One of the essential tools in a genealogist’s toolbox is the map. Maps are visualization tools for geographic features on the earth’s surface, ultimately aiding in finding patterns. They take a 3D world and place it in a 2D space while interpreting the phenomenon of interest. Maps come in various flavors, each created for a specific purpose. Which such a variety of offerings, knowing where to find maps and how to use them are important skills for serious researchers.

So, just what type of genealogical questions can be answered using maps? Here are my top 10 ways to use maps in family history research:

1. Finding locations

This is probably the most obvious use. Genealogists rely on maps to tell them where a place is in the world and where it is in relationship to the surrounding area. Homesteads, plantations, churches, cemeteries, streams, lakes, bridges, roads, mountains, businesses – you name it. All features can and should be located on a map from the past (if possible) and on a modern map of the area. Simply plotting locations of where your ancestors lived may prove insightful, especially if you are untangling a complicated family.

2. Direction and distance

One you know where something is located, it can also be helpful to know where it is in relationship to other people or places. One of the more popular examples for understanding this concept is the “courting” distance. Finding the locations of where a couple lived before getting married may help resolve any conflicts there might be with the identity of a spouse. If one Jane Smith lived two townships away and another Jane Smith lived only one mile away, then you might be able to use that as evidence to support identifying one Jane Smith over another as the correct spouse.

Direction and distance between locations can also provide insight into the daily lives of your ancestors. How long did it take to get to church or a store? A family may live only a half a mile “as the crow flies” on the map from a church but if there is a mountain between them, then they would have had to go around it to get there. That may not be the church they attended at all.

3. Routes of travel or migration routes

The particular route an individual or family took to get from one place to another can probably tell you something about the physical landscape and/or the mode of transportation. There are reasons why certain routes were used by thousands of people on the move (such as the Oregon Trail). Someone scouted out the best way to navigate the topology and resources (water and food supplies) for the easiest journey.

On a more local scale, using old maps to identify where the roads used to be may offer insight on how long it took to move about the county or whether or not the roads might still exist.

4. Political boundaries

Political boundaries are ever-changing and it’s crucial to your research to know where the boundaries were at the time your ancestors lived in the area. This could be at the county-level here in the US (particularly in the early years of the country) or it could involve national borders, such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Does any one else have an ancestor who told the census enumerator in different years that they were from Austria, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, and Germany?

5. Depiction of the physical landscape

People chose to settle in certain places due to the physical features in a location that provided them with the best advantages. Coastal communities prize natural harbors and navigable waters inland for movement of people and commerce. Further inland, the soil might be the draw for the emigrant dreaming of land of his own to farm. Mountains, swamps, floodplains, prairie, streams — all had advantages and disadvantages depending on what the goal of your ancestor was. As researchers studying past lives, understanding the impact physical surroundings had on how your ancestors lived should not be glossed over. I would also include climate in this category as this affects the growing season and ability to travel.

6. View changes over time

In some places, the landscapes looks incredibly different now than it did 200 years ago. Referencing maps from several time periods can give you a sense of the changes that have taken place both in the natural and built environment.

7. Land ownership/property boundaries

If you are chasing down deeds, I hope you are also plotting them on a map! There is no better way to gain perspective on the geography of your ancestor than learning how to plot surveys and deeds. This will show you where their was located and what type of features (streams, springs, etc.) were on or near the property. You can also follow how the property was sold and divided up over time to track later generations.

8. Neighborhood reconstruction

While you are plotting your ancestor’s land, plot the neighbor’s land too. Building out the “neighborhood” is one component of studying the FAN club (friends, neighbors, and associates) for the ancestor of interest. Proximity to other people can inform you of who friends and family might be.

9. Heritage tourism planning

This is probably one of my favorite parts about being a genealogist. Traveling to the places where your ancestor’s once called home is a thrilling experience. Even if the home no longer exists, you might be able to find the land, a cemetery, local history museums, restaurants that serve authentic local cuisine, or maybe even a road with your surname! Before you go, however, try to make a plan ahead of time, plotting each location on a map—preferably using Google or another online mapping service. This way you can search and save locations in order to make the best use of your time.

10. DNA and geography

All of the major DNA companies (FamilyTreeDNA, Ancestry, 23&Me) provide maps depicting the general areas that your DNA ancestors probably lived. The maps can give you an overall sense of where your ancestors lived throughout the world, which can make a great visual impact (with the understanding that ethnicity estimate are improving but they are still estimates). Ancestry now also had their genetic communities feature which drills down even further.

Beyond the ethnicity maps, you should also be looking at the locations that are given by your matches in their profiles, particularly if you are dealing with unknown ancestors. The locations combined with DNA analysis techniques such as triangulation can give you some very powerful clues to the missing ancestor.

What are you waiting for? Go find those maps! Let me know in the comments if you used a map to solve a genealogy problem!