Cartography is defined as “the art and science of graphically representing a geographical area, usually on a flat surface such as a map or chart.”

There are several helpful videos on cartography that naturally lead into maps.⁠ [1] One by Robert C. Thornett provides information on the many ways we can use maps. He also introduces the topic of Geographic Information Systems, which is the next subject. A transcript of the video is also available on the site.

Legacy Tree⁠2 [2] has an excellent article on the historical maps of Europe.

Historical maps of Europe are an often underutilized resource in European genealogy research. We share a free tool that allows you to add European maps to your genealogy toolbox!

Most current genealogy programs have a map component.

In the USA, the Library of Congress has an excellent collection of maps available online. [3]⁠ For those who can travel to Washington, DC, a larger collection is available on-site.

Library and Archives Canada maintains its own collection of maps, which is available online. [4]⁠ For those who are able to travel to Ottawa, ON, a larger collection is available on-site.

For researchers of Europe, Arcanum Maps [3] presents an impressive collection of historical maps of Europe, including military surveys of the Habsburg Empire, country maps, cadastral maps, and thematic maps. It also features a 19th-century map of Africa, military surveys of the Habsburg Empire from various time periods (ideal for comparison), a 1941 military survey of Hungary, and a map of the United States of America (1880-1926). Several maps depict most of Europe.

Why use a map? Let me give you an example from my work:

I mentioned earlier Benedikt Günsberger, who was born in Salfa in 1803. Another ancestor is from Kõves Khút, both of which are located in Vas County, Western Hungary, not far from Szombathely. They seemed to be two different places—until I looked at a map.

On an 18th-century map of Europe, while exploring the region around Szombathely, Hungary, I discovered both names, but they seemed to indicate a single village. Why were there two names? If it hadn’t been for the map, I wouldn’t have realized that both ancestors were actually in the same geographic area, even though their villages had different names. This is one reason to use maps.

Another reason is to observe the changes in settlements, road networks, and most importantly, the emergence of railroads and the locations of railroad stations, especially if you have maps that represent different periods in time.

Let me give you another example from my work:

Since September 1871, a railway junction of national importance has existed in Kis-Czell (which became Celldömölk in 1904), just a short distance from Alsoság. My great-grandparents moved to Alsoság as a young married couple with a child between June 1, 1876, and March 15, 1878. I believe the larger family chose Alsoság for my great-grandfather’s settlement due to its proximity to this railway junction, as a means of expanding their mercantile opportunities.

There are also disadvantages to using maps. As mentioned in the Legacy Tree article, [2], changes in place names, borders and misspellings create difficulties in identifying a location. This is where a global geographic identification / location system comes in and could, eventually, assist our searches.

Journey North⁠ [6] has an excellent page about a universally used global address system.