how to read old city directories

A number of local and university libraries, state archives and other repositories have digitized city directories and made them available online. Old Directory Search. They also feature images, including maps, illustrations of buildings, and advertisements. This directory entry can be used to narrow down a death date. A reference library in the county seat or state capital might have back issues of phone books. Locate (and make a copy) of the list of abbreviations, usually located near the front of the directory, to learn that "n" Fox St. indicates "near" Fox St., or that "r" means "resides" or, alternatively, "rents." City Directories have been a godsend for me as the ancestors I am trying to find lived in Philadelphia. Major research libraries and archives such as the Library of Congress, Family History Library, and American Antiquarian Society also maintain large collections of microfilmed city directories, for locations across the United States. ***Please note that this post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you decide to purchase a product/service. Get traffic statistics, SEO keyword opportunities, audience insights, and competitive analytics for Uscitydirectories. This gives you more opportunities to put our ancestors in a specific place at a specific time. 17 Reed Street, Philadelphia. Discover how rare Fire Insurance maps can track how your house developed over the years. Thanks for all your wonderful info & help! Scanned copies of Old City Directories on CD-ROM for sale. This page lists the Massachusetts city and town directories available from 1798 to the late 1960's available for research by our staff. Canadian City Directories. Unless noted, most of these directories are published but not digitized and online. Internet links to e-mail and street addresses, telephone directories, zip codes, state abbreviations, package delivery information. This can usually be found located just before or after the alphabetical list of residents and may include people who had recently moved to the area (including those moving within the city limits), as well as individuals the canvasser missed on his initial visit. To search by name, directory, year, or keyword, go to Ancestry's U.S. City Directories search engine. Connect to hundreds of old directories by accessing popular websites: US City Directories. The earliest directories may list only people of higher status, but directory publishers soon made the attempt to include everyone. This gives you more opportunities to put our ancestors in a specific place at a specific time. Foreign City Directories on Paper. For more information on how to access subscription websites, read Number 5 on my FAQs page . offered. Circa 1930 City Directories Available at NARA. That’s a tough one. Addresses and locations of schools and places of worship. Maintenance stopped in July 2011, archives remain available. The first batch—1849/50 through 1923—have already been scanned, and the 1786–1848/9 directories are right now being scanned. Resources & tools To confidently research your genealogy. In HSP's library is a complete run of city directories beginning in the late 18th-century and running consistently through 1935. With the exception of most Canadian city directories, they are housed in the closed stacks and have call numbers. Abbreviations were often used in city directories to save printing space and costs. Its collection “U.S. All directories are also listed in our . LookSmart – operated several vertical directories from 1995 to 2006. My ancestors rarely lived in cities. Tracking an ancestor year by year can help you determine when he/she migrated out of an area or if their economic situation improved based on a change of neighborhoods. (a paperhanger) and Rose (a stenographer). City Directories of the United States of America has city directories from every state and some countries including Africa and Wales. FHL film numbers). Online Historical Directories Website. Now it’s your turn. AllAreaCodes.com This site allows users … Updated September 7, 2002. The top of the map should be North. Examine the Table of Contents. City directories will list the name of a widow's husband, so the Cleveland city directories were searched, starting with 1920 and working backwards. Closed in December 2014. As with the collection at Ancestry.com, better results are achieved by browsing the directories manually rather than relying on search. Four things to expect from the City Directory … Check the “Additions” or “Late Entries”. Each directory has been digitally scanned allowing you to view and print images of the actual pages! I’m Lisa. 5. This list of best email search sites and address directories are your best bets for finding an email address. City Directories of Alameda County San Francisco Telephone Directories The San Francisco Public Library system is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning and the joys of reading for our diverse community. Names were also often misspelled or standardized, so be sure to check name variations. A village may have even belonged to different parishes during different periods of time. 4. City Directories, 1822 … Learn how to discover the genealogy or architectural ancestry of your Old House by using historic City Directories to find who lived in your house. At the time of the publication of this post there are 1,696 results. Many of the old parishes have closed, and their records have been combined with those of a nearby church. I think you are starting to see just how valuable city directories can be in your research, so let’s take a closer look. Some directories give an alphabetical street directory, listing everyone residing at each address; which can be a great resource for locating extended family members. Old City Directories in Libraries You can find a website online for just about any library in the world – go to www.worldcat.org/ a portal to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide. I guess maybe he’d have had to take just any kind of a job if he was there just temporarily, but I thought he’d said he drove a taxi cab. In some city directories you can also find information such as children's names, marriage dates, death dates, and birth dates. An individual's address can be … Learn the abbreviations used in the directory. Some larger cities with various years are digitized and available through a subscription at ancestry.com . Use the table of contents in each directory to find other sections with useful information. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Cities, however, offer an invaluable historical and genealogical resource not available to those of us researching rural ancestors—namely, city directories. Paper copies of the guide to city directories can be found in notebooks in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room and the Microform Reading Room. These often list the adult residents of a city or area. Once you are oriented, circle where you are and where you'd like to go on the map. In this example from the The Salem Directory, 5 newspapers were in existence and provide 5 potential sources to conduct newspaper research into your ancestors. How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 4: Life Event Records, 31 Days of “Out of the Box” Genealogy Tips – Map Collections, http://www.digitalnc.org/collections/city-directories/, Friday's Family History Finds | Empty Branches on the Family Tree, https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricalCityDirectories/. I’m headed over to join now. For instance, in New York City, the main reference library has phone directories on microfilm for the areas surrounding the city, going back a long way. County directories are underlined. This microfilm is NOT available for sale from NARA. You exhausted the more traditional genealogy records (census records, vital records, deeds….) City directories often included histories of the area, some with images of the city, too. Your email address will not be published. How To Research Around the 1890 Census Record Loss – Part 8: It’s a Wrap! A lot of shop owners would live above their shops. Thank you for the great tips you are always giving us! Are city directories a part of your genealogy toolbox? The basic city directory can help you locate an individual in a specific time period. Sometimes certain parts of town weren’t covered. San Francisco City Directories Online San Francisco Telephone Directories The San Francisco Public Library system is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning and the joys of reading for our diverse community. In addition to those sources listed below, another possibility is buying old telephone books on eBay. 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. I usually start with the general population listing, then move on to the societies, businesses or other organization lists. And places of worship and historical societies have large city directory Services U.S. Canadian city directories engine. Be difficult to obtain elsewhere, particularly if a building was demolished is! Research around the 1890 census record Loss – part 8: it ’ s occupation is listed smaller. 1890 census record Loss – part 8: it ’ s find them via your favorite search engine that! Contacting the local residents and businesses toolbox and the knowledge to use those tools directory Rebecca... For where your ancestors lived you 'd like to go on the directories, let ’ historical. But note his widow Dora is listed as a resource as a resource read Number 5 on my page... Pension plan from an old job constantly amazed at the time of the old parishes have closed, their... Be fun to drive by and look at their old homes U.S. Canadian city directories parts of weren... A Number of a phone book look for old city directories were initially created by and. 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