Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.
Choose · notice · investigate
Martha’s Vineyard before 1800
Examine four early island maps and surveys. Look for town names, shorelines, and the different purposes of each map.
These maps are grouped by the date of the original map. A preview may show a later photograph or facsimile (a copy). Check the caption for both dates. The 1500s maps show wider regions, before Massachusetts existed as a colony or state.
Showing 4 of 4 resources
Simon Athearn’s annotated Martha’s Vineyard map, 1698 — later photograph of a display copy.Harvard Forest; display at Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, based on a map at Martha’s Vineyard Museum Image source ↗
historical
Simon Athearn’s annotated Martha’s Vineyard map
Vineyard · 1600s
Study a photographed copy of an early annotated island map.
A question to investigate
Which place names can you find today?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
[Chart of Nantucket Island and the eastern half of Martha's Vineyard] — 1776Leventhal Map & Education Center / Boston Public Library; Des Barres, Joseph F. W. (Joseph Frederick Wallet), 1722-1824 Image source ↗
historical
Nantucket and eastern Martha’s Vineyard
Vineyard · 1700s
Study an eighteenth-century chart of the two islands.
A question to investigate
What information would help a ship avoid shallow water?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Map of the island of Martha's Vineyard with its dependencies — [1782]Massachusetts Historical Society / Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center; St. John de Crèvecoeur, J. Hector, 1735-1813 Image source ↗
historical
Martha’s Vineyard and its dependencies
Vineyard · 1700s
See how the island was drawn in an eighteenth-century printed map.
A question to investigate
Which neighboring islands are included?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Plan of Edgartown and Tisbury, made by Benjamin Smith, dated June 1, 1795. — 1795Leventhal Map & Education Center / Massachusetts Archives; Smith, Benjamin Image source ↗
historical
Edgartown and Tisbury survey
Vineyard · 1700s
Explore an island town survey made in 1795.
A question to investigate
How do the town divisions compare with today?
Dig deeper · grades 6–8
Compare the map’s creator, date, purpose, scale, and missing information with a second map. Explain what changed and what stayed connected.
Sources checked September 23, 2026. Open the source for current programs, hours, access, and map updates. Historical maps may contain outdated language or incomplete representations of Native homelands.
![[Chart of Nantucket Island and the eastern half of Martha's Vineyard]](assets/atlas-exact/7h149z539.jpg)
