The New York State Library, New York State Archives, New York Public Library, New-York Historical Society, and most university and public libraries in major cities have extensive map collections. The Family History Library has few original maps but has many on microfilm and microfiche.

Detailed patent maps may show where early settlers lived. An inventory of these is David Ellicott Evans Mix, Catalogue of Maps and Surveys in the Offices of the Secretary of State, State Engineer and Surveyor and Comptroller and the New York State Library (Albany, N.Y.: Charles van Benthuysen, 1859; FHL film 947104 item 5; or 947,853, item 2; computer number 392090). The New York State Archives also has a finding aid that lists the location of specific patent maps.

Street and ward maps are extremely helpful in doing research in city records. Successful census research often depends on finding maps that show ward boundaries, enumeration districts, or election districts. A large collection of pre-1900 ward maps for every major American city, including Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, New York, and Rochester, is Ward Maps of United States Cities (FHL film 1377700; microfiche 6016554–782; computer number 181937). A helpful atlas for New York City research is Hagstrom Map Co., Hagstrom New York City 5 Borough Atlas, 22 ed. (Maspeth, N.Y.: Hagstrom Map, 1987; FHL book Q 974.71 E7h; computer number 492109).

An important set of maps at the Library of Congress is available at the Family History Library on microfiche. The Land Ownership Map Collection contains 109 maps for New York counties, showing the names of landowners and the location of their property (FHL fiche 6079710–818; computer number 469740). They date from 1668–1899 but most are from the 1850s. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog Locality Search under UNITED STATES - MAPS. A description of each map is found in Richard W. Stephenson, Land Ownership Maps: A Checklist of Nineteenth Century United States County Maps in the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1967; FHL book 973 A3Loc; computer number 422816).

For maps showing county and town formation in New York, see:

Thorndale, William and William Dollarhide. Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790–1920. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1987. (FHL book 973 X2th; computer number 452721.)

County Formations and Minor Civil Divisions of the State of New York. Series B, No. 4. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Genealogical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978. (FHL book Ref 929.1 G286gs Series B, no. 4; fiche 6046845; computer number 340661.)

For maps showing the county boundary changes in the New York City area, see:

Thorne, Kathryn Ford, comp. New York Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. (FHL book 974.7 E7a; computer number 634344.) Maps show when and where each county changed boundaries from colonial times to 1990.

To find 7.5-, 15-, and 30-minute topographic quadrangle maps for New York published between 1884 and 1972, use:

United States Geological Survey. Topographic Maps of the United States: Historical Reference File. Suitland, Md.: National Archives and Records Service, 1978. (computer number 340901.) The maps are arranged alphabetically by the name of the quadrangle:

Adams-Buffalo	(FHL film 1433814)
Buffalo-Cambridge	(FHL film 1433815)
Cuyler-Grindstone	(FHL film 1433816)
Grindstone-Ithaca	(FHL film 1433817)
Kasoag-Monticello	(FHL film 1433818)
Mt. Marcy-Owla Head	(FHL film 1433819)
Oxford-Port Jarvis	(FHL film 1433820)
Rochester-Roxbury	(FHL film 1433821)
Stoney Creek-Yankee Lake	(FHL film 1433822)

To get the name of the quadrangle, use the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America, mentioned in the “Gazetteers” section of this outline.

You can order topographic maps from:

• Branch of Distribution U.S. Geological Survey

507 National Center
Reston, VA 22092
Telephone: 703-648-6045

• United States/Canadian Map Service

P.O. Box 249
Neenah, WI 54957-0249
Telephone: 414-731-0101

A bibliography of atlases and maps found in county histories is Albert Hazen Wright, A Check List of New York State County Maps Published 1779–1945 (Ithaca N.Y.: Cornell University 1965; not at FHL).

For a list of the county atlases of New York see:

Wright, Albert Hazen. A Check List of the County Atlases of New York. Ithaca, N. Y.: A. H. Wright, 1943. (FHL book 974.7 A1 #244 fiche 6093918 computer number 56119) This is study number 4 of New York Historical Source Studies.

You can order free maps of individual counties from local tourist bureaus and chambers of commerce. Most county highway departments sell county maps for a dollar or two. You can obtain a current price list with addresses called “Information on County Highway Maps” from:

• Mapping Services Bureau

New York State Department of Transportation
Building 4, Room 105, State Office Building Campus
1220 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12232
Telephone: 518-457-3555

You can buy modern commercial maps of New York cities and counties from:

• Hagstrom Map Company, Inc.

46-35 54th Road
Maspeth, NY 11278
Telephone: 718-784-0055

• Jimapco

Box 1137
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Telephone: 518-899-5091

• Marshall Penn-York Company

538 Erie Blvd. West
Syracuse, NY 13204
Telephone: 315-422-2162
Fax: 315-422-2181

The following state atlases may also be helpful to you:

Burr, David H. An Atlas of the State of New York. New York: David H. Burr, 1829. Reprint, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1970. (FHL film 813651 items 3–4; computer number 273065.)

Bien, Joseph R. Atlas of the State of New York. New York: J. Bien and Co., 1895. (FHL film 1870120; computer number 635728.) This includes some of the original land patents.

New York State Atlas. Albany, N.Y.: New York State Department of Transportation, 1983. (FHL book Atlas 974.7 E7n; computer number 220183.)

DeLorme Mapping Co. New York State Atlas & Gazetteer. Freeport, Me.: DeLorme Mapping, 1988. (FHL book Q 974.7 E7m; computer number 153088.)

DeLorme Mapping Co. Upstate New York Street Maps. Freeport, Me.: DeLorme Mapping, 1988. (FHL book Q 974.7 E7d; computer number 134880.) This is an atlas of upstate urban areas from Middletown north to Plattsburgh, and Albany west to Buffalo. It has more than 80 cities and towns in all.

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