In addition, youll find major collections of city directories at the library. City directories can list additional information about reside, including occupation, the address of their business, and. Genealogy and local history library city of cambridge. Please note the print copies of canadian city directories are treated. Other wisconsin city directories the humanities room has a small collection of historic city directories for some wisconsin cities besides milwaukee. City directories can also be found at most major record centers and libraries. Download our automobile and vehicle data ebook today. Consult the nyhs librarys website for information on visiting the library before making a trip. Using city directories for research city directories are often the only costeffective way to identify past occupants of buildings including occupants that may have created environmental issues. New york city directories nypl digital collections. This collection is accessible via internet archive and allows for fulltext searching within each volume.
T he library has significant holdings of noncurrent city directories for many foreign cities. You can use historical directories for genealogy and family history in many ways. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other digital collections on chicago. This database is a collection of directories for u. A couple of years ago i wrote about how to access the indispensable online historical archive of the dallas morning news, beginning in 1885 that post is here, but i havent written about how to use the equally important databases containing scans of dallas city directories, beginning with the 1875 directory. For further information on historical directories click here. Research your genealogy with our free collection of old city directories. Historical street and business directories first appeared in the late 1600s, but they didnt become widespread until the early 1800s when they were printed on a regular basis.
At some point in the history of nearly every city in the united states, r. How can i find historical city directories for the united. It comprises 545 million aggregated records that have been consolidated. If a year is not listed, no directory exists for that year. Socsecdeathindex newadditions directories institutions yearbooks census military findingguides offsitecollections newadditions directories institutions yearbooks census military findingguides offsitecollections. Socsecdeathindex newadditions directories institutions yearbooks census military findingguides offsitecollections newadditions directories. Hamilton county, ohio historical directories expand your research by checking out the ohio online historical newspapers here.
The library of congress has an unmatched collection of united states city and telephone directories. These directories contain street listings by last name and by street, business directories and advertisements, maps, ward maps, listings of city services and city officials, schools and colleges private and public, associations, churches, and clubs. For links to other free chicago resources, click here. Irma and paul milstein division of united states history, local history and genealogy 254. To determine whether the library has a directory for a certain city, search in the main catalog and the library of congress online. Oregon online historical directories online historical. Click on the map below or select from the list to browse by location. This page lists microfilmed city directories available at national archives building, 700 pennsylvania ave. Hamilton county, ohio historical directories online. May 30, 2019 cities, however, offer an invaluable historical and genealogical resource not available to those of us researching rural ancestorsnamely, city directories. Philadelphia business directory includes advertising material no directory published for 1838 volumes for 1840, 1841, 1857, and 1860 supplied for digitization by the chester county historical society volumes for 1863 and 1865 supplied for digitization by the hagley museum and library. City directories offer anyone conducting family history research in a city or large town a nearly annual census of city residents, as well as a window into the community in which they lived.
Please consult a humanities room reference librarian or try a keyword search in countycat for the city name and include the words city directory example search. Brooklyn public library has digitized brooklyn city and business directories, and telephone books for the period 18561967. Rochester city directories by decade rochester public library. Williams says the first city directory appeared in london in 1640. The most useful is finding where your ancestors lived and what their occupations were. They also feature images, including maps, illustrations of buildings, and advertisements. The library offers inlibrary access to the genealogical database, and remote access for springfield city library cardholders to heritagequest. Historic city directories des moines public library. More current directories as well as the haines akron city and suburban crisscross directories from 1943 to the present and akron area.
This microfilm is not available for sale from nara. City directories are also indispensable when researching a house history. City directories on microfilm in the microform reading. Containing an alphabetically arranged list of business firms and private citizens, a street and avenue guide, miscellaneous directory, city and county officers, terms of court, churches, colleges, public and private schools, buildings, banks, incorporated institutions, railroads, secret and benevolent societies, etc. Both forms of directory are interesting to researchers, historians and genealogists alike, for a number of reasons, not least because, like a census, directories tie an individual to a certain location at a particular point in time. Cities, however, offer an invaluable historical and genealogical resource not available to those of us researching rural ancestorsnamely, city directories. Telephone directories list adult residents, their addresses, and their phone numbers. City directories, arguably one of the most overlooked resources by genealogists, have been around since the 1700s. They can also lead to churches, cemeteries or nearby towns, all of which can offer their own helpful information. Since 1903, the mission of the gloucester county historical society has been to collect and preserve material pertaining to the southern new jersey area. British columbia city directories 18601955 page image browser. To just browse and download the scanned books, visit digitial collections. A city and business directory for 1866, compiled by b. Just enter city directory with the quotes in the search box and depress the go button.
