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Genealogy Research with Maps: OTHER MAPS

A guide to using maps available at The New York Public Library and elsewhere for genealogy research.

ABOUT

There are many different sorts of map, and most of them contain information that can be used by genealogists. We have already looked at fire insurance maps, and several other sorts of historical map. Let's consider a few more genres, as defined by the Library of Congress, then consider their uses.

EXAMPLES

Melinda Kashuba defines a topographical map as one that "describes physical features on the surface of the earth," the land—geographical features like mountains, rivers, lakes, and the coastline—but also man-made features like buildings, roads, railroads, and canals. Topo maps, as cartographers and map librarians often refer to them, tend towards accuracy, and are made using survey instruments, plane tables, field notes, and photography. They may be large in scale, and so rich in detail. Historically, topographical maps have been drawn by different public agencies: the General Land Office, the War Department, the Coast Survey and, since 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.).

Topographical map Sheet Nos. 99 & 100.[Include Mount Loretto, Red Bank and Princess Bay Light.] 1906-13

Sheet Nos. 99 & 100.[Include Mount Loretto, Red Bank and Princess Bay Light.] (NYPL Digital Collections)

NYPL collections of topographical maps numbers in the thousands, and includes maps of the United States produced by the U.S.G.S., early surveys of the West, coastal surveys, maps produced by the U.S. military, and earlier maps which, while not adhering strictly to the form, do still describe topography. Genealogists can use topographical maps to:

  • Locate cultural features: churches, cemeteries, fence lines, ruins, boundaries, buildings

  • Search for place names

  • Study migration for connections between places: trails, canals, roads and railroads

  • Find, in some cases, maps that show property boundaries, which lead to property deeds, tax, and probate records

  • Measure distances between settlements

  • Describe the physical landscape: Is it forested? Mountainous? Rural? Urban? Served by roads and/or railroads?

  • See how the landscape impacted our ancestors' lives. For instance, what kind of work did they do? Were they farmers, coal miners, ranchers?

  • See battlefields that might shed light on our ancestors' military experiences, in the Civil War, for instance.

The image is an old black-and-white photograph of a large, three-story brick building identified as the Girls' Dormitory and Home at Mount Loretto in Staten Island, New York. The structure features a symmetrical design with a central tower and multiple chimneys. The building is surrounded by a sparse grove of leafless trees, suggesting it might be taken in winter or early spring. In the foreground, a large body of water and a wooden dock frame the lower portion of the image.

Girls' Dormitory and Home, Mount Loretto, Staten Island, N.Y., c. 1920 (NYPL Digital Collections)

Sheet numbers 99 and 100 from the Borough of Richmond, topographical survey (1906-1913) include Mount Loretto, Red Bank, and Princes Bay Lighthouse in Staten Island. The map describes natural features including land elevation, fields, woodland, rivers, and the coastline, and manmade features; roads, property boundaries, and cultivated fields. Buildings are described in detail: what they are made of (stucco, brick, etc.), dimensions, use (barn, dwelling, garage), or even by name. St. Elizabeth’s Home [for Girls], on the grounds of the orphanage and vocational school Mount Loretto, Mission of the Immaculate Virgin, was the girl’s dormitory opened in the 1890s.

Sheet Nos. 99 & 100, Borough of Richmond, topographical survey, 1906-1913: Detail showing St. Elizabeth's Home for Girls, Mount Loretto.

Sheet Nos. 99 & 100, Borough of Richmond, topographical survey, 1906-1913: Detail showing St. Elizabeth's Home for Girls, Mount Loretto.

A fire insurance map of 1907 describes the orphanage, founded by Father Christopher Drumgoole in 1883, in great detail, identifying buildings including St. Joseph's Trades School, the Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne, various dormitories, a summer house, an infants' home, the Blind Asylum, St. Aloysius School, a shoe factory, a bakery, a kitchen, a fire station, and more.
The topographical map adds to the picture, as it describes the landscape in which the building is set. To the North of St. Elizabeth’s, we see the rest of the orphanage buildings, the hilly Mount Loretto, to the South Raritan Bay into which juts a wooden dock—perhaps a point of contact for the orphanage? To the West is an area of swamp, but surrounding much of the orphanage are cultivated areas including orchards, and roads that are described as made of dirt or cinder. To the East is the Princes Bay Lighthouse.

