(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.
South Carolina 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
- A Directory of the High Schools of South Carolina 1923
- Directory of Schools, 2001-2002
- Directory of Schools, 2003
- Directory of Schools, 2006
- Directory of Schools, 2007
- Directory of Schools, 2009
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1977-78
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1978-79
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1979-80
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1980-81
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1981-82
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1982-83
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1983-84
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1984-85
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1985-86
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1986-87
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1987-88
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1988-89
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1989-90
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1990-91
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1991-92
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1992-93
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1993-94
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1994-95
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1995-96
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1996-97
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1997-98
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 1999-2000
- Directory of South Carolina Schools 2010-2011
- School Directory of South Carolina 1912-1913
- School Directory of South Carolina 1912-1913
- School Directory of South Carolina 1913-1914
- School Directory of South Carolina 1913-1914
- School Directory of South Carolina 1914-15
- School Directory of South Carolina 1914-15
- School Directory of South Carolina 1917-1918
- School Directory of South Carolina 1919-1920
- School Directory of South Carolina 1919-1920
- School Directory of South Carolina 1922-23
- School Directory of South Carolina 1923-24
- School Directory of South Carolina 1924-25
- School Directory of South Carolina 1925-26
- School Directory of South Carolina 1926-27
- School Directory of South Carolina 1927-28
- School Directory of South Carolina 1928-29
- School Directory of South Carolina 1929-30
- School Directory of South Carolina 1930-31
- School Directory of South Carolina 1931-32
- School Directory of South Carolina 1932-33
- School Directory of South Carolina 1933-34
- School Directory of South Carolina 1934-35
- School Directory of South Carolina 1935-1936
- School Directory of South Carolina 1937-1938
- School Directory of South Carolina 1938-1939
- School Directory of South Carolina 1939-1940
- School Directory of South Carolina 1940-1941
- School Directory of South Carolina 1941-1942
- School Directory of South Carolina 1942-43
- School Directory of South Carolina 1944-45
- School Directory of South Carolina 1946-1947
- School Directory of South Carolina 1947-1948
- School Directory of South Carolina 1948-1949
- School Directory of South Carolina 1949-1950
- School Directory of South Carolina 1950-1951
- School Directory of South Carolina 1951-1952
- School Directory of South Carolina 1952-1953
- School Directory of South Carolina 1953-1954
- School Directory of South Carolina 1954-1955
- School Directory of South Carolina 1955-1956
- School Directory of South Carolina 1956-1957
- School Directory of South Carolina 1957-1958
- School Directory of South Carolina 1958-1959
- School Directory of South Carolina 1959-1960
- School Directory of South Carolina 1960-1961
- School Directory of South Carolina 1961-1962
- School Directory of South Carolina 1962-1963
- School Directory of South Carolina 1963-1964
- School Directory of South Carolina 1964-1965
- School Directory of South Carolina 1965-1966
- School Directory of South Carolina 1966-1967
- School Directory of South Carolina 1967-1968
- South Carolina School Directory 1968-1969
- South Carolina School Directory 1969-1970
- South Carolina School Directory 1970-1971
- South Carolina School Directory 1971-72
- South Carolina School Directory 1972-73
- South Carolina School Directory 1973-74
- South Carolina School Directory 1974-75
- South Carolina School Directory 1975-76
- South Carolina School Directory 1976-77
- The South Carolina and Georgia Almanack, 1785
- The Southern Business Directory
Anderson
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1905-1906
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1909-1910
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1911-1912
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1913-1914
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1915-1916
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1917-1918
- Anderson (S.C.) City Directory, 1920-1921
- Anderson City Directory, 1905
- Anderson City Directory, 1909
- Anderson City Directory, 1910
- Anderson City Directory, 1910
- Anderson City Directory, 1913
- Anderson City Directory, 1913
- Anderson City Directory, 1915
- Anderson City Directory, 1917
- Anderson City Directory, 1920
- Anderson City Directory, 1920
- Anderson, South Carolina, City Directory – V. 4 (1911-1912)
- Anderson, South Carolina, City Directory – V. 5 (1913-1914)
- Anderson, South Carolina, City Directory – V. 6, 1915-1916
- Anderson, South Carolina, City Directory – V. 8 (1920-1921)
