Yesterday I attended a genealogy workshop on using Google to research your family tree. I couldn’t help but notice the parallels with researching house history. Obviously Google is an amazing search engine, recording two billion searches each day and garnering 65% of the search engine market. The workshop was full of helpful hints on getting the most out of your searches by utilizing filters.
But what really caught my attention was the section about using Google Maps. I have used Google Earth in the past, and that is fascinating in and of itself. But I never considered using Google Maps to search for a home that I am researching. So if you are looking for an ancestor’s home, be sure and use this feature in Google so that you can actually see what the house looks like. And even if the home no longer exists you can plug in the address and Google will take you to that location anyway. You will at least be able to see what is still in the area. Happy hunting!