The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another important set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.
This activity of presenting links is a collaborative effort between The Ancestor Hunt and Miriam Robbins, who for years has made available the Online Historical Directories website, which presents links to directories of all types that are available online, including free collections as well as those available only via subscription. I wish to thank Miriam for her help in launching this category of records at The Ancestor Hunt.
So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher? Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, and alumni, farm, lodge, rural, and social directories.
What can you find in these records? How about:
- Full names, including middle names
- Spouse name
- Occupation
- Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
- Maps
- Businesses (and index to advertisers).
- Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, and newspapers.
- Whether a woman is a widow (including the name of her husband).
- List of marriages and deaths of the previous year.
- Death date.
- etc.
Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching historical city and other directories:
- FamilySearch – United States Directories
- How to Use City Directories In Your Genealogy Research
- What’s In A City Directory? (a 10 article series about City Directories)
And here are various places where you can find other city directories online:
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Hawaii City Directories
Links to these free collections are presented initially with statewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:
Statewide
- 1880-1881: The Hawaiian Kingdom Statistical and Commercial Directory and Tourist’s Guide
- 1884-1885: Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Territory
- 1888: Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Territory
- 1889: Directory and Handbook of The Kingdom of Hawaii
- 1890: Directory and Handbook of the Kingdom of Hawaii
- 1892: Directory and Handbook of the Kingdom of Hawaii
- 1894-1895: Directory and Handbook of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands
- 1896-1897: Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii
- 1898: Husted’s Directory and Handbook of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands
- 1905-1906: Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and Territory of Hawaii
- 1910: Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii
- 1913: Polk-Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii
- 1924: Polk-Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii
- Directory and Handbook of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1890
- Directory of State, County and Federal Officials, Supplement to Guide to Government in Hawaii
- Directory of the Islands of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai (Hawaii), including Lanai and Molokai
- Directory, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hawaiian Mission, 1934
- Guide to Newspapers of Hawai’i, 1834-2000
- Hawaiian Directory and hand Book of the Kingdom of Hawaii
- Hawaiian Directory and Hand Book of the Kingdom of Hawaii – 1888
- Honolulu and Territory of Hawaii Telephone Directory
- Kingdom of Hawai`i Commercial Directory, Polk, 1880-1
- Kingdom of Hawai`i Directory, Polk, 1890
- Kingdom of Hawai`i Directory, Polk, 1892
- The Hawaiian kingdom Statistical and Commercial Directory and tourists’ Guide 1880-81
Hilo
Honolulu
- 1902: Directory of City & County of Honolulu
- 1903-1904: Directory of City & County of Honolulu
- 1904-1905: Directory of City & County of Honolulu
- Chinese Located on Different Streets in Honolulu, 1898
- Directory of the City and County of Honolulu (Hawaii), including Island of Oahu,
- Honolulu – 10/1915 thru Winter/1925, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 11/1938 thru Fall 1941/42, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1956 thru 1957, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1958, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1959, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1960, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1961, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1962, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1963, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 1969, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1970, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1971, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1972, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1973, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1974, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1975, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1976, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1977, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1979, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1981, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1982, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1983, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1984, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1985, White Pages
- Honolulu – 1986, White Pages
- Honolulu – 2/1949 thru 9/1951, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 2/1954 thru 12/1955, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 4/1936 thru 5/1938, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – 7/1952 thru 4/1953, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – Summer/1926 thru Winter/1935, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – Summer/1929 thru Summer/1931, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – Summer/1942 thru Summer/1945, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – Summer/1946 thru 2/1948, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu – Winter/1931 thru 2/1934, White and Yellow Pages
- Honolulu Almanac and Directory, 1884
- Honolulu Almanac and Directory, 1885
- Honolulu Directory, 1869
- Honolulu Directory, 1869
- Honolulu, – 8/1934 thru 4/1936, White and Yellow Pages
- Oahu College (Punahou School), 1907, list of Trustees, presidents, instructors, matrons, Librarians, Superintendents of Grounds and Students, 1841-1906
Island of Hawaii
Kauai thru Lihue
Kaunakakai
Wailuku
- Wailuku – 4/1947 thru 4/1957, White and Yellow Pages
- Wailuku – 4/1958 thru 1963, White and Yellow Pages
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!