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 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.
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:
Montana City Directories
Statewide
- 1894 Pacific States Newspaper Directory
- 1914 Montana Educational Directory
- 1915 Montana Educational Directory
- 1916 Montana Educational Directory
- 1917 Montana Educational Directory
- 1918 Montana Educational Directory
- 1919 Montana Educational Directory
- 1920 Montana Educational Directory
- 1921 Montana Educational Directory
- 1922 Montana Educational Directory
- 1923 Montana Educational Directory
- 1924 Montana Educational Directory
- 1925 Montana Educational Directory
- 1926 Montana Educational Directory
- 1927 Montana Educational Directory
- 1928 Montana Educational Directory
- 1929 Directory of Montana Newspapers
- 1929 Montana Educational Directory
- 1932 Montana Educational Directory
- 1933 Montana Educational Directory
- 1934 Montana Educational Directory
- 1935 Montana Educational Directory
- 1936 Montana Educational Directory
- 1937 Montana Educational Directory
- 1938 Montana Educational Directory
- 1940 Montana Educational Directory
- 1941 Montana Educational Directory
- 1942 Montana Educational Directory
- 1944 Montana Educational Directory
- 1945 Montana Educational Directory
- 1946 Montana Educational Directory
- 1947 Montana Educational Directory
- 1948 Montana Educational Directory
- 1949 Montana Educational Directory
- 1950 Montana Educational Directory
- 1951 Montana Educational Directory
- 1952 Montana Educational Directory
- 1953 Montana Educational Directory
- 1954 Montana Educational Directory
- 1955 Montana Educational Directory
- 1956 Montana Educational Directory
- 1957 Montana Educational Directory
- 1958 Montana Educational Directory
- 1959 Montana Educational Directory
- 1960 Montana Educational Directory
- 1961 Montana Educational Directory
- 1962 Montana Educational Directory
- 1964 Montana Educational Directory
- 1965 Montana Educational Directory
- 1966 Montana Educational Directory
- 1967 Montana Educational Directory
- 1968 Montana Educational Directory
- 1969 Montana Educational Directory
- 1970 Montana Educational Directory
- 1971 Montana Educational Directory
- 1972 Montana Educational Directory
- 1973 Montana Educational Directory
- 1975 Montana Educational Directory
- 1976 Montana Educational Directory
- 1977 Montana Educational Directory
- 1978 Montana Educational Directory
- 1980 Montana Educational Directory
- 1981 Montana Educational Directory
- 1982 Montana Educational Directory
- A Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Montana, 1941
- Central Montana Business and Professional Directory 1948
- Central Montana Farm and Ranch Directory 1962-1964
- Central Montana Farm Directory 1949-50
- Central Montana Farm Directory 1953-54
- Central Montana Farm Directory 1957-1958
- Central Montana, Telephone Directory 1925
- Central Montana, Telephone Directory 1937
- Central Montana, Telephone Directory 1946
- Central Montana, Telephone Directory 1947
- Directory of the Organizations and Units, Montana National Guard 1943
- McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory 1878
- McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory 1878 v 2
- McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-1884
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory – V. 2 (1880-81)
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 1, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 2, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 3, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 4, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 5, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 6, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 15, pt. 7, 1906
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1880
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1880-81 Part 1
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1880-81 Part 2
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1880-81 Part 2
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1882-83 Part 1
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1882-83 Part 2
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1888-89 Part 1
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1888-89 Part 2
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1888-89 Part 3
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1888-89 Part 4
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 1
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 2
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 3
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 4
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 5
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 6
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1906-07 Part 7
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 2, pt. 1,31880
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 2, pt. 2, 1880
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 3, pt. 1, 1882
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 3, pt. 2, 1882
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 3, pt. 3, 1882
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 6, pt. 1, 1888
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 6, pt. 2, 1888
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 6, pt. 3, 1888
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory, 6, pt. 4, 1888
- Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory. 1882-83 Part 3
- Montana Advertising Directory 1883 a Complete List of Tax-payers
- Montana Advertising Directory, Steele, 1883-4
- Montana Directory of Public Affairs, 1864-1955
- Montana State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1921-1922
