Be Sure to Look Next Door

Some lines on my pedigree are a mess.

I've tried to straighten them out, and so have hundreds of other researchers.  I'm not sure that they're any better than they were a few years ago.

They're all in a wad.

The family lines I am particularly thinking about are the Mullins, who lived in southwest Virginia and southeast Kentucky.  The main problem occurs because of family names that appear in every generation and are spread out among all of the cousins in that generation.  Evidently, some family names were greatly favored.

One thing I love about research is looking at maps.  They can give such a wonderful bird's eye view of a vicinity.

But, most maps don't show the hills and the hollers and the creeks and the valleys and the cliffs...you know what I mean.  It takes a different map for that.

Recently, I was trying to figure out why I wasn't having much luck finding some of my family in the records of Floyd County, Kentucky.  They lived in the southeast part of that county, and should have gone to the county seat of Prestonsburg.

However, I did find several records next door in neighboring Pike County, where the county seat is Pikeville.

Why?

This may be the answer.  Let's look at it closely.

The bottom star is the area where my family lived.

Prestonsburg is the county seat, just to the northwest of them.

Pikeville is just across the county line into Pike County.

A flat map wouldn't tell us much.  But, look at the detail of a topographical map from GoogleEarth.  When the map is enlarged, greater details emerge showing much more of the lay of the land.

It just may have been easier to go next door and pay taxes in Pikeville...which you could do...as opposed to the distance and the terrain to go clear to Prestonsburg.

Just some food for thought.

Mapping Our Family's History

I love maps!

I have always loved maps.  From the time I was a young girl, my father would place a road map into my hands and I would follow along the route, never once having to ask "are we there yet?"  He told me how proud he was that I could read a road map, for none of his sisters could.

Mr. Kerry and I taught our own children how to read maps, supplying them with their own mini-road atlas as we crossed the country.  Those children were very good at orienteering during their Army years.

But in tracing one's genealogy, it's nearly impossible to create an accurate history without using maps.  I have my own collection, and they are not up for borrowing in my family.  Y'all just get your own!

Once, when I was teaching a series of genealogy classes, the subject of using maps was being emphasized.  I brought some of the most important ones that I have that show nooks and crannies and creeks that contain family names in Carter County, Kentucky.  

One gentleman suggested to me that I needed a Hildebrand map.  Okay, what's a Hildebrand map?  He said just call the public library in Roanoke, Virginia, and they would direct me on how to get one.  

So, I did.  They said they had all of them, and wanted to know which one I wanted.  I didn't know, so I asked them what they had.  When she told me, I knew I had to have them all.  It would cost $96.  I asked if they took Visa, which they did not.  But, she said just send a check in the mail.  She would go ahead and send the maps.  My sisters shared the cost.

When they arrived, nothing else in my house got done.  Nothing.  I perused these maps for days - and I still do!  Mr. Hildebrand was a cartographer who lived in Virginia.  He devised these Settlement Maps that show the residences of people in the county, and the year they first appeared in the county.

The above map is for Franklin County, Virginia, and comprises the years 1786-1886.

How I wish there were more "Mr. Hildebrands" for all of the areas I research in!!  He has done a project that to me is more valuable than most anything else I have.  My sisters and I have spread these maps out and highlighted family members.  Months later, we return to the same map to highlight more.

Other states may have similar maps.  Some may be called a settlement map, others may be a simple plat map.

He's no longer alive so that I may personally thank him.  But, I will forever be indebted to him.

J.R. Hildebrand Settlement Maps

•Roanoke Farms

•Fincastle County

•Wythe County

•Town of Salem

•Original Grants, Roanoke

•Beverly Patent, Orange & Augusta

•Borden Grant, west of Blue Ridge

•Pulaski County

•Rockbridge County

•Franklin County

•Augusta County

•Botetourt County

•Bedford County

•Montgomery County

Roanoke Public Library
706 S Jefferson St. – Roanoke, VA  24016
540-853-2473

Mapping Our Ancestors

There is nothing I enjoy more than working with maps.

When my sisters and I are on a genealogy trip through Virginia and Kentucky, it is not unusual to find us all spread out on our beds in the evenings as we peruse maps of the area we are in.  Many of those maps are the type you can pick up at the local Chamber of Commerce or public library for no cost at all.

Those maps can take us into every little nook and cranny and hill and holler of these ancestral places.

Once, while giving a genealogy class on maps, a man raised his hand and mentioned that I needed to get some Hildebrand maps.  Okay.  What's a Hildebrand map?  He told me to just call the public library in Roanoke, Virginia and they would point me in the right direction.

So, I did.  And, they did.

Apparently, J. R. Hildebrand was a cartographer who meticulously drew maps of several Virginia counties.  It was hard for me to find out any more about him, as most google hits took me to a race car driver of the same name.

These maps are wonderful!  One map of Franklin County, Virginia has at least a dozen of my ancestors on it.  It covers the time period 1786 - 1886, includes the owner's name on each parcel of land, and the year he first appears in the county.

I realize this may be a bit difficult to view in this venue, but these maps are quite large (card table size) and easy to read.  My sisters and I would be lost without them, for we use a yellow highlighter each time we make a new discovery.

We ordered the entire set, which came to $96.  Here is a list of the maps available:

• Roanoke Farms
• Fincastle County
• Wythe County
• Town of Salem
• Original Grants, Roanoke
• Beverly Patent, Orange & Augusta
• Borden Grant, west of Blue Ridge
• Pulaski County
• Rockbridge County
• Franklin County
• Augusta County
• Botetourt County
• Bedford County
• Montgomery County

And I ordered them from:
Roanoke Public Library
706 South Jefferson Street
Roanoke, VA   24016
540-853-2473

Ask for J.R. Hildebrand Settlement Maps.  If they don't have them anymore, they can point you in the right direction.

My father taught me how to read maps.  He felt it was important, since neither of his parents or his 10 siblings could read a map.  In turn, when my own family traveled, my husband would outfit each of the kids with their own atlas and quiz them on how far it was to the next exit, the next rest area, the town we would be stopping at.  They were all excellent with maps and geography in high school, and when three of the four would enter the U.S. Army, their orienteering skills were impeccable.

Gotta love maps!

Winter Finally Arrived in Ohio!

After some really unseasonable winter weather, we finally got a taste of what we are generally used to! Oh, it's been a bit cold!!! But, I do like snow. I like the change of seasons. I love the smells and foods and clothes all associated with winter.

Our beautiful home in Ohio.

Kerry and I stay nestled up at home most days. If we do venture out, it's to get several things done on the same day. But, just because we stay at home doesn't mean we aren't busy. Kerry is constantly working on things he enjoys doing - writing in his journal, hoping for more books to be published, inventorying our food storage, etc.

These are the two books he has had published, and they are still available. If you would like one, go to www.publishamerica.net Notice his pen name.

Last week, we met sister Fern at a halfway point to gather up some stuff I need for some genealogy classes. We freely share back and forth. Of particular interest for me were some large maps of the British Isles and of Germany - the Palatine area. I will be teaching about immigrants from these areas, and these maps will be valuable. There are also charts on the families and clans of the British Isles. I think people will cluster around those!

Kerry's dad reminded his children to always keep their minds active and learning.  He was a great example of that very counsel, and Mr. Kerry has taken it to heart, too.  Kerry served a two year mission for our church, and mission president frequently reminded them, "When you're green, you're still growing.  When you're ripe, you're almost rotten."

I don't want to be almost rotten.  I want to be in a constant state of learning, and sharing that knowledge.  And, I've had some pretty good examples to learn from!