(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.
North Dakota 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
- 1894 Pacific States Newspaper Directory
- 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, 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. 1882-83 Part 3
- North Dakota and Minnesota Stage Gazetteer and Business Directory 1878-79
- Offsite Directories at the State Historical Society of North Dakota
- The Leading Business Men of Dakota Cities: accompanying the Map of Dakota Territory, Name and Address, 1883
- The North Dakota Agricultural College Alumni Directory, December 1915
Adams County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Adams County, published in 1917
- Standard Atlas of Adams County, North Dakota, 1917
Barnes County
Benson County
Berthold
Bottineau County
Bowman County
Burke County
Burleigh County
Cass County
Cavalier County
Dickey County
Divide County
Eddy County
Emmons County
Fargo
Foster County
Golden Valley County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Golden Valley County, published in 1910
- Atlas and Plat Book of Golden Valley County, published in 1919
Grand Forks
- City Directory of Grand Forks, N.D. and East Grand Forks, Minn., 1898
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1896-97
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1900-1901
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1902-1903
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1903-1904
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1909
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1911
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1914
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1916
- Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City Directory, 1919
- Grand Forks City Directory for 1882-83
- Grand Forks City Directory for 1885.
- Grand Forks City Directory, 1889-90
- University of North Dakota Alumni Directory, 1910
- University of North Dakota Alumni Directory, 1918
- University of North Dakota Alumni Directory, 1918
- University of North Dakota Alumni Directory, 1918
- University of North Dakota Alumni Directory, 1920-1921
- University of North Dakota, Alumni Directory, 1918
Grand Forks County
Grant County
Harvey and Fessenden
Hettinger County
Kensai
Kidder County
LaMoure County
Logan County
McHenry County
McIntosh County
McLean County
Mercer County
Morton County
Mountrail County
Nelson County
Oliver County
Pembina County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Pembina County, published in 1909
- Atlas and Plat Book of Pembina County, published in 1928
- Atlas of Pembina County, 1968
Pierce County
Ramsey County
Ransom County
Renville County
Richland County
Rolette
Rolette County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Rolette County, published in 1910
- Atlas and Plat Book of Rolette County, published in 1928
Sargent County
Sheridan County
Stark County
Steele County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Steele County, published in 1911
- Atlas and Plat Book of Steele County, published in 1928
Stutsman County
- Atlas and Plat Book of Stutsman County, published in 1911
- Standard Atlas of Stutsman County, 1930
- Standard Atlas of Stutsman County, North Dakota, Directory, 1930
Towner County
Traill County and Steele County
Walsh County
Ward County
Wells County
Williams County
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!