Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Maps are an integral part of any genealogist's toolbox. They can help when trying to pinpoint ancestors' locations in the midst of boundary changes. They can also bring to light factors which may have affected the lives of your ancestors.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps first appeared in 1867. Originally designed as a tool for insurers to assess risk and determine fire insurance premiums, they are now used by genealogists to see the towns their ancestors are from. In some cases, researchers may even be able to locate an ancestor's home, which may no longer exist in the present.

The UC Berkeley Library has put together a listing of available Sanborn and other fire insurance maps. The list is broken down by US state, with additional links for British Columbia, Quebec and Mexico. Clicking on a particular link will take you to a breakdown of cities available in that particular state or area with a note of which institution currently holds the maps.

If you go back to the front page and click on the owning institutions link, it will give you a list of the institutions, some of which are linked. I know for a fact that some of the ones that aren't linked are available for viewing online so it's worthwhile to do a quick internet search if you find one you're interested in. I've included a few below that I'm aware of.

Georgia Sanborn Maps via Digital Library of Georgia
Kentucky Sanborn Maps via Kentuckiana Digital Library
South Carolina Sanborn Maps via University of South Carolina Libraries

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Free Genealogy Resource for Revolutionary War Records

Many of us can trace one, if not more, ancestor back to the Revolutionary War, which was fought from April 1775 to September 1783. Because today's free genealogy resource is a volunteer effort, they have chosen to limit their information to those that fought in the Southern Campaign or to those living in the states of Virginia, the Carolinas or Georgia.

Southern Campaigns offers both Revolutionary War pension statements and rosters. These are provided by volunteers who have taken the time to transcribe the original documents for inclusion on the site. If you would like to participate in the project, information on the process is in a box near the top of the linked page.

You can search or browse for your ancestor. Once you find the name you're looking for, clicking on it will load a PDF file that contains the transcription of the document. You will need Adobe Reader (a free download) to be able to view the files.

One thing I like about the search feature is that it doesn't just search for your ancestor's statement. It also searches for them in all the transcriptions of the site. So even if no one has transcribed your ancestor's records yet, you still get results if they are mentioned in someone else's records.

Pension statements can offer a wealth of information, not just genealogy facts. In addition to dates and locations, the statement may also include information on their activities during the war, as well as after the war. It's really quite interesting to read, even if your ancestor isn't included in the records to date.

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Where to Find Free Revolutionary War Records

Military records are often a good source of genealogy information. These free genealogy resources are for researching ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War. Please note that not all states are represented here because some are only available through subscription sites such as Ancestry.

Georgia Land Lottery-In 1820, 1827 and 1932, there were land lotteries in Georgia for veterans of the Revolutionary War. While not all veterans were included in these lotteries, many were. The index is free to search. If you do find your ancestor, you will be able to learn their county of residence, the county in which the lottery was drawn, the lottery participated in, the date their land grant was issued, the land lot number, district and section.

Kentucky Revolutionary War Warrants-Many veterans of the Revolutionary War were paid in land, rather than cash. This database will give you the warrant ID, veteran's name, their rank and unit, their assignee (if applicable), the size of the land warrant, and the date. If the land warrant was authorized, details will be given. At the bottom of the page, you will find the actual document. It is important to note that the warrant does not list the actual location of the land.

West of Tennessee River Military Patents-After the Jackson Purchase in 1818, some of the Kentucky war veterans settled in the area covered by these patents. This database will give you the patent ID, the grantee's name, the surveyer's name, the acreage of the grant, dates, the warrant ID, and the general location of the land. Clicking on the color images link will bring you to a page with all the associated documents.

Maryland Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service-While this database does not include every Revolutionary War veteran from Maryland, it does cover a large number of them. If you know the regiment your ancestor served in, it makes the search a little easier. If you don't, there is an index available so you can find them easier.

Official Register of Officers and Men of New Jersey-This link takes you to a page with several searchable databases. The database you want is just above the search box. You can learn the individual's rank, home and in some cases what unit they served with.

Pennsylvania Military Abstract Card File-This is one of the easier to search databases in my opinion. Click the letter of your ancestor's surname, then scroll down to find what page their name is on, click that, and then scroll until you find their card. Depending on whether they were active or inactive duty, you will get their name, rank, county and township, who they were assigned to and dates. Some cards also have remarks.

Valley Forge Muster Roll-This will give the individual's name, rank, rank type, brigade, company, state, regiment and division. Some also include the monthly muster roll status (ie-whether or not they were fit for duty) and other remarks.

Virginia Military Dead Database-This database covers Virginians who have died while serving in the military. Information is compiled from a variety of sources and includes (when available) name, rank, unit, branch of service, conflict, race, gender, date and place of death, cause of death, residence, original source of the data, note, and links to other databases. To search Revolutionary War deaths, just select American Revolution as the conflict from the search screen.

Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System (GRS)-Those who can trace direct lineage to an ancestor that served in the American Revolution are eligible for membership. The GRS allows you to search for ancestors that may be in the database. If they are, information you can gain may include date and location of birth, date and location of death and service information. Of genealogical interest is the fact that many of the entries also include descendant information. Please note that the guidelines to DAR were not always as strict as they are today. Therefore, some information may be suspect.

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Georgia Resource

Georgia's Virtual Vault can be helpful when you have ancestors in the state of Georgia. You may be able to fill in several blanks in your genealogy with this website. Death certificates are available for select years. Some are not indexed so you will have to put in the death year and find your ancestor on the index, then go back to search their certificate number. Death certificates can give you information on the individual's date and place of birth; date, place and cause of death; occupation; spouse; name and birthplace of parents; and place of burial or cremation.

Marriage records are also available on the site. You select the county and then the book that contains the correct year range. Depending on the county, you will either have to scroll through the entire book until you find the correct marriage or use the index. For the ones that you have to scroll through, they are often in order by date so if you know your ancestor was married the early part of a certain year, it is a little easier to skip pages until you get close to the date.

If using the index, you will find your ancestors name, which will be listed with a page number. You then go to the page number the index gave you to view the certificate. Be sure to look at the entire page. Sometimes more than one certificate is on a page. For the most part, the indexes are accurate, although I did have one couple that the index failed me on. After scrolling through around 200 pages, I finally found their certificate.

Other information of interest to those using the site to trace their genealogy includes colonial wills, Confederate enlistment oaths and discharges, Confederate pension applications and supplements, county tax digests, headright and bounty plats, militia enrollment lists from 1864 and Spanish-American War service summary cards. Keep in mind that information isn't available from every county depending on the database.

You may also want to check the General Name File. It is sometimes hit and miss because only a limited number of people are found in it. For those individuals found in the name file, their card will include information which may include documents or books they are named in, offices held, military service and in rare cases mention of family members. Not every card will contain all the information.

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