Today I came across this video on Business Insider that shows how state borders in the U.S. have changed since 1783. I thought it was so interesting that I wanted to share it here. I can imagine I’ll refer to it repeatedly as I do my genealogy research.
Fascinating, yes! And a good reminder to always be thinking about what things were like at the time the census was taken, the vital records made, the photos taken, etc.: Was it even a state yet? What were the customs? Who was alive at the time, and how old were they? What else was going on in the region/country/world? Etc.
Also — LOL — it reminds me of a family I found living in four different counties in 4 different censuses. I thought, “Boy, they really moved a lot!” Eventually I realized they never moved at all. It was the county lines that kept moving!
So interesting! I kept waiting for West Virginia to be formed since I have many early relatives from that area. It was much later than I remembered. This is so important in our research.