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. Original Use Merchants used directories … 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 . . . 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 Names, Dates, Places Locate directories Check coverage area Check abbreviations 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 . . . 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 1 8 9 7 1 8 9 9 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 Online Resources Free Lookups Borrow Microfilm and Fiche Orlando Public Library Online Resources Ancestry Library Edition – Digitized directories. (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 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 Ancestry Library Edition Heritage Quest FamilySearch.org DistantCousin.com 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. How to cite common sources used in genealogical research by John Wylie. www.genealogy.com/19_wylie.html How to cite sources using MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago, Turabian styles. Locate title and click on “Cite this item” www.WorldCat.org 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? Maps and Photos Local History Notable Events Names & Addresses Occupations & Employers Spouses and Children Deaths & Divorces Arrivals & Departures City Directories . . . Provide information on our ancestors and the communities in which they lived. 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!