Usin Jean-Michel Gorry's book "Paroisses et communes de France. Dictionnaire d'histoire administrative et démographique : Indre-et-Loire", this contribution illustrates a methodology for mapping the development of population and settlements in the Indre-et-Loire area (France, région Centre) from the 17th century until today. Detailing the various steps from obtaining raw data to creating the cartography of the population growth rate over centuries, the method addresses how we can render ill-assorted data comparable and put it to statistical use