Maps are an important source to locate the places where your ancestors lived. They help you see the neighboring towns and geographic features of the area your ancestor came from. Maps locate places, parishes, churches, geographical features, transportation routes, and proximity to other towns.

Maps may be published individually or in bound collections called atlases. Maps may also be included in gazetteers, guidebooks, local histories, and history texts.

Different types of maps can help you in different ways. Historical atlases describe the growth and development of countries. They show boundaries, migration routes, settlement patterns, military campaigns, and other historical information. Road atlases provide detailed information about the Danish road systems. Other types of maps include parish maps, county atlases, and topographical maps. Ordinance survey maps show land plats in great detail, sometimes up to one-half an inch to the mile. City street maps are extremely helpful when researching in large cities, such as København (Copenhagen).

Using Maps

Maps must be used carefully for several reasons:

• Several places often have the same name. For example, three parishes are called Gudum in present-day Denmark.
• The spelling and even names of some towns may have changed since your ancestors lived there. Some localities have different names in different languages. For example, the town presently known as Haderslev was named Hadersleben before 1920.
• Place-names are often misspelled in American sources. Difficult names may have been shortened and important diacritic marks omitted. For example, Ørum may be found as Orum.
• Political boundaries are not clearly indicated on all maps.