Mapping Our Ancestors and Cousins Across the Globe






For years I’ve been researching my family history through records, DNA matches, and old stories that have survived in the family. As the research grew, it became harder to “see” how all these people connected to real places. To bring that history to life, I started building a custom Google My Map that plots the lives and deaths of my ancestors and cousins around the world.

This map shows key locations tied to my family: birthplaces, marriage locations, homes, migration routes, burial sites, and other significant events. Each marker represents a person or family, with notes that help explain who they were and why that place matters to our story. Seeing everyone laid out geographically turns a list of names and dates into something visual and much easier to explore.

About the map

It includes ancestors and cousins from multiple family lines, not just a single surname.
Locations span towns, counties, states, and countries where our relatives lived, moved through, or were buried.
Many markers include dates, brief comments, or context about that person’s life and how they connect to the wider tree.
Over time, I plan to refine existing entries, add more detail, and extend coverage as new research turns up additional locations.

Because this is a living research project, the map will never be “finished.” I’ll update it as I uncover new records, resolve conflicting information, or connect additional cousins into the larger picture.

Viewing the map
You can explore the map here:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1xaELoU1S6-3UhqDGdjP8E0kqF8mQJn0&ll=35.94712056441844%2C-81.8342783548574&z=12

You can zoom in and out, click on individual markers to read details, and move around to follow different branches of the family as they migrate from place to place. If you use desktop or mobile Google Maps, you can open this link in your browser and navigate the map like any other.

Most detailed markers focus on historical generations, older records, and locations already widely available in public sources, while more recent lines are either generalized or omitted to respect everyone’s privacy.

Ongoing project

This map is a work in progress, and I expect it to grow as I add more ancestors, cousins, and documented locations. If you spot an error, recognize a place, or think you might connect to one of these lines, feel free to reach out so we can compare notes.

For now, I’m simply sharing this as a visual way to follow the journeys of our family—where they started, where they moved, and where they ended up across the globe.

1 comment:

  1. What a cool map, love the details that pop up when you click on a pin. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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