(This page's most recent update is October 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.
Maine 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
- 1855, The Maine Register
- 1855, The Maine Register
- 1856, The Maine Register, and Business Directory
- 1856, The Maine Register, and Business Directory
- 1881 City Directory
- 1887, Maine Register or State Year-book and Legislative Manual from April 1
- 1888, Maine Register or State Year-book and Legislative Manual from April 1
- 1920, The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer
- A Gazetteer of the State of Maine, 1881
- Business Directory of the Subscribers to the New Map of Maine, with a Brief History and Description of the State
- Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Maine
- Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Maine
- Directory of Federal and State Departments and Agencies in Maine
- Directory of Maine Pioneer Ancestors
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1910
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1914
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1950
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1952
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1956
- Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1958
- Maine Business Directory, Union Publishing Company, 1893
- Maine Industries 1939
- Maine Register or State Year-book and Legislative Manual, 1888
- Maine Register, for the Year 1855
- New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1916 (Part 1)
- New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1918 (Part 1)
- The Maine Register, and Business Directory, 1856
- The Maine State Directory and Gazetteer for – 1893
- The Maine State Directory and Gazetteer, 1893
New England
- 1849, New-England Mercantile Union Business Directory: six Parts
- 1878, The Annual New England Official Directory and General hand-book ..
- 1905, Sanitarium Directory of the New England and Middle States
- 1911, Manual and Directory of the New England Church (Congregational)
- 1984, New England wind Industry Directory
- 1998, The Annual Directory of New England bed & breakfasts
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges & Universities, 2003.
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities 2005
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities 2006
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities 2007
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities 2008
- Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities 2009
- Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families 1620-1700
- Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families 1620-1700
- Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620-1700
- Directory of the Congregation of the New England Church Chicago, Ill., December 1, 1891 ..
- New England Almanac (1829, 1832)
- New England Mercantile Union Business Directory for, 1849, containing an Almanac for 1849, … a Business Directory for New England; Name, Location … of Manufacturing Establishments, Professional Men … Advertising Register … of New York
- New England Mercantile Union Business Directory for, 1849:
- News from New England, 1676
- Physicians’ and Dentists’ Directory of the New England States, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut, 1910
- The Annual New England Official Directory and General Handbook 1878-79
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1875
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1875 pt 1
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1875 pt 2
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1902
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1902 pt 3
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1902 pt 4
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1912
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1912 pt 2
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1916 pt 1
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 1
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 1
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 2
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 2
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 3
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1918 pt 3
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1922
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1922 pt 2
- The New England Business Directory and Gazetteer 1922 pt 4
- The New England Mercantile Union Business Directory, six Parts in one. Containing a New Map of New-England, an Almanac for 1849, a memorandum for every day in the Year, and a Business Directory for New-England
- The New England primer printed in America Prior to 1830
Albany
Albion
Alfred
Androscoggin County
- The Androscoggin County Directory, 1906-07
- The Androscoggin County Directory, 1910-11
- The Androscoggin County Directory, 1914-15
- The Androscoggin County Directory, 1918-19
- The Androscoggin County Directory, v10, 1918/19
- The Androscoggin County Directory, v4, 1906/07
- The Androscoggin County Directory, v6, 1910/11
- The Androscoggin County Directory, v8, 1914/15
Appleton
- Appleton Business Directory, Unknown, 1951
- Appleton Register, 1903
- Appleton Register, 1903
- Appleton Register, 1903
- Appleton Register, 1903
- Appleton Register, 1903
- Appleton Register, 1951
- Appleton Register, 1951
- Appleton Register, 1972
- Appleton Register, 1972
- Appleton Town Directory, Pease, 1903
Auburn
- 1872 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- 1891 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- 1893 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Societies, Business Firms, etc., etc., in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1872
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Societies, Business Firms, etc., etc., in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1891
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Societies, Business Firms, etc., etc., in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1893
Augusta
- Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner Directory, 1867
- Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Manufacturing Establishments … in the Cities of Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner for 1882.
- Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Manufacturing Establishments … in the Cities of Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner for 1882.
