Web Resources: Google Street View

When conducting genealogical research, I find that it's far too easy to fall into the trap of spending a lot of time chasing birth, marriage, and death records to further the line you're working on. Often (depending on the country you're researching), these BMD records, along with other sources, such as obituaries will provide addresses of where our ancestors lived at the time.

So, when I want a break from BMD records, I head straight over to Google and have a look at Street View. Of course, houses may well have changed since your ancestors resided there - or that street you're looking for may not even exist these days, but it's enjoyable to have a virtual wander around these locations.


I often share my laptop screen with my mum and we go on family history trips using Street View. As we live 200 miles apart, it allows me to show my mum new places and houses I've found ancestors living. Additionally it allows my mum to provide memories of places she lived or knew family members lived in the past.

My grandparents old house. Credit: Google Street View

We often also start in one place and take a walk down the street or around the corner. This allows us to remember more - and to see what's changed since one or both of us were last there. The image above shows the house that my Dutch grandparents lived for over 40 years before they moved to a smaller home. I've been dealing with a long term illness for the past few years, so have been unable to visit them in the Netherlands and visit the old haunts. The historical imagery feature in Google Street View allows me to see how the house has changed between 2009 and 2014.

Historical imagery is available on both Google Maps (Street View only) and Google Earth (Street View and satellite view) however you may have to switch it on in Google Earth (by clicking View > Historical Imagery). While I prefer the user interface on Google Earth, I have found that it doesn't always have all the historical imagery available - for instance, the image above had to be taken from Google Maps because it's not on Google Earth. So if you can't find what you're looking for in Google Earth, ensure you check Google Map.

Both Street View and Historical Imagery allow us to view the places our family and ancestors lived their lives. This means we can add flesh to the bones that the BMD records provide. This is one of the ways we can build our family history into a story that we can pass down to future generations.
 

Links

Google Maps

Google Maps on Twitter

Google Earth Download

Google Earth on Twitter

Cost:	Free
Language:	Many, including English and Dutch
Usability:	92.5%

There are other Google tools that are helpful for genealogy and I'll be writing about them over time. Performing an Internet search will provide you with lots of blogs and videos about the tools available and how they're useful.