Transcript The City Directory - ourancestors.info

The City Directory
Census Substitute
Census Supplement
and a Whole Lot More!
Kim Fischer Peters © 2008
Background
City Directories in America were first
published in larger cities in the late
1780s – some earlier.
 Most were published between 1860
and 1930 – some later.
 Most include adult males, employed
females, widows, and wives.
 Early directories index residents by
surname and occupation.
 More recent directories also index by
street address.
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Original Use
Merchants used directories …
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To identify good credit risks
For making home deliveries
To determine home ownership
To identify customers’ employment status
To locate customers who owed money
To advertise to businesses, organizations, and
individuals who purchased the directory
Our Use
Genealogists use directories . . .
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As census substitutes
For maps and photographs
For local history and events
To find addresses, occupations
and employers
 To locate other family members
 To discover deaths, divorces and
marriages
 To pinpoint arrivals and departures
Getting Started
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Names, Dates, Places
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Locate directories
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Check coverage area
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Check abbreviations
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Look for ancestors!
Check Coverage Area
Sholes’ Savannah
Directory 1897
includes these
suburban localities.
If your ancestor lived in the Savannah area, but NOT in the city
limits or in one of these localities, they will probably NOT appear
in the address listings.
Check surname listings, advertisements, local news, and
photographs for some mention.
Check Abbreviations
Directories include a list of abbreviations
Some even use abbreviations for major employers
City directory, Coldwater, Michigan. Coldwater, Mich.: W.C. Bailey, 1912.
HeritageQuest online database. Accessed 15 October 2008.
Remember . . .
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Early city directories did not always
include “Colored” residents.
When they are included, most early
directories have a “White” section
and a “Colored” section.
Some directories denote a person of
color with an * preceding the name.
Check both sections!
1921 Orlando Florida Directory, front matter.
Central Florida Memory. www.CFMemory.org.
Accessed 7 February 2009.
1909-1910 Burtz’ Orlando Directory,
pgs. 15, 79. Central Florida Memory.
www.CFMemory.org. Accessed
7 February 2009.
Now let’s get started!
Name, Address, Occupation & Employer
Directories usually
include first name,
middle initial, last
name, home address,
occupation, and often
business address and
employer.
Directories also include
advertisements.
These may contain conflicting
or supplemental information.
1921 Orlando Florida City Directory and Orange County Gazetteer, pgs. 42, 112, 194.
Central Florida Memory. www.CFMemory.org. Accessed 17 October 2008.
Maps
Some directories include a
map of the geographic area
covered by the directory.
Maps may also include a
key to major businesses,
churches and organizations.
City directory, Coldwater, Michigan. Coldwater, Mich.: W.C. Bailey, 1912 (p.4).
HeritageQuest online database. Accessed 15 October 2008.
Photographs
Directories may
include photographs
of public officials,
prominent citizens,
homes, buildings,
churches, and civic
organizations.
Burtz’ 1909 – 1910 Orlando Directory, pg. 28. Central Florida
Memory. CFMemory.org. Accessed 17 October 2008.
Local History & Notable Events
Directories
may include a
chronology of
events from the
previous year.
These may
even include
deaths and
marriages!
City directory, Coldwater, Michigan. Coldwater, Mich.: W.C. Bailey, 1912 (p.13).
HeritageQuest online database. Accessed 15 October 2008.
Identify Family Members
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Eliza and Milton Ivey had six children: May, Asa, Benjamin, Whitworth, Ada,
and James. May married “Nealy Kildare.” Eliza married Owen Travers after
Milton killed himself. City directories confirm May Gildea is an Ivey.
1897 – Ivey boys living with Neil and May Gildea.
1899 – Ivey boys living with Owen and Eliza Travers.
Sholes’ Savannah Directory, Left: 1897 pgs. 254, 300. Right: 1899 pgs. 387, 592.
Deaths, Divorces & Marriages
Ben Upton’s death is noted in the
1896 Jacksonville directory. The next
entry reveals he remarried after his
first wife Adaran died in 1884.
John Fischer’s death in 1941 is noted
in the 1942 Savannah directory.
Comparing the 1934-1936
directories indicates that Catherine
and John Fischer separated in 1935.
The 1936 directory here, shows her
living with her siblings at 706 East
Henry Street in Savannah.
Top: Webb’s Jacksonville and Consolidated Business and Partnership Directory 1896. Jacksonville,
FL: Dacosta Printing. Middle: Pettus’ Savannah Directory 1942, pg. 240. Bottom: Pettus’ Savannah
Directory 1936, pgs. 215, 229.
Arrivals & Departures
1895 Vance’s Jacksonville & St. Augustine
Directory, p.198
1898 Sholes’ Savannah Directory, p. 549
1902 J. Wiggins’ & Company Jacksonville
Directory, p. 495
1905 Goette’s Savannah Directory, p. 723
Directories show that Owen and Eliza Travers moved from
Jacksonville to Savannah around 1897, returned to Jacksonville
around 1901, and moved back to Savannah in 1904.
Why did Eliza and Owen move back to Jacksonville in 1901?
