| Once you have begun to research your | | | | to the local genealogical society or historical |
| ancestors, you will find that one family line lived in | | | | society for information on old photographs of the |
| one place for over 20 or more years. Wouldn't it | | | | towns, the streets, or your ancestors' residences. |
| be lovely to find a photograph of that home? Of | | | | An amazing amount of information is now |
| course, it would be even better if your ancestors | | | | available online from Archives for countries, |
| were fairly wealthy and had large well-built homes | | | | states, provinces, museums, universities, and |
| that are still standing today! Some of us had quite | | | | more. Do take the time to search first in the local |
| poor folk in our family lines, and there may be no | | | | archives which may hold the information you |
| "home" to find by now. | | | | desire. |
| However, it is worth the effort to see if you can | | | | In one instance, I was able to find a photograph |
| find out where your ancestors lived, and search | | | | of the street around the time my |
| on a map (such as Google Maps) for more details. | | | | great-grandmother lived in one home. Although I |
| On Census record sheets, you will often see an | | | | never saw the actual family home, I now have a |
| address written along the left side of the sheet, | | | | photograph of the neighborhood in which she |
| with the house number written at the left side in | | | | grew up. I'm keen now to look for more photos |
| one of the columns. Go up to the top of the | | | | of the region, and the places she mentions in |
| sheet to determine which column is for the house | | | | letters, such as schools, churches, theatres, and |
| number. The census enumerator had to track the | | | | the like. |
| number of families/households he or she was | | | | One set of great-grandparents lived in a very |
| enumerating, so there are several columns on the | | | | poor area in northern England. At a time of |
| left of the family surname. | | | | bustling industry in ship-building, many families |
| If your family lived in one place for several | | | | moved into the area and lived in small |
| decades it may be that they owned property in | | | | relatively-temporary housing. My grandfather |
| the town, or owned a farm. In that case, if you | | | | (aged 3) and his younger brother, his parents, his |
| see "farmer" as occupation on the Census, you | | | | two uncles and his aunt, and his grandparents - all |
| have one more source of where to find an | | | | lived in "#262 Brick Cottages" - no street name, |
| address or location. Land records are held in | | | | no district, just that address. Which obviously |
| various places depending on which country you | | | | meant I had some very interesting research to |
| are searching. | | | | do about the times and the place! |
| To search for your ancestor's land records, start | | | | Remember that if your family line ancestors lived |
| with an internet search on the term "land records" | | | | in a place overseas, there may be genealogy |
| plus the country or state or province. For | | | | historical society people living in the region who |
| example, "land records Canada" immediately | | | | would be happy to take photographs of the |
| brought up several very helpful web sites which | | | | actual home or region of your ancestors. People |
| would help me find my ancestors in Ontario, | | | | are amazingly helpful if you ask - and of course, |
| Upper Canada, Lower Canada, and others. Doing a | | | | do ask what it would cost as well. A friend of |
| similar search for "land records Maine" showed me | | | | mine from Scotland has several wonderful |
| that their records are held in the State Archives, | | | | photographs of his great-grandparents' cottage, |
| but also suggests a brochure to help searching. | | | | and the surrounding landscape, plus a photo of the |
| Several clicks on either search page (Canada, | | | | engraving over the fireplace mantel inside. What a |
| Maine) gave me the information very quickly to | | | | find! |
| help me move forward. | | | | Your family tree is greatly enriched with details |
| After finding your family residence address or | | | | like maps and photographs of the residences and |
| land area, search on an online map for the exact | | | | regions in which your ancestors lived. See what |
| location, and see if it is possible to see it at the | | | | you can find with a few searches online, and then |
| present time. Or, look in history books of the | | | | expand into finding helpful information through |
| area to see if there are any photographs of the | | | | other people. Genealogy friends are everywhere, |
| region at specific times. If you come up with no | | | | waiting to be found. Happy searching. |
| helpful information, you could also write or email | | | | |