Mapping Projects
Digital mapping tools are an excellent way to recreate historical locations and events. I use historical maps, such as Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, along with archival resources such as Death Certificates, newspaper articles, and inquest records, to create maps that illustrate places and people from the past.
The Dallas Death Map Project
The Dallas Death Map Project was created out of a need for a comprehensive resource of deaths that occurred in Dallas. Deaths that occurred in hospitals and care homes are expected and typically well-documented, but deaths that occurred outside of those institutions--in private homes, in hotels, in parks, and in other locations--can be difficult to research. Private companies can research individual locations for a fee, and housing records can be obtained through cities, but these solutions work on a case-by-case basis and can become expensive. There was a clear need for an accessible database that would allow researchers to see where deaths occurred without paying expensive fees or sifting through thousands of records.
The data for this map was collected from information recorded in Texas Death Certificates, cross-referenced with historical city maps, especially Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, City Directories, newspapers, and inquest records. Death certificates were researched individually to ensure that the finalized map was inclusive and to determine the cause of death and location of death. While deaths occurring in hospitals or care homes were not recorded, an exception was made for the Dallas Baby Camp, which later became the Dallas Children's Hospital, since the deaths were of children and were not well recorded elsewhere.