tate. Looking at these type of maps, researchers can easily see how ancestors followed rivers in their migrations or why they settled on land that could be farmed.
Almost all towns and cities have tourism offices or a Chamber of Commerce. Employees of these agencies are knowledgeable about their area. Contact them for brochures that have pictures or historical information about the area. You may be shocked to learn that your ancestor's home turf was flat and not rolling hills. These agencies can also provide you with information on local individuals with an interest in history. Check with your own Chamber of Commerce for addresses of those in other areas or check the Internet site at http://chamberofcommerce.com/.
A good Internet source for historical, geographical and genealogical information on states is the American Local History Network at http://www.alhn.org/. A variety of links can be found at this site which will produce everything from photographs to maps and social information.
Another method of locating information on communities and counties is to put the location name into a general Internet search engine. Some of the hits may contain information along with photographs and maps.
The keeping of records differs from county to county and state to state. While history and geography had an impact on your ancestor's lives, the government did also. Your research will develop and be more complete if you have a general idea of where land was located, the history of the county, along with the government structure. Brief information in these areas can be found in The Handy Book for Genealogists and Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources.
If you are puzzled about the laws, customs or government structure in a particular state or county, contact the state archives or library. The Library of Congress: State Library Web Listing at http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/library/statelib.html, provides links to web pages for state libraries. A helpful site for locating state archives is the State Archives Referral List at http://www.sos.state.ga.us/archives/rs/sarl.htm. Links, addresses and phone numbers are supplied at both of these Internet sites.
Maps, either free or at a nominal fee, can be obtained from state agencies, such as departments of transportation or tourism. The State Transportation Web Sites is at http://fhwa.dot.gov/webstate.htm. For a list of State Tourism Offices, check out http://www.infoplease/ipa/A0004586.html.
With such diversified information available for genealogists, it should be no problem to share turf with your ancestors. Don't just fill in the blank with a location ... learn about it.
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