How Close Were the Borders?

If you are fortunate enough to know where your ancestors lived, do you know how far they were from all the nearest political borders? I grew up a half mile from the nearest township line, about ten or so miles from the nearest county line, and about fifteen miles from the state line.

The knowledge may not directly impact your research, but the more information you know about your relative’s relative location to political features, the less likely you are to look for records in the wrong place.