The purpose of the site is to have links to all online city directories in one place, listed by location and in date order. Telephone and city directories in the library of congress. Canadian directories collection library and archives canada. Philadelphia city directories are an excellent source for locating information on the city s residents, businesses, and city wide development. To see a complete list of all baltimore directories available online, click here. Oregon online historical directories oregon online historical directories listed by county expand your research by checking out the oregon online historical newspapers here. City directories of the united states, published by primary source microfilm part of gale group, is a large selfservice collection of city directories on microfilm. Contact hig fill in the fields below to access the free download of city directory research. Library and archives canadas lac collection of directories includes national, provincial, territorial, as well as county and city directories, primarily of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in print, microform and electronic formats.
We will be digitizing all of the existing rochester city directories for the years 18271946. Rochester city directories by decade rochester public. This research can also help historians and other researchers understand how the mix of commercial and residential properties has changed in cities and neighborhoods. Over the years, historians and genealogists have reaped the benefits of this snapshot into the early. Although most city directories focus on larger cities and towns, many now. We are pleased to announce the publication of a huge collection of historical u. City directories were published before the modern phone book, many times on an annual basis. Provides links to international directories on all continents. How to access historical dallas city directories online. Circa 1930 city directories available at nara national. Undoubtedly, there are other city directories for this locality that are not listed here. To view the city directories, your web browser will need the free adobe reader plugin.
The city of peterborough, in partnership with the peterborough public library, the peterborough museum and archives, the trent valley archives and the trent university archives, have digitized their joint collection of city and county directories, ranging in date from 1858 to 2010. These are large items, so please be patient if free text searching the whole collection. This web site will attempt to identify all printed, microfilmed, and online directories, and their repositories, for the united states. If you would like to participate in identifying the listings of your local library, society, or archives, or if you know of any online transcriptions, please contact us. The historic pittsburgh city directory collection can be searched across all its directories here. With the exception of most canadian city directories, they are housed in the closed stacks and have call numbers.
More than 1200 cities, towns, and counties are represented. City directories are among the most important sources of information about urban areas and their inhabitants. Download our guide, 6 things to find in city directories, to learn more. Trow directory, printing and bookbinding company 42. Our printed directories, cdsdvds, and convenient online databases will help you find the customers you need quickly and easily. Historical county plat maps from south central wisconsin and early madison city directories is a collaborative project completed by the university of wisconsin digital collection center and the madison public library historical county plat maps from south central wisconsin and early madison city directories was funded through a 2006 library services and technology act lsta grant. F or specific information about the librarys bound holdings of city directories for canada, the united kingdom, and switzerland, consult the city directory finding guide kept at the reference desk in the local history and genealogy reading room. The city directories contains directories published between 1815 and 1945 by j. However, in his book the development and growth of city directories, published in 19, a. Aug 15, 2016 telephone and city directories in the library of congress. Ocr to turn the city directories into a searchable atlas of historical new york city.
Our goal is to identify all city directories in all repositories. Digital toronto city directories toronto public library has digitized all of the toronto city directories in its collections that were published between 1833 and 1969. A look inside a city directory reveals valuable information. Libraries, state archives, and historical societies usually have a large collection of city directories from around the state as well as some directories for large cities outside the state. The directories were originally digitised as part of the historical directories project, funded by the big lottery fund. Digitized collection of our city directories from 18661922. Free chicago city directories online sassy jane genealogy.