- Manning’s Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Manchester, Randolph, Richmond, W. Gardiner, Winthrop (Maine) Directory – 1931
- Manning’s Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Manchester, Randolph, Richmond, W. Gardiner, Winthrop Directory – V. 34 (1935)
Bangor
- 1859, The Bangor, Brewer and Penobscot County Directory
- 1884 Bangor City Directory
- 1885-86 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1887-88 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1890 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1891 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1892 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1893-94 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1895-96 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1897-98 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1899 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1901 Bangor Brewer Hampden and Veazie City Directory
- 1903 Bangor Brewer Old Town Orono City Directory
- 1903 Bangor Brewer Old Town Orono City Directory
- 1905 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1907 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1909 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1910-11 Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, Orono, and Veazie City Directory
- 1912 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1914 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1916 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1919 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- 1921-1922 Bangor and Brewer City Directory
- Bangor and Brewer City and Penobscot County Directories, Smith, 1859-60
- Bangor, Maine, City Directory, 1919
- The Bangor City Directory – 1864-1865
Bath
- 1867-68 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1871-72 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1880 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1883-84 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1887 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
Belfast
Belmont
- The Town Register: Lincolnville, Northport, Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Waldo, 1907
- The Town Register: Meredith, Tilton, Gilmanton, Sanbornton, Gilford, Belmont, New Hampton, 1908
Biddeford
- 1849 Saco and Biddeford Directory
- Biddeford and Saco Directory 1913
- Directory of Biddeford and Saco (Maine), 1920
Bluehill
Bridgton
- 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond
- The Bridgton Town Register, 1905
Brunswick
- 1867-68 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1871-72 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1880 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1883-84 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1887 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1910 Brunswick and Topsham Village Directory
- 1910 Resident and Business Directory of the Town of Brunswick and Topsham Village Maine,
- 1917-18 Brunswick Directory
- 1922-23 Brunswick Directory Including Topsham
- 1928-29 Brunswick Directory
- 1930-31 Brunswick Directory
- 1932-33 Brunswick Directory
- 1934-35 Brunswick Directory
- 1936-37 Brunswick Directory
- 1938-39 Brunswick Directory
- 1940-41 Brunswick Directory
- 1942-43 Brunswick Directory
- 1944-45 Brunswick Directory
- 1946-47 Brunswick Directory
- 1949-50 Brunswick Directory
- 1951-52 Brunswick Directory
- 1953-54 Brunswick Directory
- 1955-56 Brunswick Directory
- 1957-58 Brunswick Directory
- 1959-60 Brunswick Directory
- 1961-62 Brunswick Directory
- 1963-64 Brunswick Directory
- 1965-66 Brunswick Directory
- 1967-68 Brunswick Directory
- 1971 Brunswick Directory
- 1975 Brunswick Directory
- 1977 Brunswick Directory
- 1979 Brunswick Directory
- 1981 Brunswick Directory
- 1983 Brunswick Directory
- 1985 Brunswick Directory
Buxton
Camden
Cape Elizabeth
Casco
Casco Bay
- 1904-05 Casco Bay Directory
- 1908, Resident, Summer Resident and Business Directory for Casco Bay, Maine
- 1908, Resident, Summer Resident and Business Directory for Casco Bay, Maine
- Casco Bay, Maine, Directory – 1902/1903
- Casco Bay, Maine, Directory, 1902-03
China
Cumberland County
Dayton
East Stoneham
Ellsworth
- 1908, The City of Ellsworth Register: with Surry and Bluehill
- The City of Ellsworth Register, 1908: with Surry and Bluehill
Exeter
Fairfield
Farmington
Gardiner
Gilford
Gilmanton
Gorham
Greenwood
Hallowell
Hampton
Harrison
Hollis
Kennebec County
- 1884, A Supplemental Directory of Cumberland and Kennebec Counties
- 1903, Resident and Business Directory of Kennebec County, Maine: including Cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Waterville
- Resident and Business Directory of Kennebec County, 1909-1910
- Resident and Business Directory of Kennebec County, Maine, including Cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Waterville, 1905-06
- Resident and Business Directory of Kennebec County, Maine, including Cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Waterville, 1915-16
Lewiston
- 1872 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- 1891 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- 1893 Lewiston City Directory (including Auburn, Maine)
- Bates College Bulletin. Alumnus Issue, 1954
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1872
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1891
- Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the Cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1893-1894
- Lewiston and Auburn Directory. 1880/81
- Lewiston and Auburn Directory. 1883.
