researching a site question

[funkman]

Didn't know where to post this so figured here was as good a spot as any.

I would like to get more information on the site I have been detecting and cannot figure out how to get it. To get you all up to date on what I have done so far is I have a copy of a map that was printed in 1875 and it shows a road and 2 structures on that road. Now in 1903 the road is still there and only one of the dwellings is still there. In the 1950's the road is still there but the house is gone.
I have tried the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps and this area is not listed there. The area that this is in is on the border of the city that is on Sanborn maps but unfortunately the maps stop right at the border.
The road that I am referring to is not listed as a named road so I don't even have that information.

Now I can either try the historical society for the town that this area is and was in back in the 1800's, but was wondering if county governement center would have any information, like the tax rolls. Does the county government center or even the local city hall have any historical data or is it more for the present?

What resources have you all used to research a site to get the most information on the history of it? What would be my best resource?

Thanks

Funkman

 

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[Monk]

Funkman! Go to your main locale library and get the old county atlas. There should be one for the 1870s or so. The acres of farms and names of land owners are listed. Road names, Church's, Parks, schools, rivers, all there. You should find what your looking for. Hope this helps.

 

[funkman]

Monk,

Thanks for the reply. The maps I have are from the Atlas of Orange County, NY. They do list the owner of the house but the map is not "zoomed in" if you will. It incorporates a large area for this town. When you get into the main city, which this area borders, it does not show this area. Only shows on the "zoomed out" map. I will probably go back to the library on Friday to double check myself and see what I can come up with.

Thanks,

Funkman

 

[roswellborn]

Another possibility is Google Earth - not exactly a history of anywhere, but you can zoom in to your heart's content (well, close, anyway).

The pictures are not "real time" but I can see the buildings on a lot near me - that they actually tore down last summer. So, I can print off the site WITH the buildings to help me decide where to hunt first on the now-vacant lot.

hope something there helps,

HH
Nan

 

[TreasureTales]

The best sources of old maps, newspapers, and books for research are usually university libraries. There you can often find everything you need for research EXCEPT government documents (i.e. birth certificates, deeds, court records, etc.). And nobody pesters you at these libraries. You can spend as little or as much time researching as you want, and they have copy machines available so you can make a copy of a portion of a map for about 15 cents.

Next best place would be the local historical society. There you can find people who are willing to investigate something for you or with you, sometimes for a small fee. Historical and/or genealogical societies often have almost everything a government office has, and then some. And the people are usually much more friendly.

Then the local library, but public libraries sometimes don't retain old atlases and such because they are trying to accommodate the general public's insatiable appetite for computers and novels! The older stuff sometimes gets the heave ho. Many libraries have a website where you can search for a book title or subject, which could save you some trouble and expense. They can also do interlibrary loans if you find something (a reference book might be the exception to the interlibrary loan option) that you'd like to checkout but which is at another library.

Next, the city or county government offices. These folks usually don't have a lot of time to spend with a person doing research. They usually ask you what you want and you have to know what that is...a deed, a probate/will disposition, a plat map. The background info for your visit should have been made previously, like at the historical society or a library. The fees for copies of government documents may be much higher than from any other source, so keep that in mind. Frankly, unless I want a plat map or a document, I avoid the government offices.

Used book stores will occasionally have old atlases, historical accounts, etc. These stores will usually keep such items under lock and key and won't let you browse them. But if you're willing to fork over some money, you could acquire your own reference book and it might just pay for itself in the long run. Actually, the best way to accumulate your own reference library for historical books covering your local area is to seek them outside of your local area. Some of the best books about the history and inhabitants of my local area were books I bought 800 miles away--in a different state. With the internet, however, location is not the factor it once was.

Good luck with your research and please keep us updated on your progress.

 

[TheDetectorist]

Then the local library, but public libraries sometimes don't retain old atlases and such because they are trying to accommodate the general public's insatiable appetite for computers and novels! The older stuff sometimes gets the heave ho.

I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. My local library USED to have a county plat book from 1903. Huge book, like 14x18. It was too big to make copies of, so I took my digi camera in and photo'd all the pages. The next year I went back (with a better camera) and the book was gone. In it's place is a stupid microfilm reel, which renders horrible resolution. You can't even read most of the wording from it. Glad I got my own digital plat book when I did.

Really sad part is that nobody seems to know what happened to the original!

TD

 

[TreasureTales]

Really sad part is that nobody seems to know what happened to the original!
TD

It's hard to say, but I have a couple of ideas. If that library has a volunteer fundraising organization such as The Friends of the Library, then the plat book could have gone into one of their sales. Or it could have been tossed out, or it could be sitting in somebody's home -- stolen.

A great place to find old books is at the Friends of the Library sale. You can get books at a very low price. On the final day of those sales, sometimes you can buy a whole bag of books (books of YOUR choice) for $1.00.

 

[beekeeper65]

Funkman,

I'm in Goshen..here what you do:

The Orange County Genealogical Society sells copies of old maps cheap!! I just picked up a copy of a map of Goshen from 1843 for $3.50 (includes shipping) and it's a BIG 36" x 48" map!!!

OCGS is in downtown Goshen...but they have a website if you google them..you can't beat it!!!

Regards,
beekeeper65