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Draw & measure on any map!
Save maps to your account
Enjoy an ad-free experience across the entire randymajors.org Research Hub website, plus mapBuilder and more!
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mapBuilder: custom maps made easy!
Create free custom interactive maps with mapBuilder!
Create custom areas from a list of ZIP Codes, or color-code multiple ZIP Codes or Counties from a live-linked spreadsheet!
Map custom points from a spreadsheet or import points and lines from a KML file!
Perfect for sales/service territories, delivery zones or visualizing research data.
Choose which other map layers to show, such as county lines and city limits. Add a map title, choose colors and more. Create a shareable link to your finished interactive map!
Find mapBuilder directly under most map tools on this website!
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Monthly Contributors get additional mapBuilder functionality:
Draw points, lines and shapes on maps: Save your drawings to your My Account dashboard then add them to any map! Also, save your finished maps to your account for easy retrieval. Also, measures and displays length and area automatically when you draw or edit your lines or shapes.
NEW! Import route, waypoint and track data from GPS devices using GPX files GPX, or GPS Exchange Format, is a common GPS data format for importing route, waypoint and track data exported from GPS devices , then save it as a drawing for use in any map. PREVIEW THIS TODAY in the Draw & Measure module of mapBuilder, found underneath the map tools.
While in drawing mode, you can add points 3 ways: 1) clicking on the map 2) searching by address or 3) searching by latitude longitude.
Plus, add custom points to the map: Map points from a live-linked Google Sheets spreadsheet containing latitude/longitude points or addresses. Or, import a KML file* containing points or lines (routes) from Google My Maps, Google Earth, or GIS software. Supports up to 10,000 rows!
Mix and match: You can add any combination of drawings, custom areas and custom points to the same map!
Dynamic Maps show you the answer by simply hovering your mouse
Monthly Contributors also get Dynamic Maps: Hover your mouse on desktop browsers, and the name of the feature will automatically appear.
This makes exploring, selecting and drawing much simpler and more powerful.
* Point KML files MUST contain longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal degrees; geocoded addresses without coordinates are NOT supported.
Compare Versions
FREE VERSION
Ad-supported website
Limited workspace
Clickable maps
mapBuilder:
Create Custom Areas from ZIP Codes or Counties (1,000 row maximum per map)
Map custom points from a live-linked spreadsheet, or import points or lines from Google My Maps, Google Earth & more** (100 row maximum per map)
Historical U.S. Counties Chrome extension (optional):
Active while searching on Ancestry & FamilySearch
MONTHLY CONTRIBUTOR VERSION
Completely Ad-Free website
Fullscreen Map & Search Tools
Clickable maps plus Dynamic Maps
Draw points, lines and shapes on the map or add points by address or lat/long
NEW! Import data from a GPS device and save as a drawing
Save your drawings and finished maps to your My Account page
Create Custom Areas from ZIP Codes or Counties (10,000 row maximum per map*)
Map custom points from a live-linked spreadsheet, or import points or lines from Google My Maps, Google Earth & more** (10,000 row maximum per map)
Historical U.S. Counties Chrome extension (optional):
Active while searching on Ancestry & FamilySearch
Location fact-checking in Ancestry Trees
LifeMap for Ancestry Trees
Choose your contribution from $4 to $9 per month:
Access ALL tools & the same benefits at all contribution levels
Easy sign-in: direct Sign in or Sign in with Google
Flexible payment methods and subscription management: Cancel in one click at any time and retain access for the remainder of your current monthly period
View Monthly Contributor FAQs
* If you’re trying to work with over 10,000 ZIP Codes, you would likely benefit from combining 5-digit and 3-digit ZIP Codes, explained here.
** Point KML files MUST contain longitude and latitude coordinates in decimal degrees; geocoded addresses without coordinates are NOT supported.
Historical U.S. Counties Chrome extension
Genealogy lovers: let this FREE tool do the location work for you as you search on Ancestry & FamilySearch!
