Research ancestral towns to better understand your family history

Sometimes, just knowing where your ancestors came from can tell you a bit about them. Actually visiting the place might tell you a lot.

If nothing else, review maps from earlier times. Figure out what side of town they lived on, or how close they lived to the docks, the railroad, or streetcars. I used the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps when interviewing my maternal grandmother and realized that her parents’ house was next to a store. When I asked her about it, she said they popped in every day for an ice cream treat. The map showed how close they were to a church and her school, so I asked her to show me her daily route and that lead to her showing me how she walked farther to her father’s office.

If your only information on locations is coming from the census, it may take some look into district numbers and name changes. In rural areas, you also need to learn the crops that were prevalent and how farmers might have dealt with them, and where the markets were. Did your people live near a resort or vacation spot? Did they have any leisure time?