To read more of this article, hit here This first appear under Lis Lisson' blog
Are city directories a part of your genealogy toolbox?
It was bound to happen.
You exhausted the more traditional genealogy records (census records, vital records, deeds….) for your ancestor and you still need more information.
At a recent conference you attended, someone recommended you search for your ancestor(s) in the city directories.
What is the city directory and why would you use one in your genealogy research?
When I first heard of using city directories in my genealogy research, I immediately thought of phone books. Yes, phone books are directories, but relatively new in the evolution of city directories.
City directories have been around for a long time with the first ones in the U.S. were published within a couple of years after the American Revolution. Directories were initially created by craftsmen and salesmen to contact the local residents and potential customers.
Directories evolved and were often created yearly which allows the genealogy researcher to track an ancestor year by year as opposed to the census records tracking individuals decade by decade. 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.
The directories also included different types of information from the census records.
Types of Information Found In City Directories
Based on date and location, the type of information in a city directory will vary. Below are examples of types of information potentially found in a city directory.
Names; Wives names may be listed in parentheses; Addresses; Occupation; Marital status (If widowed, the name of the husband); Businesses; Officers and Leadership of Organizations; Firemen; Lunatic Asylum; Educational Institutions; Secret and Benevolent Societies; Area maps; Addresses and locations of schools and places of worship.
