Using Google’s Tools for Your Genealogy Research - Part 3, Annotated Maps

Google’s Maps feature has been a part of the Google search repertoire for awhile now. The availability of this maps feature is surely helpful to family history researchers, as they identify the locations that have relevance to current and past generations of their families.



A more recent addition to the services available through Google is My Maps., a feature with great utility for family history researchers. As explained in the My Maps user guide, this feature enables Google account holders to create maps that are annotated with custom placemarks, text, links, images and videos. The creator of the map can designate the map as a “public” map which can be accessed by others via Google search, or as an “unlisted” map which is available to those to whom the map’s creator provides the map URL.


As an example of the capabilities of Google’s My Maps, I’ve used My Maps to create the map that is embedded in this post. This map contains links to the growing list of custom search tools available here at GenealogyExplore.com. Click on the blue markers on the map for links to the search tools that are available for a particular country, state, or region.

Genealogy Search: Click on a blue map marker to find the genealogy custom search tools available for a particular country, state, or province.

For family historians, the My Maps feature offers a wide array of possible uses. For example, create a map and add placemarks for the locations where your ancestors lived. Add text annotations that tell the story of your family’s history. Add photographs of people, villages, houses, farms, churches, and other important locations. Add images scanned from census records, emigration records, naturalization records, information recorded in family Bibles, and other records. Plot the emigration path of your ancestors. Share the map with with your family, or with members of your genealogical society. Use the collaboration feature of My Maps to work collaboratively with other family members. Include videos from family reunions. Create a series of maps — a general map that provides an overview of the family’s history, with links to more particularized maps for regions or locations that are focal points for your family.

The Google My Maps feature is a powerful tool both for organizing your family history research, and for sharing that information with others.

For more information on using Google’s resources, see these previous posts:

March 9, 2008 | Filed Under Genealogy, Maps, research, search engines, search tools 

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