Historical county plat maps from south central wisconsin. Myheritage releases massive collection of historical u. The database currently contains directories for all states except alaska. It is meant to be used as an aid to genealogists, historians, and other researchers. You obviously would wish to refine the search by entering your city of interest, but it tells you that there are a lot of city directories available to you. How can i find historical city directories for the united states. The city directories that are online were published by j. Contribute to nyplspacetimecitydirectories development by creating an. The directories provide historical information about evansville, as well as addresses and occupations of residents. My goal is to have a complete listing for historical alumni, business, city, county, farm, masonic, rural, social, and other types of directories for the united states and canada, and then go on to add directories for other countries. Montgomery county oh city directories lds genealogy. The same content is now available in ancestry uk, city and county. This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at commercial genealogical sites like familysearch, ancestry, fold3, and the like.
City directories are invaluable for researching information about a community at a given point in time its residents, streets, buildings, organizations, industries and other services. The city directories contain lists of names and addresses of most adults and businesses in the town. They predate the development of phone books, and also provide numerous advertisements for local businesses. Vancouver public librarys collection of digitized british columbia city directories dates from 1860 up to and including 1955. Microfilm copies of brooklyn city directories spanning 1796193334 are available in the milstein division of united. British columbia city directories 18601955 page image. Historical directories an extensive collection of digital and print trade directories for england and wales, covering the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries our extensive collectons of local trade directories include 675 digitised volumes, including at least one directory for every english and welsh county for each of the 1850s, 1890s, and 1910s. All locations and bookdrops of the san francisco public library are currently closed to help limit the spread of covid19.
Historical directories is a digital library of local and trade directories for england and wales, from 1750 to 1919. Polk city directories has helped businesses just like yours get the most uptodate vehicle owner data possible. Included are county, rural, business, professional and other directories. The same content is now available in ancestry uk, city and county directories, 1766 1946.
The directories contain detailed historical information about british columbian communities, including street and name listings of individuals and businesses in vancouver and victoria. The collection was produced exclusively by myheritage from 25,000 public u. This guide contains information on the directories, as well as other published resources on philadelphias. This group is for educating genealogists and historians about using city directories for research, as well. Jun 08, 2012 in new york city, city directories were printed between 1786 and 1934. Our research library is the repository of one of the largest genealogical collections in southern new jersey. The heyday of city directories was from the late 1800s through the late 1900s. We recommend this means of access to genealogists with an ancestry subscription or access via their local library. Digitized directories, however, offer even more to. Todays list is about sites that host free chicago city directories online. Baltimore city directories are available in microfilm, microfiche, or boundbook formats, and online. While most of the directories cover pittsburgh and allegheny city, a portion includes homestead and nearby boroughs.
Philadelphia city directories historical society of. Dayton ohio city directories family history library. In their original format, city directories are a vital tool for historical researchersthey can help place a person in a particular place at a particular time. City directories, 18221995 this database is a collection of directories for u. The kansas historical society research collections contain both published city directories and telephone books for the state of kansas. This collection of evansville city directories dates back to the first directory published in 1858. City directories gloucester county historical society. The most useful information contained in a city directory are connecting certain individuals to specific properties or.
Alternatively, enter keywords into the box above, or use the advanced search. Historical city directories spokane public library. At the time of the publication of this post there are 1,696 results. The local history and genealogy archive is open tuesday through friday, 11am4pm. Cities and towns published these alphabetical directories of their residents. Noncurrent telephone and city directories in the library. City directories contain a wealth of historical information about people, businesses, and civic organizations, enabling researchers to trace personal, social, and commercial changes through time. Each directory has been digitally scanned allowing you to view and print images of the actual pages. In hsps library is a complete run of city directories beginning in the late 18thcentury and running consistently through 1935.
Canadiana online provides an inbrowser tool to navigate through the pages of directories, but no downloads. New york city directories record the names and addresses of city residents, businesses, churches, schools, police stations, courts, and other government offices, as well as the names of individuals associated with those institutions. They are available in the following formats and locations. Note that city directories are on open shelves in the reading room of the newyork historical society library. Kansas telephone and city directories kansas historical. How city directories show street names changing over time why its crucial to research surrounding properties in your environmental site assessments how to use city directories to discover sources of contaminated soils, ground water. Using city directories published over a series of years is helpful to document developments and changes in a place over. Search, browse, and download cambridge s city directories published between 1848 and 1910. Local history and genealogy springfield city library. Digitized brooklyn city directories the new york public. City directory research contact form historical information.
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