"Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: The Google Maps of their Day" with Jill Morelli, CG

Sanborn Fire Map

HCGS is pleased to sponsor a free webinar "Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: The Google Maps of their Day" with Jill Morelli, CG on Jun 6, 2017 8:30 PM EDT. 

Jill Morelli, CG

The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps were generated for insurance purposes between 1880 and 1930. Over 55,000 maps were made of communities large and small from New York City to Ackley, Iowa. These maps are particularly helpful for genealogists tracing a reluctant urban ancestor or for providing historical context to the lives of our ancestors. We will review the history of the maps, how to read the maps and where to find the originals. Various uses of the maps will be illustrated using case studies.

The webinar will be presented by Jill Morelli, CG. A passionate genealogist, Jill Morelli, CG(sm) lectures about her Midwestern, northern German and Scandinavian ancestors nationwide. Her lively presentations on intermediate and advanced methodologies, unique records sets, Scandinavian research and house histories convey information that is readily usable by attendees whatever heir skill level. She blogs about her experiences researching, writing and receiving her credential as a Certified Genealogist at http://genealogycertification.wordpress.com.

Please preregister for the webinar at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist…/5243217293044865794

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Submitted by Liz Stratton, Education Director and Webinar Content Creation Committee member.

Introducing Doug Magee - PLCH "Map Librarian"

Map Librarian Doug Magee

Self-described "Map Librarian," Doug Magee, kicked off the year with a presentation on how Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps can be an aid to genealogists.  According to the Map and Geography Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:

"Sanborn maps were made to assist insurance underwriters in determining fire insurance rates for individual buildings by examining the buildings' construction methods, heat and lighting sources, manufacturing uses, and the same attributes of nearby buildings. The maps primarily provide information on the downtown areas of cities and adjoining residential areas. They are especially useful in providing a record of urban development from the 1880s through the first half of the twentieth century."

Doug presented a slide show that can be used to gain a better understanding of the symbols that are used on the maps. 

1887 was the first year that Sanborn maps were published for Cincinnati. They have limited value for identifying a specific home because house numbers were not included on the map.  In addition, the streets of Cincinnati were renumbered in the early 1890s and some street names were changed. The cost of publishing the maps with any kind of frequency was prohibitive, so changes in the forms of cut-outs were provided that could be glued on top of the original map.  Since there is no indication for when these changes took place, the maps do not have as much historical value as they could have had.

We learned that the Sanborn Map of Cincinnati for 1922 is significant because it was not updated and included all of the areas within the city limit. In addition, there are two index books kept at the Genealogy and Local History desk that are invaluable when used in conjunction with the 1922 maps.  The first book is an index listing all of the real estate values for Hamilton County, and the second is a 2-volume Index of Property Owners, Real Estate Atlas of Cincinnati, 1922.

In answer to questions from the participants, Doug discussed some other resources that many genealogists may find helpful.  The Catholic Cemetery Society recently added more searchable databases for cemeteries to their site.  Included are the long-awaited records of the Baltimore Pike Cemetery.

There is also a digitized version of the 1892 Decennial Tax Valuation of Cincinnati online.  It can be downloaded from the Virtual Library from the Old and Rare Books section (R336.220977 C574 1892). 

Finally, I was made aware of the numerous indexes published by William H. Graver, including an index to property ownership maps.  Just when I was beginning to think that I was pretty familiar with some of the resources available at our library, I found out that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface.  Happy hunting!

Note:  To view the Cincinnati Sanborn Fire Maps online, click on this link.