Family history is, to some degree, local history; your ancestors cannot be adequately researched outside of the historical and geographical context of their location and time period. Knowledge of historical events such as weather disasters, pestilence, and wars can lead you to additional records or provide answers to puzzling questions. An acquaintance with the geography and political history of the area can prove invaluable in determining what records were kept, where copies may be found and in which format they exist. If you are researching in the U.S., begin by consulting The Handybook for Genealogists, by Everton Publishers, for up-to-date county contact information, migration trails and more. Similar books and resources exist for many other countries around the world. Then follow up with a local genealogical society or a good book on genealogical research in the area to learn about more non-traditional sources of information that may be available. County, state and even country boundaries have moved many times through the years, so it is also important to know where those boundaries were at the time your ancestor lived in the area. If you make the assumption that a certain town was located in a particular county back in 1850 just because it does now, you could waste hours of precious time searching for records in the wrong place. A simple obstacle, such as a river, between your ancestor’s land and the county seat, may have been all it took to cause them to go to a neighboring county for marriages and other events that required registration. Remember, never assume anything when researching your family tree!

My great, great-grandparents, Henrietta and Mack Crisp, lived in the small town of Crisp, NC in Edgecombe County at the time of the 1900 census. It proved to be very important to my research of this family to pinpoint their exact location on a map, as I discovered that they lived within a few miles of the neighboring counties of Pitt and Wilson. Once I made that discovery, I expanded my search for records to those counties and found many new clues.

For more information:

Historical Geography & Map Resources
Geographical and historical map references including maps, gazetteers, tips and tools, geographic place names, and more!

Genealogical & Historical Societies
Learn more about research techniques and records specific to the area in which your ancestors lived by joining a local society.

Getting to Know Your Ancestor's Neighborhood
Tips for learning more about the area in which our ancestors lived and determining what records are available for that particular area. From Juliana Smith.