The image is a detailed map titled "Part of Ward 5, Borough of Richmond, City of New York," scaled at 400 feet per inch. It is labeled as Plate 21. The map primarily depicts regions such as Mount Loretto, Pleasant Plains, Richmond Valley, and Red Bank. It includes a variety of plots marked with numbers, property lines, and names of landowners. Color-coded plots and lines are used to indicate different sections or property boundaries. The southern edge of the map borders on Princes Bay and Raritan Bay. Streets and rail lines are shown, along with landmarks like “Mission of the Immaculate Virgin” and “Vail Farm.” The top right corner contains a reference to filed maps with a list of names and years, aiding in identifying specific sections within the map.

Plate 21, Part of Ward 5, Atlas of the Borough of Richmond City, 1907 (NYPL Digital Collections)

Viewed together, both maps—along with photographs, oral histories (see the comments section of this NYPL blog post), and pages from the census—create a powerful narrative of great interest to anyone whose ancestor was raised in the orphanage.

Mount Loretto ceased to be an orphanage in the 1980s and, sadly, St. Elizabeth's was destroyed by fire in 2000.

 

The image is a composite of several elements related to the Battle of Antietam. In the upper left, a black and white photograph of a man and a woman is shown, both dressed in period attire. Below the photograph, a newspaper clipping text is visible. To the right, there is a detailed historical map titled "Map of the Battlefield of Antietam" depicting the terrain and troop positions. The map is intricately illustrated with various lines, symbols, and notations, featuring rivers and topographical details. A section of the map is enlarged in an inset, highlighting the names of military units in a wooded area.

John L and Lucy Maria Stetson, 1857 (walkingthewestwoods.blogspot.com) ; St. Albans Messenger, October 9, 1862; Map of the battlefield of Antietam [cartographic material] by S.G. Elliott C.E., 1864

Studying military map can enrich narratives drawn from military records, historical newspapers, and regimental histories. Map of the battlefield of Antietam [cartographic material] by S.G. Elliott C.E.,1864 records the Battle of Antietam, fought September 17, 1862, between Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, and George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. 

Drawn two years after the battle, in 1864, the map shows the location of 5844 graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. Most are identified by regiment, but there are marked 47 single burials and 50 named individuals, including Lieutenant Colonel John L. Stetson of the 59th New York Infantry, shown above with his wife Lucy Maria Platt in a photograph taken in 1857. Stetson was the son of Congressman Lemuel Stetson, a pro-War Democrat from Plattsburgh, New York.  This remarkable resource confirms much of what is known about the locations of burial trenches from contemporary battlefield photos and period sketches.

The image is an old map segment depicting a network of land plots surrounding a central hill labeled "Whitney's Hill." The map is oriented with the top possibly denoting the north. It shows irregularly shaped plots with straight and curved boundaries, each marked with names and numbers. The map has hand-drawn details, including shading to represent elevation for the hill. Numerous names like "How," "Whitney," and "Woodward" appear repetitively across varying areas. Additionally, there is a small outlined church symbol in the bottom right corner. The terrain features contour lines to illustrate the steepness of the hill.

A map of the original allotments of land and the ancient topography of Watertown [proper], 1855 (NYPL Digital Collections)

Henry Bond’s "A map of the original allotments of land and the ancient topography of Watertown," drawn in 1855, is an early topographical map that describes original allotments of land. Because it names the owners of land in the map it might also be called a cadastral map.
It identifies by name the European settlers of Watertown and the first people to own property there, including one John Whitney, born Middlesex, England (1589-1673). According to probate records for Middlesex County, Massachusetts, John Whitney left land to  his sons John Whitney (1621-1692) and Richard Whitney (1624-1719) (April 3rd, 1673, 4:86-88), property that included "beever brook medow" and "plaine meadow" in Watertown. Bond's map shows where that land was and confirms who owned it. The map not only names the three Whitney men and the boundaries of their property, but also identifies a topographical feature, Whitney Hill, which occupies an area now known as Whitney Hill Park.
Like all good genealogy sources, this map poses new questions that suggest new avenues of inquiry. Is this hill named for the Whitney family, for instance? What records might answer that question?

The middle and later parts of the 19th century saw the development and rise in popularity of county maps and atlases. Paid for by subscription, county maps and atlases were cadastral (or plat) maps that described property ownership—and much more—in counties and the cities, towns, and villages therein.