- Montana Volunteer Farm and Rural Representatives Directory, Montana State Employment Service, 1972
- Montana Volunteer Farm Labor Representatives Directory, Montana State Employment Service, 1968
- Montana, Madison County, School Teachers Directories, 1897-1930
- Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company, 1916. Central Montana
- Pacific Coast Business Directory, 1867
- Pacific Coast Business Directory, Langley, 1867
- Pacific Coast Directory, 1828
- Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-1887
- Pacific Coast Directory, for 1880-81
- Telephone Directory [Central Montana] 1946
- Telephone Directory 1925, Central Montana
- Telephone Directory 1937, Central Montana
- Telephone Directory 1945, Central Montana
- Telephone Directory 1947, Central Montana
- The Pacific Coast Business Directory for 1867
- The Pacific Coast Directory – 1871-1873
- The Pacific Coast Directory – 1878
- The Pacific Coast Directory – 1880-81
- The Pacific Coast Directory – 1883-84
- The Pacific Coast Directory, 1880-1881
- The Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-1884
- Western Montana Catholic Directory, 1984
Anaconda
Billings
- 1883 Billings City Directory
- 1894 Billings City Directory
- 1900-1901 Billings City Directory
- 1901-1902 Billings City Directory
- 1903-1904 Billings City Directory
- 1905-1906 Billings City Directory
- 1912 Billings City Directory
- 1913 Billings City Directory
- 1914 Billings City Directory
- 1916 Billings City Directory
- 1917 Billings City Directory
Buffalo
Culbertson
Deer Lodge
Dillon
- Dillon, Montana, City Directory – 1964
- Dillon, Montana, City Directory, including a Classified Business Directory, 1964
- Dillon, Montana, City Directory, including a Classified Business Directory, 1969
Fergus County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1904
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1908 including Fergus County and Harlowton, Montana
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1910 including Fergus County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1912 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1914 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1916 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1918 and Fergus and Musselshell County Directory
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1922-23 including Fergus and Judith Basin County
Flathead and Lincoln County
- R. L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell and Whitefish Cities and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1922-23
- R. L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1913-1914.
- R. L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1917-18
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1911
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1915-1916.
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City Directory and Flathead and Lincoln Counties Directory 1909-10.
Flathead County
- R. L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City Directory and Flathead County Directory 1901-1902
- R. L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City Directory and Flathead County Directory 1903-4
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City and Flathead County Directory 1907-8.
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Kalispell City Directory and Flathead County Directory 1905-6 .
Fort Benton
Great Falls
- Great Falls (Cascade County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1961
- Great Falls (Cascade County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1963
Hamilton
- Hamilton, Montana, City Directory, Classified Business Directory, 1965
- Hamilton, Montana, City Directory, Classified Business Directory, 1969
Harlowtown
Havre
- Havre (Hill County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1960
- Havre (Hill County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1962
Helena
- Helena (Lewis and Clark Co., Montana) City Directory – 1898
- Helena (Lewis and Clark Co., Montana) City Directory – 1922
- Helena (Lewis and Clark Co., Montana) City Directory, also a Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1922
- Helena (Lewis and Clark Co., Montana) City Directory, also a Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1960
- Helena (Lewis and Clark Co., Montana) City Directory, also a Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1961
- Helena Directory, 1883-84
- Masonic Directory, Helena, Montana, 1952
- Masonic Directory, Helena, Montana, 1967
Judith Basin County
Lewistown
- Lewistown (Fergus County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1958
- Lewistown (Fergus County, Montana) City Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1961
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1904
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1910 including Fergus County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1912 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1914 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1916 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1918 and Fergus and Musselshell County Directory.
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1922-23 including Fergus and Judith Basin County
Miles City
- Miles City (Custer County, Montana) Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1960
- Miles City (Custer County, Montana) Directory, contains Buyers’ Guide and a Complete Classified Business Directory, 1962
Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1912 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1914 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1916 including Fergus and Musselshell County
- R.L. Polk & Co.’s Lewistown [Montana] City Directory 1918 and Fergus and Musselshell County Directory
Roundup
Sheridan
Teton County
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!