- Lewiston and Auburn Directory. 1885.
- The Lewiston and Auburn Directory, 1864
Lincolnville
Lyman
Meredith
Morrill
Mt. Vernon
Naples
New Hampton
Northport
Oakland
Old Orchard Beach
Orono
- Alumni and non-graduate Directory of the University of Maine, 1921
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine – 1912
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine – 1914
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1912
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1914
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1933
- Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1938
- Alumni Directory, University of Maine, 1933
Oxford County
- 1906, Turner’s Oxford County Directory of the Inhabitants, Institutions
- Oxford County, County Directory, Turner, 1906
Portland
- 1850 Portland City Directory
- 1856 Portland City Directory
- 1858, Portland, Maine, Directory and Reference Book
- 1869 Portland City Directory
- 1883 Portland City Directory
- 1887 Portland City Directory
- 1902, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1905, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1906, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1907, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1908, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1910, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1911, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1914, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1921, Directory of Portland including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth
- 1923, The Portland Directory & Register
- Directory of Portland – 1939
- Directory of Portland – 1940
- Directory of Portland and Vicinity: Complete Street Directory 1900
- Directory of Portland, 1942
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1905
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1906
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1907
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1908
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1910
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1911
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1912 pt. 2
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1912, pt. 1
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1914
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1921
- Directory of Portland: including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1953
- Directory of the City of Portland: and of the Towns of Cape Elizabeth, Deering, Westbrook and Falmouth 1882
- Gorham State College Alumni Directory 1879-1969
- New Portland Register, 1902
- Polk Portland, Maine, City Directory, 1912
- Polk’s Portland City Directory 1962
- Portland City Directory, 1912
- Portland City Directory, Beckett, 1850-1
- Portland City Directory, Beckett, 1850-1
- Portland City Directory, Polk, 1957
- Portland City Directory, Polk, 1959
- Portland City Directory, Polk, 1962
- Portland City Directory, Portland Directory Company, 1912
- Portland City Directory, Portland Directory Company, 1912
- Portland, Maine, Directory and Reference Book, 1858-59
- The Portland Directory and Reference Book for 1852-53
- The Portland Directory and Reference Book, 1858
- The Portland Directory and Register – 1823
- The Portland Directory containing the Names of the Inhabitants, their Occupations, Places of Business, and Dwellimg Houses, and the City Register, with Lists of the Streets, Courts and Wharves, 1834
- The Portland Directory for the Year 1844
- The Portland Directory, for the Year … – 1841
- The Portland Reference Book 1850-1851
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory for … – 1850-1851
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory for …, 1850-1851
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1803-04
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1846
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1850
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1850-51
- The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1858-59
Portsmouth
Raymond
Readfield
Richmond
- 1867-68 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1871-72 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1880 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1883-84 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- 1887 Bath, Brunswick, and Richmond
- The Richmond Register, 1909
Rockport
Saco
- 1849 Saco and Biddeford Directory
- Biddeford and Saco Directory 1913
- Biddeford and Saco Directory 1913
- The Saco Register: with Old Orchard, 1906
Sanbornton
Sanford
Searsmont
Sidney
Skowhegan
Somerset County
- 1929, Somerset County, Maine Business and Personal Directory
- East Somerset County Register, 1911-1912
St. George
- St. George Chronicles, with the Names and Ages of the Inhabitants, 1892
- St. George Chronicles: with Names, Ages and Dates of Birth, a Complete Business Directory, 1932
Surry
Tilton
Topsham
Topsham Village
Vassalboro
Vineyard
Waldo
Warren
Waterboro
Waterford
Waterville
Waterville
Westbrook
- Westbrook [Maine] City Directory, 1908
- Westbrook [Maine] City Directory, 1910
- Westbrook City Directory – 1908
- Westbrook City Directory – 1909-1910
Winslow
Winthrop
Wolfeboro
Yarmouth
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
One reply on “Free Online Maine City Directories”
I love all the resources you’ve compiled. However, this list has one error. Wolfeboro is in New Hampshire, not Maine. I spent summers on Lake Winnipesaukee and had many ice cream cones in Wolfeboro. 🙂