Measuring almost 5 ft by 5 ft, Map of Ontario County, New York: from actual surveys / by S.N. Beers, assisted by D.G. Beers, 1859. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. The image is an antique map of Ontario County, New York, featuring detailed topographical and geographical information. The central map is surrounded by several smaller maps and illustrations. The main map outlines various townships with distinctive color-coded borders in shades of red, green, blue, and yellow. These borders demarcate the individual townships or regions within the county. The map includes numerous roads, settlements, and natural features like rivers. Around the perimeter of the map are additional insets providing detailed maps of specific towns, as well as black and white illustrations of prominent buildings and landscapes within the county. The overall appearance is detailed and intricate, typical of 19th-century cartography.

Map of Ontario County, New York: from actual surveys, 1855 (NYPL Digital Collections)


County maps were produced in the years before the Civil War. Map of Ontario County, New York : from actual surveys / by S.N. Beers, assisted by D.G. Beers of 1859 is typical. Measuring almost 5 feet by 5 feet, this single sheet map includes a survey of the county that records the location and names of owners of property in that county, along with boundaries, roads, canals, rivers, railroads, factories, cemeteries, churches, and other prominent buildings. Inset are detailed maps of the towns and villages of the county, along with business and resident directories (usually the subscribers to the map), and a handful of illustrations of the homes and businesses of subscribers, along with churches and other prominent local buildings. These are rich sources of genealogical data, beautifully describing names and places at a given point in time.

Map of Ontario County, New York : from actual surveys / by S.N. Beers, assisted by D.G. Beers, 1859, detail showing Canandaigua, and business and resident directories (NYPL Digital Collections)

According to Walter R. Ristow, in his book American Maps and Mapmakers: Commercial Cartography in the Nineteenth Century

"the popularity of county land ownership maps, of which some 350 were produced between 1851 and 1860, reflected the administrative and political importance of the county and towns in the lives of Americans." (403)

Illustrated historical atlas of Erie Co., New York from actual surveys and records / Frederick W. Beers & Co. 1880; NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1584471 The image is a title page for an atlas from 1880. The text is prominently displayed in an ornate, bold, and stylized font. The title is "Illustrated Historical Atlas of Erie Co. New-York," with the main focus on "Erie Co." which is in the largest font size. Surrounding the main text is decorative linework that adds to the aesthetic of the time period. The bottom of the page includes details about publication, specifying "Published by F.W. Beers & Co." and listing an address, "36 Vesey Street, New York." The color scheme is monochromatic, using shades of black on a beige background, contributing to the antique appearance.

Illustrated historical atlas of Erie Co., New York from actual surveys and records / Frederick W. Beers & Co. 1880. (NYPL Digital Collections)

A single map, no matter how large, can only hold so much information. And, as Ristow notes, "the wall map was difficult to handle and examine and was subject to rapid wear and attrition." (403).
Seeking new markets, and following developments in printing technology, the years following the Civil War saw the publication of county atlases. County atlases could contain all of the information found in a county map, but also added county, town, and village histories; biographies and portraits of prominent citizens and subscribers (often puff pieces); and more illustrated content. Whole pages could be given over to maps of towns and villages, and detailed lists of subscribers, as well as advertisements and, later, photographs of homes and people.

The Illustrated Historical Atlas of Erie Co. New York, 1880 includes:

  • A history of Erie County
  • A list of county officers, useful if your ancestor was a local official
  • Histories of individual towns in Erie County
  • Church, social, and educational histories
  • Illustrations of historic buildings, and subscriber homes and businesses
  • Portraits of influential citizens and subscribers
  • Advertisements

In addition to portraits and information about property, there are brief biographies of subscribers, arranged by town and then alphabetically, who do not feature elsewhere in the atlas. For instance:

Daniel Hall, born in 1833 in Oneida County, N.Y., came to Buffalo in 1871, and to Tonawanda [Erie County] in 1874. He married Mary Sagendorf in 1859. He is dealer in groceries, provisions, flour, feed &c. At Tonawanda, N.Y. (p.182)

Erie County Business and Personal Notices. [cont.] (NYPL Digital Collections)

The Library's collections include hundreds of county maps and atlases, a number of which have been digitized. Fire insurance maps form part of a research arsenal that might be called urban genealogy resources. County atlases that describe smaller towns and villages, for which there are no fire insurance atlases, offer a valuable source of information for researchers exploring the history of people and property.

