Alabama Maps

To learn more about maps in general, go to the  Maps Record Page.

Online Maps

 * David Rumsey Historical Maps Collection
 * Old Maps Online Collection
 * Library of Congress Maps Collection
 * Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
 * Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
 * UWM American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection
 * University of California Berkeley Library GeoData
 * Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
 * Alabama Historical Maps
 * Sanborn Fire Maps at the Library of Congress
 * USGS Topographic Maps

Tips for Using Maps
Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:


 * There are often several places with the same name. You may want to use a  Gazetteer to help you.
 * The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestor lived there.
 * Boundaries changed over time. Use historical maps to understand boundary changes.

For more tips and information on using maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

Types of Maps
Different types of maps help you in different ways, for example:


 * Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries, showing boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information.
 * Road atlases are useful because of the detail they provide.
 * Other types of maps include: parish maps, state maps, tourist maps, topographical maps, and air navigation maps. City maps are extremely helpful when researching in large cities.

To learn more about different types of maps, go to the general Maps Record Page.

Resources

 * Dodd, Donald B. Historical Atlas of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1974. . Included are maps that show the location of forts, Indian land cessions with their dates, and county boundaries from 1819 to 1972.
 * Alabama: Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996. . This book has maps showing when and where each county changed boundaries.
 * Jackson, Richard C. Historical and Genealogical Atlas of North America. Provo, Utah: Gentech Press, 1974. . See pages 36 and 93.
 * Maps for 1800, 1808, 1809, 1812, 1815, 1818, 1820, 1823, 1825, 1830, 1832, 1840, 1850, 1870, and 1903 are included in Marilyn Davis Barefield’s Researching in Alabama: A Genealogical Guide. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1987..