While searching on Ancestry or FamilySearch, the free Historical U.S. Counties Auto-Checker extension for Google Chrome* automatically checks that the county existed in the year you are searching.
It also checks for valid places, warns of boundary changes, and links to historical county boundaries on Google Maps for the place and years you are searching!
Install for free today and never let an ancestor fall off the map again!
Install
U.S. county boundaries have changed over 17,600 times since America was settled in colonial times. Don’t sabotage your search for ancestors by not knowing the correct county for the historical years you are researching.
Location fact-checking in Ancestry family trees
Monthly Contributors also get Auto-Checker functionality for all U.S. locations on Person profile pages in Ancestry.com trees!
LifeMap for Ancestry family trees
Monthly Contributors also get LifeMap: from each person profile page on Ancestry.com, you can link to a LifeMap showing all of the U.S. locations for each fact on the page. Then, click the points on the map and see the historical U.S. county boundaries as they existed at the time of each life event!
* The Auto-Checker extension supports the following browsers: Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge Chromium
Frequently Asked Questions
Sign In / Monthly Contributor
Why can’t I Sign in with Google?
You need to be a Monthly Contributor in order to Sign in with Google.
Sign In / Monthly Contributor
I am a Monthly Contributor. How do I sign in?
Sign In / Monthly Contributor
Does this website store my credit card number?
This website does NOT store your credit card number. This is made possible by tokenization, whereby your actual credit card number is stored on the payment gateway, which includes Stripe for credit card processing, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.
Sign In / Monthly Contributor
How do I cancel my monthly contributions?
Go to your My Account > Subscriptions page where you can cancel or modify your subscription.
When you cancel, you will still have access to the ad-free website through the end of your current monthly period.
mapBuilder – Custom Maps
How can I create a custom map?
There are many types of custom maps you can create by using the mapBuilder form found below most of the map tools. Create maps from US ZIP Codes (5-digit or 3-digit), US counties, and create maps live-linked to Google Sheets or imported from Google My Maps, Google Earth and more. Plus, Monthly Contributors can interactively draw points/lines/shapes. Also, learn more in the Custom Maps section of this website!
mapBuilder – Custom Maps
Can I draw and measure on the map?
Yes, Monthly Contributors can draw points, lines and shapes on any map, and then save the drawings and finished maps to their My Account dashboard for easy access and retrieval. The saved drawings can then be added to any map you create, and can be combined with any other mapBuilder module (such as custom areas and custom points). Also, length and area are displayed when you draw or edit a line or shape.
mapBuilder – Custom Maps
How can I add multiple addresses or latitude longitude points to the map?
To add a spreadsheet of addresses to the map, use mapBuilder’s “Add custom points to the map” module. It is fastest to have latitude longitudes in your spreadsheet, but if you only have addresses, the tool will automatically geocode the addresses using the US Census Bureau’s geocoder, which will convert the addresses into lat longs that can be pasted into your Google Sheet. The Address column must contain U.S. addresses in this format: address, city, state, ZIP Code.
Note the Census Bureau’s geocoder isn’t always accurate, and it takes about 1 second per 10 addresses, and only works with US addresses. So if you have a lot of addresses and/or you need higher accuracy, you may want to use some other address geocoder service (Start by Googling “free online address geocoder”). Then, use mapBuilder’s “Add custom points to the map” module.
Monthly Contributors can also interactively add points to the map in 3 ways while using mapBuilder’s “Draw & Measure on the map” module: 1) add address markers by using the “Search Places” box, 2) add latitude longitude points by using the “Find lat long” box, or 3) click on the map.
Historical U.S. Counties Auto-Checker
How do I use the Historical U.S. Counties Auto-Checker Chrome extension?
Find general information on the Chrome extension here. Then, once installed, follow all of these steps. You can also watch a video walkthrough of the Auto-Checker.