Follow Friday - Sanborn Maps

I love maps and I think that maps are extremely helpful in your genealogy research. They help you see your ancestor in relationship to others. They help you see their community. They might help you discover the neighboring counties or states.

So when I saw the Kimberly Powell article on about.com on Sanborn maps, I was very excited.  You can read about it here.

Here is an example of the 1886 map I found of Jeffersonville, Indiana in Clark County. These are in full color!

1886 Sanborn Map of Jeffersonville, Indiana, sheet 3. This is from Indiana University Herman B Wells Library Map Collections

The maps do not have resident's names on the buildings, but there are addresses, so if you know their address, you might find the outline of their house. Also you can look for their church or place of business. These are usually in the index on the first sheet.

So check out these maps. On Kimberly's blog there is a list of states with available Sanborn maps.


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