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, newspapers.
Whether a woman is a widow (including name of husband).
List of marriages and deaths of 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 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.
(Updated July 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
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
- New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1916 (Part 1)
- New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1918 (Part 1)
- Rhode Island Business Directory, Adams, 1856
- Rhode Island German directory 1900-1901. Deutsches adressbuch fuer Rhode Island, 1900-1901
- The Rhode Island business directory 1887
- The Rhode Island register, for the year 1853 [and 1856]: containing a business directory of the state, with a variety of useful information
Bristol, Warren, and Barrington
Johnston
- Johnston [Rhode Island] directory 1892 containing a general and business directory and street directory of Johnston, also a record of the Johnston town government, societies, churches, etc
- Johnston [Rhode Island] directory 1893-94 containing a general and business directory and street directory of Johnston, also a record of the Johnston town government, societies, churches, etc
Newport
Pawtucket
- A list of persons, corporations, companies and estates, Pawtucket, R.I. – 1904
- A list of persons, corporations, companies and estates, Pawtucket, R.I. – 1905
- A list of persons, corporations, companies and estates, Pawtucket, R.I. – 1946
- The Pawtucket and Central Falls, Rhode Island, 1924 directory – 1924
Providence
- Brown University, Directory of officers and students, 1928-1929
- Colored Persons Directory H. H. Brown 1832
- Colored Persons Directory Providence 1844 H. H. Brown
- Colored Persons Directory Providence H. H. Brown 1838
- Colored Persons Directory Providence H. H. Brown 1838
- Colored Persons Directory Providence H. H. Brown 1841
- Colored Persons Directory Providence H. H. Brown 1841
- Owners and occupants of the lots, houses and shops in the town of Providence, Rhode Island in 1798
- Providence City and Rhode Island Business Directories, Sampson, Murdock, & Co., 1889
- Providence City and Rhode Island State Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1919
- Providence City Directory, Brown & Danforth, 1824
- Providence City Directory, Brown, 1844
- Providence City Directory, unknown, 1836-7
- Providence House Directory and Family Address Book, Sampson & Murdock, 1905
- Providence House Directory and Family Address Book, Sampson, Murdock, & Co., 1899
- Providence Rhode Island City Directory, 1990
- The Providence almanac and business directory 1844-45
- The Providence almanac and business directory 1846-47
- The Providence almanac and business directory 1848-49
- The Providence almanac and business directory 1857
- The Providence almanac and business directory 1881
- The Providence directory 1889
- The Providence directory 1892
- The Providence directory 1912
- The Providence directory 1913
- The Providence directory 1914
- The Providence directory 1919
- The Providence directory 1920
- The Providence directory and Rhode Island business directory 1919
- The Providence Directory and Rhode Island State Business Directory 1930
- The Providence Directory and Rhode Island State Business Directory 1932
- The Providence Directory and Rhode Island State Business Directory 1934
Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Middletown
- Resident and business directory of Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Middletown, and Little Compton Rhode Island 1921-22
- Resident and business directory of Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Rhode Island 1910
Woonsocket
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Rhode Island Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
