Recording: Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Genealogy

The Sanborn Map Company published many detailed maps of cities and towns around the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The maps can help you tell your ancestors' story, but only after you find and analyze them.

Join Jeanette Sheliga for this webinar! You'll learn how to locate and read Sanborn Fire Maps. The details will give you a picture of your ancestors' living conditions and communities during their time in the area.

In this Webinar You'll Learn:

• Brief history of the company
• The parts of each map volume including the legends and corrections table
• Familiarization of the colors and codes used on the maps
• Comparison of different volumes to see how properties changed over time
• Correlation with land records, pictures, directories, censuses, and newspaper articles
• Locating Sanborn Maps in-person and online at different vendors
• Demonstration of finding Sanborn Maps at the Library of Congress site

About the instructor:

Jeanette Sheliga of Jeanette’s Genealogy lives in Lockport, NY and has been researching her family tree since 2002 and lecturing since 2011. She has had the privilege to speak for societies and libraries locally and virtually all over the world. Jeanette is the President of the Virtual Genealogical Association (VGA); she holds positions in local, state, and national societies; she has completed the study groups of ProGen 49 and ProGen Practicum 02; and has attended many genealogy institutes.