Introduction to U.S. City Directories

Key points and insights

City directories often sit quietly on library shelves, but this webinar, “Introduction to City Directories,” reveals just how powerful they are for genealogical research. Presenter George G. Morgan explains what city directories are, how they developed from the 1600s onward, and why they are essential companions to census and vital records. By showing how to track individuals year by year, identify moves, distinguish between people of the same name, and rebuild neighborhoods, the session demonstrates how directories can fill in gaps—especially around the lost 1890 U.S. census—and bring ancestors’ daily lives into much sharper focus.

• Using directories to bridge gaps and track movement
  The webinar shows how to follow a person from one census to the next using interim directory entries, watching addresses and occupations change over time. Sudden disappearance from a directory may suggest migration or death, while recurring street names and nearby neighbors help pinpoint the right enumeration district or new locale to investigate.

• Reading beyond the name: structure, abbreviations, and hidden clues
  Viewers learn to mine directories far beyond the alphabetical name list. The presentation explains abbreviations for marital status, ethnicity, boarding versus rooming, and neighborhood codes, as well as the value of reverse (street-by-street) directories. Examples from Tampa and Atlanta illustrate how ethnic segregation, clubs, churches, unions, and business listings reveal social networks and community context that standard indexes never show.

• Finding and searching directories in print and online
  Morgan outlines where to locate city directories—public and academic libraries, Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast, Google Books, Cyndi’s List, Linkpendium, Online Historical Directories, and WorldCat—and demonstrates practical search strategies. The webinar addresses OCR and spelling issues, encourages flexible searching by name and address, and shows how directory leads can be followed into deeds, tax records, voter lists, probate files, and union or organizational archives.

Genealogists who want to turn city directories from occasional lookup tools into core research resources are encouraged to watch the full webinar. The complete presentation walks through real examples, images, search screens, and step-by-step reasoning that cannot be fully captured in summary, offering immediately usable techniques for both urban and small-town research. After viewing, exploring the additional resources listed in the syllabus—covering key websites, search tips, and further reading—will help transform these ideas into a focused, directory-based research strategy tailored to specific families and localities.