Mining the Maps in the Library of Congress

Genealogists love libraries! And our country’s biggest, best library is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This incredible national treasure acquires and catalogs our nation’s publications, administers the nation’s copyright program, and organizes and preserves archival material. It maintains a massive website to help researchers access its collections as well as a beautiful building where researchers can work if they are in the nation’s capital.

Migrating Westward: Federal Land

Many of our ancestors depended on the land for their livelihoods. Land provided food, shelter, and wealth. In the early days of the United States, land was used as payment for military service and as an inducement for westward migration. The land seemed limitless, and its resources lured settlers, explorers, and speculators ever onward through hazards and hardship.