Map Your Ancestors

Sample Map

A new beta Web site allows you to map your ancestors' paths.  F!ND allows free access to many constantly updated maps from reputable sources, such as the British Ordnance Survey and Google.  The site offers a toolkit which allows you to draw on the maps and to insert text and graphics.   It also allows you to measure, style, and color and to print finished maps or save them as PDFs.  The "Your Google Map" tool allows you to custom color every map feature.

After you select a map and a location, you can examine an area in which your family members lived or create personalized maps showing, for example, the geographical movements of an individual family member, the distribution of different family members, or the locations of graves.

The Help page shows some sample uses of the site's customization features.  Map layers also contain additional information, such as administrative districts.  Most of the features appear to be only for the UK, but you can create maps for other locations also.  This site, which is for noncommercial use only, is a free offering from a commercial mapping company.