Hamburg, Erie County Illustrated historical atlas of Erie Co. detail / Frederick W. Beers & Co. 1880 The image is a vintage map section showing a detailed layout of streets and properties in a neighborhood. The map displays a grid pattern with numerous rectangular blocks and various plots. Streets are highlighted with names such as "Buffalo" and "Lorence." Buildings are illustrated as small, filled rectangles, and some plots are marked with numbers and names, indicating property ownership or occupancy. A notable feature is a green shaded section labeled with "Roman Cath. Ch," indicating the presence of a Roman Catholic Church and school. A river labeled "NILE" with a curving path is prominent on the map's right side. The map is annotated with handwritten text depicting the names of individuals or businesses associated with particular properties.

Hamburg, Erie County, N.Y. p. 110 from Illustrated historical atlas of Erie Co. detail / Frederick W. Beers & Co. 1880

The image depicts a historical illustration of Kopp's Hotel in Hamburg, New York. The building is a large, multi-story structure with a trapezoidal shape, featuring numerous windows with shutters. The roof is topped with a small cupola and is adorned with an American flag waving in the breeze. The facade has "Kopp's Hotel" prominently displayed across the upper floor. In front of the building, several people are seen interacting and a horse-drawn carriage is passing by. The setting has a classic 19th-century architectural style, with additional buildings visible in the background and to the side, including one with archways. The street has light traffic with another horse-drawn carriage seen approaching.

Kopp's Hotel, Hamburg, N.Y., Geo. Kopp, Proprietor, p.112, from Illustrated historical atlas of Erie Co. / Frederick W. Beers & Co. 1880

Later county atlases include photographs and other fascinating genealogical tidbits. The Standard atlas of Woodbury County, Iowa, published by George A. Ogle & Co. about 1902, is typical of the genre and includes:

  • Photographs of subscribers and their homes
  • Advertisements for local businesses
  • A plat map describing property ownership
  • Biographies of subscribers, which includes information about when they came to Woodbury County

S. Boyles, Standard atlas of Woodbury County, Iowa / Geo. A. Ogle & Co.( 1902,1896). The image portrays a black and white portrait of a man and a young girl. The man, on the right, has a prominent mustache and short hair, and he is dressed in a formal suit with a tie. The girl, positioned slightly in front of the man to the left, wears a dress with intricate lace detailing and a large bow in her hair. Both are looking directly at the camera with neutral expressions. The photograph has a vintage appearance, with a subtle sepia tone indicative of aged prints.

Pictured above is one S. Boyles [sic], full name Sanford Boyle, a farmer, born March 1859 (according to the 1900 U.S. Census), in Kansas. The same census tells us that his wife Mary was born 1864 in Iowa, and their children are Edward, born 1891; Myrtle, born 1895; and Sylvia, born 1897. It seems likely the little girl in the picture is one of his daughters. 

Plate 51, Standard atlas of Woodbury County, Iowa / Geo. A. Ogle & Co. 1902, 1896 The image is a close-up photograph of a page from a directory or list printed in black text on yellowed paper. The text consists of names, occupations, and locations, with each entry separated by commas. The names are listed on the left, followed by the occupation, an initialism "S.", a number, "T.", location, "P. O.", and another location with a year at the end of each entry. The content appears structured and uniformly formatted, indicating a historical record or directory.

Plate 51 of the atlas  describes Boyle's  property in Lakeport Township, Woodbury County, east of the Missouri River and Nebraska. Boyle's home overlooks the Sand Hill Lake Bed, which intersects his land. The owners of the properties surrounding Boyle's farm are identified. and it's likely many are his neighbors. Elsewhere in the atlas, Boyle's biography states that he came to Woodbury County in 1878. This is important information for a genealogist trying to ascertain the whereabouts of an individual at a given point in time.

The image depicts an historical land survey map featuring several adjoining plots of land, each labeled with names and measurements. The left side of the map includes contour lines indicating elevation changes near a water body labeled "Missouri Valley F. Popp Land Co." Plots are divided by straight lines with various angles and are marked with names such as "S. Boyle," "W.D. Buckley," and measurements like "104.25." A red rectangle outlines a specific area on the map, enclosing parts of plots labeled "S. Boyle." The map is styled in black and white with handwritten text, displaying a formal layout typical of historical cartography.

Plate 51, Standard atlas of Woodbury County, Iowa / Geo. A. Ogle & Co. 1902, 1896