When amateur genealogists aren’t bent over a microfiche machine or trying to decipher chicken-scratch names in the front of a bible, they’re looking for maps and photographs of the places where the Riley side of the family was born or where the McNamaras had their farm. The lucky travel to Ireland to take their own pictures. I have wonderful photos of the house where my great-great grandparents raised their nine children–with my Donegal relatives standing in front of it. It’s a real treasure to me.
But if you can’t get to Ireland any time soon you’ll want to take a look at www.geograph.org.uk, an ambitious project to collect geographically representative photos and information for every square kilometer of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. There’s a map with a grid comprising 330,175 kilometer squares that you can click on and view photos. There are an average of 2.7 photos per square, though a finished square (there are a few–click on “Explore” then “List Fully Geographed Hectads” ) may have 100 photos. You can also upload your own photos to the appropriate squares.
There are now more than half a million geographs posted to the site and a searchable database of pictures of Irish county capitals (eight are still missing, including Galway. Surely someone out there has photos of Galway!).
I found a photo of the Culdaff town center where we stayed, ate, and listened to music every night when we were in Inishowen, County Donegal, the home of my maternal great-grandparents, the McDaids. There was another of the road to Tremone Bay, not far from where my family lives.
There are some rules for submitting geographs. A photo should be of a place, not people. While your family can be in the shot, they shouldn’t be the focal point. The idea is to allow folks like you and me to literally see the lay of the land. Supplemental shots, like closeups of flora and fauna, are accepted, but what they call “geographs” are photos of the landscape and get first priority.
Another good idea: Get rid of those auto dates that appear at the edge of the photo. Very distracting. And follow the rules for labeling your photo.
The site is simple to navigate and a lot of fun to peruse. Not only does it bring your genealogy search alive, it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “armchair travel.”
