Hey there! I’m Greg Boyd, creator of the HistoryGeo.com service. We're excited about getting started with this blog (‘bout time, huh?!) and want to use this first post to briefly introduce just what it is that we do and how we can improve the results you achieve with your historical and genealogical research.
From our original work we have become known for our maps of original landowners among the public land states and Texas, all published in book form.
HistoryGeo is an extension of that work and there is almost no limit to the scope of what we will explore with the service. If we can access data that involves maps and history, and if there is any significant demand for it, we will: 1) make it available, and 2) create tools to help you analyze and use that data in the most effective way possible.
Our focus at this point is on past locations of people and important events within the Continental United States, but the geographical scope will expand soon.
HistoryGeo.com delivers maps and data via two projects presented in two different "map viewers":
1. The First Landowners Project ("FLO" for short), and
2. The Antique Maps Project ("ZAM" for short, where "z"=zoom-able)
The First Landowners Project currently maps approximately 8 million original landowners among 17 different states (Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin). Western states will be added soon; information on eastern states can be found in our page with frequently asked questions.
The Antique Maps Project is an ever-growing collection of historical maps that might concern just about anything. But at present, we are adding primarily, maps that contain names of landowners. Many of these maps are indexed and searchable, and the ones that are not will be (more on this in an upcoming blog entry).
We'll have plenty of blog posts that highlight the usage of both projects, but the quickest way to really get to know FLO and ZAM is to check out the following . . .
The First Landowners Project - VIDEO
The First Landowners Project - WHITE PAPER
(which describes in detail the counties and states mapped in the FLO project)
The Antique Maps Project - VIDEO
###Have Fun (we are) ! Historical and genealogical research can be serious business, but we at HistoryGeo.com think you can have fun too (we do!). That's why many future blog posts will show how to use our tools while delving into the ancestral pasts of celebrities, scoundrels, criminals, and lots of other colorful folks.
If you've made a particularly fun or interesting find using our tools, please let us hear from you. With your permission, we'd like to share it with our other researchers. Just give drop us an email at info@historygeo.com with the subject line "HistoryGeo blog ideas".