We will meet Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 pm for an hour to review the updates and power of using digital maps in your family’s research.

The first part of the meeting will focus on Maps in your genealogical research. It is advisable to learn the location of your “home village” in order to facilitate most German ancestry research. A subtopic will be “Finding your Heimat” using this technology. We will compare Google Maps to Google Earth (using the two villages of my Weber family as an example) and learn to search “Germany” using both apps to locate your ancestors’ homes.

Google Maps are fun to view and provide a perspective most useful in our research. Our forefathers would be amazed to see “Street View” of the old home place. Google Earth is the 3-D Master of the Universe. It is very useful for detailed geographical research with fine detailed satellite imagery. A new “favorite” is the Historical timeline.

If time permits, a review of basic geography will cover the present-day German States and a look back into their historical regions and administrative divisions will be provided. This quick review will whet your appetite for “mapping” by looking at a few of the many online gazetteers and some of the best online historical maps, but not in detail as these map sites are a whole different topic to separately review.

Homework: THREE assignments
1. Review the comparison table before attending our session in the following website link: https://gisgeography.com/google-earth-vs-google-maps/
2. Download both Google Maps and Google Earth to your computer (and/or smartphone) before attending so that you can enjoy your own personal searches. Both Google Maps and Google Earth are free. You can login to Google on your computer to view digital maps and research Germany’s geography. https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/GIS/google_earth_maps
3. Review the Side-by-Side Comparison video as it provides an understanding of the differences between the two programs. It is excellent! https://scrap.io/google-maps-vs-google-earth-differences-comparison-guide

This meeting will be “hybrid,” being held live in the Kolping Cincinnati Klubhaus, and online via Zoom. There is no cost to attend, and all are welcome. Send an email to [email protected] to acquire the Zoom link and reserve a spot. We look forward to seeing you.

Always check our website for the latest information:
http://www.kolpingcincinnati.com/Genealogy/Genealogy.html