Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Using maps isn't the first resource to jump to mind when I'm researching my ancestors. Sure, I often pop over to Google to see how far apart a couple of cities may be, but I don't really enjoy using maps as a whole. I also frequently plug in a zip code and ask Google to tell me the county it's located in. But this only tells me where the cities or zip codes are now. Often, it's more helpful to know where they were in the past. There's no denying boundaries have shifted over time and having a research tool to assist when questions arise is important. One site I've visited, with easy to use features for the United States, is the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries from The Newberry Library (Dr. William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture). This site is totally FREE.

From the website:

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like returns of elections and censuses, and for people working on state and local history projects.

The core of the site is the interactive map (conveniently located on the homepage). You can easily explore historical boundary changes over time, as well as find much more detailed information on these changes. There are detailed instructions (along with videos) on using and navigating the maps. And there's a FAQ section for additional information. They also provide downloadable GIS, KMZ, and PDF files with explanations on the uses of these files.

Searching is simple and straightforward. Just click on a state from the map on the main page or use the search box to select one. You'll be presented with maps, indexes, chronology, sources, commentary and downloads. Each section is clearly indicated and they're all displayed on one page for easy access. Within the maps, you can further select a time period for the historical borders you want to learn about (one of the best parts of the site!) Using my home state of Maryland as an example, I could see boundary changes ranging from 1638-1997. I can't fit all the date changes into a single image because there are so many it needs a slider, but this gives you an idea of how it appears. (For such a small state, we sure had a lot of boundary changes.) Having all this information in a single, easy to use place is just the kind of tool I need! 

The county chronologies include dates of creation, name changes, and boundary adjustments. This helps genealogists and family historians identify where records may be located over differing time periods. This can be helpful when searching for censuses, land deeds, probate records and much more. Each state has a historical commentary section providing context and further explanation for boundary changes. Understanding why boundaries changed may offer further insight into historical events impacting your ancestors lives (including why they may have migrated to other areas).

Maps will probably never be my favorite research tool. But as with all tools, it's important to know they exist and the times we may want to use them. One could search for ages for records in a given area, but if the particular location wasn't the same in the past, all those search efforts may be in vain. Finding a city shifted counties in the past could potentially be a brick wall buster! By utilizing the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (linked in my Genealogy Toolbox under Mapping) you can enhance your family history research, gaining a clearer picture of where to find historical records and understanding the geographic context of your ancestors’ lives.  

Image by pinkzebra from Pixabay