Free Online Nevada 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 August 2023)

Nevada 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

•  1864 Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City (Nevada Territory)
•  1864 San Francisco Business Directory; also, Oregon, Nevada Territory and Mexico
•  1867 The Pacific Coast Business Directory
•  1876-1878 Pacific Coast Business Directory
•  1878 McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory 
•  1881 Arizona Business Directory and Gazetteer Containing the Name and Post Office Address of Each Merchant, Manufacturer and Professional Men in the Territory of Arizona … also a Gazetteer of the Counties, Cities and Towns
•  1883 McKenney’s Business Directory
•  1894 Pacific States Newspaper Directory
•  1915 Directory of Reno and Sparks with a Business Directory of Carson, Gardnerville, Minden, Virginia City and Fallon,
•  1922 State of Nevada Directory of Industries
•  Business Directory of San Francisco and Principal Towns of California and Nevada, 1877
•  City & County Directories and Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-1887
•  Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1884
•  Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1884-85
•  Directory of Southern Nevada Place Names
•  First Directory of Nevada Territory
•  First Directory of Nevada Territory, 1861
•  First Directory of Nevada Territory, 1962
•  First Directory of Nevada Territory, containing the Names of Residents in the Principal Towns, a Historical Sketch
•  Handbook Almanac for the Pacific States, an Official Register and Business Directory, 1863
•  McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1878
•  McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-1884
•  McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1883-84
•  McKenney’s Pacific Coast Directory, 1886-87
•  Nevada Business Directory, State of Nevada, 1922
•  Nevada State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1907-08
•  Pacific Coast Business Directory, 1867
•  Pacific Coast Business Directory, Langley, 1867
•  Pacific Coast Directory, for 1880-81
•  Pacific Coast Grange Directory, Bancroft, 1875
•  Reproduction of Thompson and West’s “History of Nevada, 1881”,  with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
•  Rocky Mountain Directory and Colorado Gazetteer for 1871
•  Rocky Mountain Directory and Colorado Gazetteer for 1871, including Nevada
•  The Pacific Coast Directory – 1871-1873
•  The Pacific Coast Directory – 1871-1884
•  The Pacific Coast Directory – 1878
•  The Pacific Coast Directory – 1883-1884
•  The Pacific Coast Directory, 1871-1873
•  The Pacific Coast Directory, 1878
•  The Pacific Coast Directory, 1880-1881
•  The Rocky Mountain Directory, 1871

American City

•  1864 Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City (Nevada Territory), 1863

Boulder City

•  Las Vegas – Boulder City, Overton and Moapa Valley, Telephone Directory 1946

Carson

•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Carson City

•  Carson City, Reno, and Sparks City and Washoe County Directories, Polk, 1921
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1923
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1925-26
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1927-28
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1929-30
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1930-31
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, Vol. 1920-21

Dayton

•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Fallon

•  Directory City of Fallon, 1908-1909
•  The Rawhide – Fallon Directory, Nevada, 1908-09

Franktown

•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Gold Hill

•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Las Vegas

•  Las Vegas, Boulder City, Overton and Moapa Valley, Telephone Directory 1946

Moapa Valley

•  Las Vegas – Boulder City, Overton and Moapa Valley, Telephone Directory 1946

Overton

•  Las Vegas – Boulder City, Overton and Moapa Valley, Telephone Directory 1946

Reno

•  1911-12 Directory of Reno and Sparks
•  1915 Directory of Reno and Sparks
•  City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1906 1906
•  City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1907 1907
•  Directory of the City of Reno and Sparks, Nev 1904
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1935
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1938
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1939
•  Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1932
•  Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1933
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1923
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1925-26
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1927-28
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1929-30
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1930-31
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, Vol. 1920-21
•  Polk’s Reno, Nevada City Directory, 1937
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1935
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1938
•  Polk’s Reno (Nevada) City Directory, 1939
•  Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1932
•  Polk’s Reno City Directory, 1933
•  Polk’s Reno, Nevada City Directory, 1937
•  R.L. Polk & Co.’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1913-1914
•  R.L. Polk & Co’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1917
•  Reno City Directory 1900 Collection City Directories
•  Reno City Directory, 1900
•  The Alumni Bulletin and War Service Record of the University of Nevada
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Silver City

•  1864 Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City (Nevada Territory)
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Sparks

•  1911-12 Directory of Reno and Sparks
•  1915 Directory of Reno and Sparks
•  City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1906 1906
•  City Directory of Reno and Sparks, 1907 1907
•  Directory of the City of Reno and Sparks, Nev 1904
•  R.L. Polk & Co.’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1913-1914
•  R.L. Polk & Co’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1917

Virginia City

•  1864 Mercantile Guide and Directory for Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City and American City (Nevada Territory)
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74
•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Washoe City

•  The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Directory, 1873-74

Washoe County

•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1923
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1925-26
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1927-28
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1929-30
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, 1930-31
•  Polk’s Reno City, Washoe County and Carson City Directory, Vol. 1920-21
•  R.L. Polk & Co.’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1913-1914
•  R.L. Polk & Co’s Reno, Sparks and Washoe County Directory, 1917