Free Online Prince Edward Island City Directories

City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and Canada 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 – Canada Directories
• How to Use City Directories In Your Genealogy Research 
• What’s In A City Directory? (a 10-article series about City Directories)

Note: Some of the links listed below 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. Please make sure that you are signed in to FamilySearch, in order to take full advantage of the collections that are available.

(Updated October 2022)

Links to these free collections are presented initially with countrywide and provincewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Please note that many of the counties no longer exist, but are now districts or regional municipalities. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:

Countrywide

• Business Directory of Canada West Directory 1851
• Canada classified Directory 1865-66
• Canada Directory 1851
• Canada Directory 1857-58
• Canada Gazetteer and Business Directory 1864-1865
• Canadian Dominion Directory for Directory 1871
• Canadian Professional and Business Directory, Mackay, 1851
• Dominion Business Directory 1890 — From Internet Archive
• Halifax, Amherst, Charlottetown, Dartmouth, Chatham, Fredericton, Kentville, Moncton, New Glasgow, Sydney, N. Sydney, Pictou, Quebec, St. John, St. Stephen, Summerside, Yarmouth, Woodstock, Truro, Windsor Directory 1900
• Mitchell & Co.’s Canada Classified Directory for 1865-66
• Supplement to the Directory 1851 Canada Directory 1853
• The Canadian Legal Directory 1878

Provincewide

• 1889/90 Telephone Directory
• 1922 P.E.I. Telephone Directory
• 1928 Telephone Directory
• 1935 P.E.I. Telephone Directory
• Frederick’s Prince Edward Island Directory and Book of Useful Information 1889-90
• Frederick’s Prince Edward Island Directory and book of useful information for 1889-90
• Frederick’s Prince Edward Island directory, 1889-90
• Hutchnson’s Prince Edward Island Directory, 1864
• Hutchnson’s Prince Edward Island Directory, 1864 – Appendix
• Lovell’s Prince Edward Island Directory 1871
• McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory 1880 – 1881
• McAlpine’s Prince Edward Island Directory, 1900
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1877
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1878
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1879
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1880
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1881
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1882
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1883
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1884
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1885
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1886
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1887
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1888
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1889
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1890
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1891
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1892
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Guide Book 1893
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1894
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1895
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1896
• Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1897
• Prince Edward Island directory for 1871
• Prince Edward Island Provincial Directory, Frederick, 1889-90
• Province of Prince Edward Island Directory 1871
• Teare’s directory & hand book of the province of Prince Edward Island, 1880
• Teare’s directory & hand book of the province of Prince Edward Island, 1880/81
• The Prince Edward Island almanac and miscellaneous directory 1899
• The Prince Edward Island almanac and miscellaneous directory 1899
• The Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1899
• The Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1899
• The Prince Edward Island Almanac and Miscellaneous Directory 1900

Charlottetown

• Bards & Co’s business and professional directory, 1900 (includes Charlottetown)
• City Directory of Charlottetown, 1937
• McAlpine’s Charlottetown city directory for 1887-8