Are you using place names to describe where an ancestor was born, died, or was buried, that are not listed in any gazetteer? Make certain that you also include a more reference (eg. GPS coordinates) to assist others in finding the location.
Try and pin down where locations are when someone mentions something like the “McNally place,” the meadow slough, the Habben corner, etc. Sometimes these locations can be determined by using a land ownership map or other geographic finding aid and sometimes they cannot. If the McNallys never owned the farm but rented it for years their name won’t be on the land ownership map. The “meadow slough” may be hard to pin down as well.
Searching old newspapers for those locations is also a good idea. Additional approaches include asking local residents, librarians, genealogical or historical societies, etc. Remember that someone who knows that old place name may have no interest in genealogy whatsoever.
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