Mapping Genealogy Locations on Pinterest

Note: as of 9 March 2016 Pinterest has removed this mapping feature.

Pinterest has an interesting mapping feature that is great for genealogy. I like to pin lots of information about a place on a board created for a specific location. Then I can map my pins to a Foursquare map.

If you are interested in creating this type of board here are the steps I use.

1.      Create board and toggle “Add a map?”  to “Yes.” If your board already exists just edit it and change “Add a map?” to “Yes.” This will enable a Foursquare map as the board background.

2.      If you haven’t already, add a pin for a location you are interested in. On your pin click on “Add a place” and type in the location. Select the place you want from the list and Pinterest will map your pin to that location on the Foursquare map.

3.      If you don’t see the location you want you can add it to Foursquare.

a.      Go to https://foursquare.com/add-place and signup for a free account or log in to your account.

b.      Type in a place name and its address. Using the map underneath zoom in, pan around as needed and use the satellite view if you want to find the exact place. Click on the place and a pin will be dropped on it. You can drag the pin if it needs to be adjusted.

c.      Select a category by typing in its general type. You can check what categories Foursquare has at https://developer.foursquare.com/categorytree. 

d.      Save your changes and in anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or so Foursquare will have updated their files and the new place will be available on Pinterest to use.

4.      To change or remove your pin location from the map just edit the pin (pencil icon) and click on “Remove Place” and save your changes.

5.      If you decide you don’t want a map just edit your board and change “Add a map?” to “No.”

Remember you might need to refresh your browser to see the changes.

You might also like Using Pinterest for Genealogy and An Ancestor's Life on Pinterest.