GENBRIT-L Archives

Archiver > GENBRIT > 2008-06 > 1214581167


From: Switcher <>
Subject: Re: Anyone tried using Google Earth to view a family tree?
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:39:27 +0100
References: <7$P20uThMLZIFwmY@nildram.co.uk><iYYTEqCArLZIFwHo@econym.demon.co.uk>


In article <>, Mike Williams
<> writes
>I've used Google Maps for displaying the locations of individuals in my
>tree. Like this:
> http://www.hardikerons.com/williams/ind121.html
>
>I considered sticking everyone on one map, but then there'd be hundreds
>of markers in some locations (e.g. Great Arnott Farm was passed down
>through six generations) and the whole thing would become seriously
>unwieldy.
>

I've done something similar with Google Maps on -
http://www.familytreeassistant.com/features.html

However, I DID include everyone (well all the SKINNERs anyway) and,
you're right, it seriously unwieldy :-)

Google Earth does seem to be less phased by the number of placemarks
than Google Maps though.

>The hard part is finding the actual locations of streets and towns that
>no longer exist, have changed their names, or which were incorrectly
>recorded on the original source documents. E.g. in the page mentioned
>above, both Mallowdale Close and Durham Street have been demolished in
>various waves of slum clearances.
>
Indeed - I've investigated Geocoding for old place names. It seems like
FamilySearch are the only people that are likely to offer this as a
service in the near(ish) future. However, initial tests with the
service didn't look promising on the accuracy front :-(

Personally, I'm quite lucky as many of my relations were from London,
for which there is an abundance of old maps available online
(http://www.motco.com/). It then becomes not too difficult to overlay
these onto Google Earth (aligning the maps with known locations and
landmarks). I've done this with quite a few of the Stamford 1862 and
Greenwood's 1827 map sheets. From there it isn't too difficult to place
their locations.

Cheers

--
Tim
http://www.littlehelper.net
http://www.intel.com/cure - Your PC can help find a cure for cancer

This thread: