Sunday, August 9, 2009

Wikipedia, Nebraska and Maps


Do you know where you are researching in Nebraska?  Did your ancestors live here in some little town or someplace no longer on the maps?  Take a look around ... you may find where you are researching. 

For example, enter the following in the Google search box:  "hershey nebraska wikipedia" and then click on the link to that subject in Wikipedia, which is a free encyclopedia.  When it opens, you will be able to learn more about Hershey, Nebraska which is located in Lincoln County. You can learn about its geography, demographics and click on references and external links. Some place on that web page (usually right hand side), you will see a county map and Nebraska map showing the location of Hershey.  

Under the map are coordinates.  Click on the blue highlighted coordinates and you will be taken to a long list of maps on Internet that have maps of Hershey, Nebraska.  Some are maps, satellite maps and some are terrain maps.  There are also photo links and Wikipedia article links as well as a lot of other information.  Have fun checking out the maps.  

You can also search Wikipedia for townships.  Enter the following: "mirage township nebraska wikipedia" and you will be taken to the web page with information and links pertaining to that township which is in Kearney County.  There is a map on the web page showing the location of Mirage Township in Kearney County.  Under that are the coordinates.  Click on those and you will be directed to the maps under global systems with links to Internet.  

Click on Geonames (satellite).  Mirage Township is shown.  You can zoom in and out and move it around.  There are symbols on the map with names and locations of cemeteries, villages, historical sites and more.  What fun!  

With a little bit of exploring you may be able to discover more about places your ancestor lived that are no longer in existence.  You can apply this map research to any place in world that interests  you.  Of course, I'm partial to Nebraska!  

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