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Book Review of Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920

Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920
jjares avatar reviewed on + 3293 more book reviews


This is a fairly-amazing book about the changes in the state and county boundary changes that took place between 1790 and 1920. The amazing part is -- the county lines are superimposed on the current county lines (in another color). Because the maps are updated each 10 years, the changes in the county lines are quite telling.

There are many books available to genealogists that tell of county changes; however, this book shows graphically those changes. It is staggering to note how much changed in our history in a mere 10 years.

Dont ignore the introduction and page notes. Alaska is the only state without counties. Why, you might ask. The authors state that the extraction industrialists that wanted to mine Alaskas resources didnt want to pay for an extra layer of government. They did this by getting a law passed that Congress would have to approve the creation of any county in Alaska.

Little toss-away lines like this make this book a treasure-trove of unique facts.