History may provide the answer. Jacksonville was destroyed by fire
3 May 1901, and business boomed during reconstruction.
Compile Data
Record directory information
chronologically in a spreadsheet
or table to allow easy analysis.
Entries identify Ben
Upton’s business
partner and homes in
Baldwin, Florida and
Wainright, Georgia –
now called Uptonville
after Ben and his
lumber mill.
Locating U.S. Directories
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Online Resources
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Free Lookups
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Borrow Microfilm and Fiche
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Orlando Public Library
Online Resources
 Ancestry Library Edition – Digitized directories.
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(In library only)
Heritage Quest – Digitized directories
(Library database)
DistantCousin.com – Free digitized directories
www.CFMemory.org – Free Digitized Orlando area
directories
FamilySearch.org – Microfiche and microfilm
Free Lookups - USGenWeb.org
WorldCat.org – Search library holdings across the country
www.OCLS.info – Search OCLS holdings
State & University archives
Resources at OCLS
 Pre 1860 City Directories – microfiche
 1890 census substitute (85 cities) – microfilm
 Orlando / Orange County directories: telephone, street, criss
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cross, and gazetteers: 1887 to present – microfilm & books
www.OCLS.info – search Library catalog for print sources
City directories of the United States, pre 1860-1901:
guide to the microfilm collection RG 016.973 CIT
Checklist of Canadian directories 1790-1950. RG 971 RYD
Bibliography of American directories through 1860.
RG 016.973 SPE
800+ Genealogy periodicals
Begin Online
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Ancestry Library Edition
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Heritage Quest
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FamilySearch.org
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DistantCousin.com
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Central Florida Memory
CFMemory.org
Ancestry Library Edition
To locate directories on
Ancestry Library Edition
select Search on the
main menu.
Search for Directories
You can Search
the Card Catalog
for Directories.
You can select
Directories &
Member Lists.
You can Browse
By Location.
Search Directories and Member Lists
You can search
by name.
You can search
individual titles.
FYI: Ancestry has
directories from
around the world
Browse By Location
Select a State
Filter Titles by
Directories, and
Type of Directory
Select a directory
1. Select a city or county
3. Choose
first letter of
last name
2. Select a year
4. Search digitized
pages for surname
Heritage Quest
Search HQ’s digitized
book collection for
business, church,
and city directories.
The Periodical Source
Index may include
directories published in
Genealogy periodicals.
The Orlando Public
Library Genealogy
collection includes over
800 titles.
Search Books for Directories
Search Places
Enter City / State
Enter Keywords “city directory”
City Directories – Detroit, Michigan
Select Table of Contents
Select a directory
View Image
Burch & Polk’s Detroit City Directory 1872-1873
Search for surname and address.
Read other sections page by page.
Search PERSI for Genealogy Periodicals
Search PERSI – Places
Select U.S. Enter State / County
Record Type – Directories
FYI: HQ’s PERSI
is more current
than Ancestry’s.
Search PERSI
Locate Article of Interest
Examine Article Details
Check OCLS holdings
Request via Interlibrary Loan
FamilySearch.org
Search Records on the menu bar
Select “Library Catalog” from the drop down menu
Family Search Library Catalog – Place Search
Use Place Search to
locate directories for a
specific city or county.
Topics – Michigan, Wayne, Detroit
Select Directories
from the list of
Topics for Wayne
County, Michigan.
Directories – Detroit, Michigan
Select a title for
detailed information
If available on microfilm
or fiche, order a copy at
a Family History Center
DistantCousin.com
Click City Directories
Search by Surname or
Browse by Location
DistantCousin.com – Browse Directories
Browse directories
and select a title
Search by Surname
or select first letter of
last name
DistantCousin.com – Browse Directories
Locate surname
Click page number on left
Central Florida Memory
Enter
“Directory”
in the
Search
field
Search for Directories at CFMemory.org
Refine your search results or Click on an image to open it
CFMemory.org – View Directory Pages
Links to individual directory
pages are located in the left
column.
Page 001 is the front cover.
CFMemory.org – Select and Save Images
The scalpel
tool allows you
to select and
save a portion
of a page.
Cite Sources – Where’d I find this?
City directory source citations should include:
title, publisher, editor, publication date, publication
location, and page numbers.
Also note where information was found: database,
library, periodical.
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How to cite common sources used in genealogical research
by John Wylie. www.genealogy.com/19_wylie.html
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How to cite sources using MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago,
Turabian styles. Locate title and click on “Cite this item”
www.WorldCat.org
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Evidence Explained: Citing history sources from artifacts to
cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. RG 929.1 MIL
The City Directory - Recap
What can we find in City Directories?
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Maps and Photos
Local History
Notable Events
Names & Addresses
Occupations & Employers
Spouses and Children
Deaths & Divorces
Arrivals & Departures
City Directories . . .
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Provide information on our
ancestors and the communities
in which they lived.
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Can lead to property records,
business licenses, marriage
records, newspaper articles,
church records, obituaries, death
records, cemetery records,
Census Substitutes
photographs, advertisements,
and more!
Census Supplements,
and a Whole Lot More!