- Walsh’s Directory of the City and County of Anderson, 1905-06
- Walsh’s Directory of the City and County of Anderson, 1909-10
Camden
Charleston
- “Charleston City Directory 1882”
- Charleston City Directory 1782
- Charleston City Directory 1782
- Charleston City Directory 1785
- Charleston City Directory 1786
- Charleston City Directory 1790
- Charleston City Directory 1796
- Charleston City Directory 1801
- Charleston City Directory 1802
- Charleston City Directory 1803
- Charleston City Directory 1806
- Charleston City Directory 1807
- Charleston City Directory 1809
- Charleston City Directory 1813
- Charleston City Directory 1816
- Charleston City Directory 1819
- Charleston City Directory 1822
- Charleston City Directory 1829
- Charleston City Directory 1831
- Charleston City Directory 1837-1838
- Charleston City Directory 1840-1841
- Charleston City Directory 1849
- Charleston City Directory 1852
- Charleston City Directory 1855
- Charleston City Directory 1859
- Charleston City Directory 1867-1868
- Charleston City Directory 1869-1870
- Charleston City Directory, Bagget, 1851
- Charleston City Directory, Bagget, 1852
- Charleston City Directory, Sholes, 1882
- Charleston City Directory, Southern Directory and Publishing, 1888
- Charleston Directory 1790
- Charleston SC City Directory, 1904
- Charleston, South Carolina City Directories, 1782-1870
- Charleston, South Carolina City Directories, 1782-1870 – 1835-1836
- Directory of the City of Charleston 1852
- Nelson’s Charleston Directory, and Strangers Guide, 1801
- Sholes’ Directory of the City of Charleston, for 1877-’78
- Sholes’ Directory of the City of Charleston 1882
- Sholes’ Directory of the City of Charleston, for 1877-’78
- The Charleston City Directory 1888
- The Charlestown Directory for 1782 and the Charleston Directory for 1785
- Walsh’s Charleston, South Carolina City Directory, 1904
- Walsh’s Charleston, South Carolina City Directory, 1904
Chester
Clinton
Columbia
- 1907 Columbia City Directory
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1859.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1860.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1868.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1875-1876.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1879 – 1880.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1888.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1891.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1895.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1897-1898.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1899.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1901.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1903.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1904-1905
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1905.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1906.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1907-1908.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1909.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1910.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1911
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1912
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1913.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1914.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1915
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1916
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1917.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1922.
- Columbia South Carolina City Directory, 1927.
- Columbia South Carolina, City Directory 1931
- Columbia, SC City Directory 1859
- Walsh’s Columbia South Carolina City Directory
Gaffney
- Gaffney (S.C.) City Directory, 1921-1922
- Gaffney (S.C.) City Directory, 1921-1922
- Gaffney City Directory, 1921
Georgetown
Greenville
- Greenville, S.C. City and Suburban Directory, 1921
- Walsh’s Directory of the City and County of Greenville 1903
Laurens
- Laurens and Clinton (S.C.) City Directory, 1912
- Laurens and Clinton (S.C.) City Directory, 1912
- Laurens and Clinton (S.C.) City Directory, 1917
Laurens and Clinton
Moncks Corner
Newberry
- Newberry (S.C.) City Directory, 1921-1922
- Newberry (S.C.) City Directory, 1921-1922
- Newberry City Directory, 1921
- Newberry, S.C. City Directory, (1921-1922)
Spartanburg
- Campus Telephone Directory; University of South Carolina at Spartanburg Campus Telephone Directory 1993-94
- Campus Telephone Directory; University of South Carolina at Spartanburg Telephone Directory 1983-84
- Campus Telephone Directory; University of South Carolina Spartanburg 1996 Spring/Summer Campus Telephone Directory
- Campus Telephone Directory; University of South Carolina Spartanburg Campus Telephone Directory 1994-95
- Campus Telephone Directory; University of South Carolina Spartanburg Campus Telephone Directory 1997-98
- Campus Telephone Directory; USCS Campus Directory September 1990
- Campus Telephone Directory; USCS Campus Telephone Directory 1991-1992
- Campus Telephone Directory; USCS Campus Telephone Directory 1992-93
- Spartanburg, South Carolina City Map and Street Directory, 1922
- Spartanburg, South Carolina, City Directory – 1930
- Turner’s Spartanburg Directory for the Years 1899-1900
Sumter
- Sumter (S.C.) City Directory, 1905-1906
- Sumter (S.C.) City Directory, 1905-1906
- Sumter City Directory, 1905
Union
- Union (S.C.) City Directory, 1911-1912
- Union (S.C.) City Directory, 1920-1921
- Union City Directory, 1911
- Union City Directory, 1920
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!