Many communities with a large population had city directories, some as
early as 1800. These were lists of residents, often by street address and
included the person’s name, occupation, and sometimes names of other
people living at that address. Today these city directories can be found
in area libraries and in state archives. Not every city had one, but these
are valuable records to help learn not only when a person lived, but also
what the neighborhood was like and what type of work people did.City directories did not always indicate race or gender, so it
helps to have a specific name and some information about a person before
searching the city directories.
A
good way to determine if a city directory exists is to go to
Go to city directories to see what is available.
Many communities with a large population had city directories, some as
early as 1800. These were lists of residents, often by street address and
included the person’s name, occupation, and sometimes names of other
people living at that address. Today these city directories can be found
in area libraries and in state archives. Not every city had one, but these
are valuable records to help learn not only when a person lived, but also
what the neighborhood was like and what type of work people did.