For some reason maps have always fascinated me. Maps of all kinds. I have map books just because I like looking at them and learning about places. On this blog, we have written about how we have used maps for genealogical travel:
- Finding Cemeteries
- Genealogy Trip Planning
- Travel Planning for Genealogy Options
- Visiting a Family Cemetery
Looking at that list, I am beginning to see a theme. We do love to travel. Genealogy and history are the second and third reasons we go most places that we visit, the first being our children/grandchildren. Maps are not just for trip planning and finding cemeteries. Standard road maps and navigation apps and GPS are very useful for getting places we want or need to go, but there are volumes of other types of maps as well as map tools. Today I want to discuss a specific tool and highlight some features, and how we might use them.
We have done our share of genealogical research in England. One map tool that has been extremely valuable is England Jurisdictions 1851 from FamilySearch. Here are highlights of some of the data the tool provides. I chose Somerset and Midsomer Norton because in and around there is where my paternal ancestors lived.
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Family connections include Clutton, Chilcompton, Radstock, Paulton, Chewton Mendip, Wellow, and Bath. Looking at the various views and layers of the map, we can see how close these parishes were in 1851.
Part of the family was Wesleyan Methodist while others were Church of England. We can quickly see with the map which non-Church of England denominations were identified in each area (Image 6). We know when they began to keep each type of record and which jurisdictions covered the area. So we quickly know when we might find records, and where to look for them. The Options tab (Image 5) even has links to search for the records or to learn more from their wiki. I really like the Contiguous parish list (Image 6) and the (seemingly) simple Radius place search (Image 7).
We might find records in nearby places, but without knowing those places, dates, and jurisdictions, we might not know where to look. In our research we found records for a child in Chewton Mendip even though the family was in Midsomer Norton at the time. The child was staying with an uncle and cousins. This happens with some regularity.
Research benefits immensely from maps, or at the very least a basic knowledge, of an area. Parish chest records record movements from one place to another, but they do not give any indication of proximity or what else might have been nearby. Plus, as with all records, they are useful for certain periods. When researching it is important to know things that only maps can provide. England Jurisdictions 1851 can provide that information.
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If you need any help finding your ancestors, just let us know.
