Covering genealogy, family history, historical events and places, and anything else related!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Tuesday's Tip: Mapire

Mapire (http://mapire.eu/en/) provides access to historical maps of the Habsburg Empire. It contains maps of the First Military Survey (1763-1787), the Second Military Survey (1806-1869), the Third Military Survey (1869-1887), the Military Survey of Hungary (1941), the Austrian Netherlands (1764-1771), and the Hungarian Kingdom (1869-1887). There are cadastral maps from the nineteenth century, and maps of Europe in the eighteenth century, around 1850, and 1850-1890. The site also includes maps from other countries: Italy (nineteenth century), France (eighteenth century), Belgium (eighteenth century), Lower and Upper Alsace (1731), Scotland (nineteenth century), Ordnance Survey of England and Wales (about 1890), Southwest Germany (1797), Germany (nineteenth century), Finland (1918), and Norway (nineteenth century). There are maps of European cities: Vienna (eighteenth century), Budapest (eighteenth-twentieth century), Budapest (1944), London (eighteenth century), Moscow, Paris (1739), and Rome (1829). The Austrian Historic Town Atlas provides information about the history and urban development of sixty-four Austrian towns. It is possible to view the maps synchronized with each other or with today's maps. The maps can also be viewed in 3D. Copies of the maps (reproductions or digital copies) can be purchased. If you have ancestors from these areas, Mapire may be very helpful to you.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Tuesday's Tip: Cemetery Web Sites

When searching for information on your ancestors, it is worthwhile to check the Web sites of the cemeteries that they are buried in. Sometimes they contain useful information.

The Web site of Calvary Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee has a burial lookup feature. The information provided included the date of burial, the location of the burial plot, and whether the person was a veteran. Until I searched this Web site, I did not know when my 3rd-great-grandmother's second husband John Cox had died, since his name is so common and I did not know much about him. There are two men named John Cox who were buried in Calvary Cemetery, within two years of each other, but I knew which was the right person because only one was buried in the same plot as my 3rd-great-grandmother.

The Web site of Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio has even more information. Members of my aunt's family are buried there. The Web site has a genealogy search section which can be searched by name or location. When you get a list of search results, you can click on a person's name and you will see a PDF of the burial card for that person. The cards include information such as age at death, place of birth, place of death (street address), last  residence, date of death, date and time of burial, location of grave, cause of death, parents' names, name of the burial plot owner, and relationship of the deceased to the burial plot owner. When I found the burial card for my aunt's great-grandmother Mary Jane (Lewis) Oliver, I learned that her mother's maiden name was Spooner.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Mappy Monday: Cairo, Illinois and Vicinity, 1861

Viele, Egbert Ludovicus. H.H. Lloyd & Co's campaign military charts showing the principal strategic places of interest. H.H. Lloyd & Co., 1861. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

My 3rd-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley died of measles 154 years ago today, on 9 January 1863, in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, while he was serving in Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry. This map shows the area where he was stationed, and where he died.

Monday, January 2, 2017

Military Monday: Cornelius C. Bogert

Cornelius C. Bogert index card. Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900, compiled 1949 - 1949, documenting the period 1861 - 1942.  National Archives and Records Administration. Record Group 15. Microform publication T289. Roll 305. Available from Fold3.

My aunt's great-grandfather Cornelius C. Bogert was a private in Company H, 25th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The company was commanded by Captain James Inglis, Jr.

The regiment was active from September 1, 1862 to June 20, 1863. The men trained in Beverly, Burlington County, New Jersey, and then went to Washington, DC. They fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 11-15, 1862) and the Siege of Suffolk (April 11 - May 4, 1863).

References
25th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Regiment