Branching Out: how to use maps for family history

Old maps can be an amazing source of information for the family historian as well as those studying house or local history. Everything happens somewhere and an old map can provide visual and spatial clues which can help us understand individual, family and community spaces, across time periods. Maps can reveal details of property changes, historic land use, travel, economy, ownership and occupancy. Maps are cultural documents, providing a window on a particular time and place in history.

‘Branching Out’ is a series of online, self-paced 5-credit modules, which focus on key documents, resources and collections for family history research and beyond. They give students an opportunity to study a key topic in depth, using relevant examples and collections.
This course focuses primarily on British research. Students will learn how to effectively search a number of subscription and free historic mapping websites. Wherever possible, alternative free resources are highlighted; some subscription websites used are available to access for free through local public library services.

Branching Out: how to use maps for family history can be studied as a stand-alone course, but it is also an optional module for the Certificate of Higher Education in Genealogical Studies at Aberystwyth University. If you have already completed our 3-part series of modules Acorn to Oak: building a family tree, these 5 -credit modules will likely be of interest, as you can explore a particular topic in much greater detail. This online, self-paced learning course enables students to study from home while participating in an online learning community. The course is delivered through Blackboard, the virtual learning environment, and will include one live webinar.

Assessments
1. Evaluation of an historic map (20%)
2. Research project 800 words - comparing maps over a key time period (80%)

Note

This module is at CQFW Level 4