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:
Note: Some of the links listed below 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.
(Updated August 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
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
Chase County
Coffeyville
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
Jackson County
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
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
McPherson County
Mitchell County
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
Rush County
Sedgwick County
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
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Kansas Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
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Sir,
Your link for Kansas City Directories; specifically the Mitchel County 1899 didn’t work. Looks like the “D” in the url should be lower case; ie…https://archive.org/details/directoryofmitch00unse you have; https://archive.org/details/Directoryofmitch00unse
Thanks. Fixed.