Free Online Kansas City Directories

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, newspapers.
• Whether a woman is a widow (including name of husband).
• List of marriages and deaths of 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: 

• Where to Find City Directories Online

Note: Some of the 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, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated September 2021)

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

• East Kansas and North Missouri Business Directory, Wyckoff, 1867-8
• Farmers’ Educational and Co-operative Union of America Directory, Four States Press, 1913
• Kansas Business Directory – 2006
• Kansas Business Directory – 2007
• Kansas Business Directory – 2008
• Kansas Business Directory – 2010
• Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1878
• Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1884-85
• Polk’s Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1880
• Polk’s Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1894
• Polk’s Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1900
• Polk’s Kansas state Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1912
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1904 (partial)
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1904 (partial)
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1904 (partial)
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1908 (partial)
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1908 (partial)
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1908 (partial)

Abilene

• City Directory of Abilene, Kansas, 1904-1905

Chase County

• Chase County, Kansas Farm & Ranch Directory – 1970
• Chase County, Kansas Farm & Ranch Directory, 1970

Coffeyville

• Polk’s Coffeyville (Kansas) City Directory – 1987

Council Grove

• Council Grove, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1961
• Council Grove, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1962
• Council Grove, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1969
• Council Grove, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1971
• Council Grove, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1972

Dodge City

• Dodge City, Kansas, Telephone Directory – 1941
• 1889 Business Directory, Dodge City, McKenney Directory Co.

Doniphan County

• Doniphan County County Directory, Smith, 1868-9
• Doniphan County, Kansas, History and Directory – 1868-1869
• Doniphan County, Kansas, History and Directory – 1868-1869

El Dorado

• Polk’s El Dorado (Butler County, Kans.) City Directory – 1979
• Polk’s El Dorado (Butler County, Kans.) City Directory – 1984
• Polk’s El Dorado (Butler County, Kans.) City Directory – 1985

El Dorado, Benton, Leon, Towanda

• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1941
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1952
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1955
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1956
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1958
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1959
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1960
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1962
• Telephone Directory [for] El Dorado, Benton, Leon, [and] Towanda, Kansas – 1963

Ford County

• 1878 Gazatteer and Business Directory, R. L. Polk & Co.
• 1884-1885 Gazatteer and Business Directory, R. L. Polk & Co.

Fort Scott

• Fort Scott City Directory, 1879
• Fort Scott, Kansas Telephone Directory – 1942
• Fort Scott, Kansas Telephone Directory – 1948

Great Bend

• Great Bend, Kansas Telephone Directory – 1941
• Great Bend, Kansas, City Directory – 1985
• The Great Bend City Directory and Business Gazatteer, 1886

Hope

• Hope (Dickinson County, Kansas) City Directory, 1939-1940

Jackson County

• Standard Atlas of Jackson County, 1921

Jefferson County

• 1878 Jefferson County Farmers’ Directory, listed by post office.
• 1878 Kansas State Gazatteer and Business Directory includes towns, postoffices and settlements.
• 1890 Business Directory, published in the Oskaloosa Independent, partial; includes Winchester, Nortonville and Osawkee.
• 1894 Kansas State Gazatteer and Business Directory includes Business Directories for the larger towns.
• 1899 Patrons’ Directory listing of Farmers and Businessmen–a subscription Directory, it did not list all residents.
• 1928 “Colored” Directory Includes residents in Oskaloosa, Perry and Williamstown.

Johnson County

• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2001
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2007
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2008
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2010
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2011 (v. 1)
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2011 (v. 2)
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2012 (v. 1)
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2012 (v. 2)
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2013 (v. 1)
• Johnson County North, Polk City Directory, 2013 (v. 2)
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2002
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2003
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2004
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2005
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2006
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2007
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2008
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2010
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2011
• Johnson County South, Polk City Directory, 2012
• Johnson County, Kansas Farmers 1921

Kingman County

• Kingman County, Kansas, Rural Directory – 1975

Lawrence

• University of Kansas Directory – 1933-1934
• University of Kansas Directory – 1971-1972
• University of Kansas Directory – 1973-1974

Leavenworth

• Polk Leavenworth, Kansas, City Directory, 1915-16
• Wing’s Directory of Leavenworth, Kansas – 1899-1900

Lyon County

• Lyon County, Kansas Rural Directory – 1984

McPherson County

• Standard Atlas of McPherson County, 1921

Mitchell County

• Directory of Mitchell County, 1899

Neodesha

• City Directory and names of Rural Route Patrons, Neodesha, Kansas – 1916
• City Directory and names of Rural Route Patrons, Neodesha, Kansas – 1916
• City Directory of Neodesha, Kansas – 1913
• Neodesha, Kansas, City Directory, 1916
• Neodosha City Directory, Neodosha Daily Sun, 1916​

Newton

• Newton, Kansas ConSurvey Directory – 1943
• Newton, Kansas ConSurvey Directory – 1943
• Newton, Kansas, City Directory – 1956

Rooks County

• Standard Atlas of Rooks County, 1904

Rush County

• Annual Farm & Ranch Directory of Rush County, Kansas. – 1967

Sedgwick County

• Sedgwick County, 1882 Patrons List
• Sedgwick County, 1905 Patrons List

Topeka

• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Director, 1902
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1871
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1888
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1890-91
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1893-94
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1896-97
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1899-1900
• Polk Topeka, Kansas, City Directory, 1905
• Radges’ Directory of Topeka and Shawnee County – 1874
• Radges’ Directory of Topeka and Shawnee County – 5th ed. (1879)
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1872
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1874
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1880
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1882
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1885
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1887
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1890
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1890
• Radge’s Topeka City Directory, 1921
• Topeka Colored Directory, 1928
• Topeka Colored Directory, 1934

Wabaunsee County

• Business Directory and History of Wabaunsee County, 1907
• Wabaunsee County Business Directory, Kansas Directory Company, 1907

Wichita

• 1877 Wichita City Directory
• 1881 Gazatteer of the Old Southwest
• 1881 Wichita Business Directory
• Directory of the City of Wichita – 1883
• Directory of the City of Wichita – 1885
• Polk’s Wichita (Sedgwick County, Kansas) City Directory 1910
• Wichita City Directory, 1877
• Wichita City Directory, 1878
• Wichita City Directory, 1883
• Wichita City Directory, 1885
• Wichita City Directory, 1886
• Wichita City Directory, 1887
• Wichita City Directory, 1888
• Wichita City Directory, 1889
• Wichita City Directory, 1890
• Wichita City Directory, 1891
• Wichita City Directory, 1892
• Wichita City Directory, 1894
• Wichita City Directory, 1902
• Wichita City Directory, 1904-5
• Wichita, Kansas, City Directory, 1875
• Wichita, Kansas, City Directory, 1878
• Wichita, Kansas, City Directory, 1883

Woodson County

• Woodson County, Kansas Rural Directory – 1972