I have several levels of maps in hard copy--an inexpensive compact world atlas, the latest map of France from Triple A, a sixties-vintage world atlas that's as big as a coffee table--and the Concise New York Times Atlas of World History (not sure of name, and I'm moving so it's packed already) which has specialized maps (with battles, migration patterns) plus textual commentary. If I can't find what I need on those I go to the library for the big old atlases on stands. I also do web searches if I need something specific (say, the Franche-Comte in the year 'The Red and The Black' was written.) Sometimes I am lucky and find it--most times in fact, or at least something close. Of course the more detailed the map (especially old handdrawn ones) the longer it takes to download, and some folks don't have very fast Internet connections. I have always wanted to own the oversize Atlas of World History but it's over 200 and have never been able to afford it. For areas like Alsace that have changed hands so most towns have at least two names, the French and the German versions, I would suggest getting the most detailed current maps you can find, probably the Michelin maps, and looking for a specialized history that has good maps of the changing borders and, ideally, a gazeteer listing both names. I can't emphasize how important it is to know what's where now and who it belonged to then in the periods you are researching. Even within the US I have known amateur genealogists to waste time wondering about an ancestor's supposed 'move' from one county to the next, when actually the county boundaries changed and the ancestor stayed put. It would also be unfortunate not to realize that ancestors born 20 years apart in what looks like two different towns in different countries were born in the same town and one is a German and the other a French version. I have been afflicted since childhood with 'cartophilia'--the love of perusing maps--probably because when I was 3 we moved from Ohio to Arizona and I played 'navigator' for my single mother who was driving. The names of the places we went to are burned into my memory--Junction City, Abilene, Albuquerque, Tucumcari, Flagstaff. Some day I'm going to have that oversized historical atlas :). -- "...we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..." ~Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940 ---------- >From: "Robert W Fay" <madgrad77@clsurf.com> >To: HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [HWE] Useful Maps >Date: Sat, Mar 24, 2001, 2:51 PM > > Hi Chris and all, > > Yes, thats a good suggestion, and I have been looking for > these lately at the library but will probably have to buy one > or several. The problem seems to be finding a useful, > accurate, detailed map. > > Are there any highly detailed maps online, and if not, what > very detailed contemporary maps do you recommend? > Even better, are there any detailed maps available from > the 16th and 17th century? > > Thanks, > Bob Fay > > > > I would also suggest that >> anyone researching the Huguenots have not only a highly >> detailed contemporary map of France and any other countries >> their families moved to or through but also a historical >> atlas, since some areas that are now in one country were >> then in another. > > > > ==== HUGUENOTS-WALLOONS-EUROPE Mailing List ==== > Announcing new web site for Huguenots-Walloons-Europe list! > Lots of information, links to other sites, surnames list! > Visit the web site at: http://www.island.net/~andreav/index.html > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB >