Recording Locations

[cmollekin]

Hi,

Over the years, I've accumulated thousands of locations relevant to my family tree; from Census data and BMDs etc. I've tried a few different software products which geocode family tree locations with varying success. Personally, though, I find it easier to manually find the locations on a Google map and then pinpoint the location with a note and marker.

Does anybody else have a method for recording data on maps? At the moment, I insert a website link into my family tree database relevant to the particular location. However, I am worried that one day, the web link might expire and I might be left lots of dead ends which will have to be remapped. Recording locations via longitude/latitude would be better as these will never expire, but it is harder to get them to point to a location quickly via a link, or it is harder to actually obtain the lat/long reference.

Hope this makes sense.

Craig

[Jan1954]

Hi Craig - welcome to Brit-Gen,

I am of the old school and have a large scale map of England with numbered dots marked on it. The numbered dots then relate to an index. However, my family hardly moved, remaining in some villages for 400 years and at least always stayed in the bottom right-hand corner of England.

[Ed Bradford]

I'm not sure that I fully understand what you're try to do but agree that links change or dissapear over time.

If a copy of the map location will do, there are several programs that will allow you to capture and save what you want. If you're running Windows 7, it has a Snipping Tool built in that will do just that. That tool may also be available in the Vista operating system. If you're running an earlier version of Windows or some other operating system, there are software programs that are commercially available and perhaps some that are available as freeware.

..................Ed

[Neil Wilson]

The Wikipedia web site could help you.
Enter the name of the place in the search box, select the right location if you are given a choice. Then scroll down and on the right is the OS map reference e.g. OS grid reference SK392631, which is my home town

[cmollekin]

Thanks - all great suggestions. I suppose what I'm wanting to be able to do, is to be able to quickly interact with Google Street view straight from my genealogical software. A hyperlink in the notes is the only way I've achieved this so far. The OS reference looks quite neat though. I might investigate how that can be obtained for specific addresses.

[PamG]

Don't know if this will help, but if you are using Google Maps - search on your address, then click on the blue hyperlink on the left side of the page: Map Labs. When the box appears, scroll down until you see: LatLng Marker. Enable and save.

Then, back at the map right click on the spot that marks your address, and at the bottom of the dialogue box you'll see: Drop LatLng Marker. The lat/long references will appear in a small box near the location.

Pam

[Mutley]

Oh dear, looks like I've another new learning curve to get my head around.

Like Jan I have a map but have graduated from a number referenced to an index, to a post code, which was fairly simple and I could link to google maps or just leave the post code as was. The post code can be pasted in HTML to embed in website if you wish.

Where a relative lives (I wish, )
SW1A 1AA

Lat/longs are worse than telephone numbers and I have always struggled with them. ~~sigh~~

[cmollekin]

I think we must be related, Mutley if that postcode features in your tree too, LOL. The postcode idea is a good idea, but you have to know the postcode and they don't always pinpoint an exact location. I did not know about about the Google maps labs feature of lat/long - I think that might be perfect, almost. If an lat/log reference is pasted into the Google maps search box, it takes you there. I maybe need to think of a way to create a hyperlink from it, but I think it's what I'm looking for thanks, or as close as I can to it.

[Mutley]

OK, I know postcodes are within a few houses and not exact though they are quite easy to find but...
the lat/log for 'my relative' is... 51.5010° N, 0.1425°

The google search box says
"We could not understand the location 51.5010° N, 0.1425°"

eventually it will but I don't think it does at the moment. It will tell you the lat/log once you have told it where but it does not seem to understand if you tell it the lat/log and ask it where.

[MarkJ]

Ah, are your lot from a "Londony" sort of way?
If you stick in 51.5010°, 0.1425° without the "N", you get a hit with Google Maps which seems to suggest Eastern Way over in London at Crossness.