Free Online Louisiana 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, 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: 

• 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

Algiers

• Algiers City Directory, unknown (probably Gardner), 1867-8
• Algiers City Directory, unknown, 1867

Baton Rouge

• 1895 Baton Rouge City Directory
• Baton Rouge, Old Directory lists of resident in 1856
• Louisiana State University Student Directory, 1915-16

Carrollton

• Carrollton City Directory, Gardner, 1867-8

DeRidder

• Telephone Directory, DeRidder, La, Merryville, La., 1925

Greenville

• Greenville City Directory, Gardner, 1867-8

Gretna

• Gretna City Directory, unknown, 1867

Lake Charles

• Worley’s Directory of Lake Charles, Louisiana – 1913

Monroe

• Monroe, Louisiana and West Monroe, Louisiana City Directory

Natchitoches

• Northwestern State College of Louisiana Alumni Directory, 1916
• Northwestern State College of Louisiana Alumni Directory, 1921

New Orleans

• Cohen’s New Orleans Directory 1855
• Edwards’ annual Directory for New Orleans, 1870-1873
• Gardner’s New Orleans Directory 1861-69
• Gardner’s New Orleans Directory for 1861
• Gardner’s New Orleans Directory for 1866
• New Orleans City Directory, 1912
• New Orleans City Directory, 1913
• New Orleans City Directory, Edwards, 1870
• New Orleans City Directory, Edwards, 1871
• New Orleans City Directory, Michel, 1846
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1915
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1930
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1931
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1932
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1933
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1934
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1935
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1938
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1940
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1942
• New Orleans City Directory, Soards, 1971
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1823
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1824
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1834
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1838
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1841
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1843
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1846
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1849
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1853
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1854
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1855
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1856
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1857
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1858
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1859
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1866
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1867
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1868
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1869
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1870
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1871
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1872
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1873
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1874
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1875
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1876
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1877
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1878
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1879
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1880
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1881
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1882
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1883
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1884
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1885
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1886
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1887
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1888
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1889
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1890
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1891
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1892
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1893
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1894
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1895
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1896
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1897
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1898
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1899
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1900
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1901
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1902
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1903
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1904
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1905
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1906
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1907
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1908
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1909
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1910
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1911
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1912
• New Orleans City Directory, unknown, 1914
• New Orleans in 1805,: a Directory and a census
• Soard’s New Orleans City Directory, 1874-1900
• Social Register, New Orleans, 1920
• Social Register, New Orleans, 1922

Shreveport

• Shreveport City Directory – 1917
• Shreveport City Directory – 1921