Free Online Texas 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 October 2022)

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

• Directory of Texas Industries from Official Sources
• Directory of Texas industries from official sources.
• Dun’s Mercantile Reference Directory (Texas edition), 1919
• Dun’s Mercantile Reference Directory (Texas edition), 1923
• Texas Business Directory for 1878-9: an index to the mercantile, manufacturing and professional interests of the state, compiled by Texas Directory Co.
• Texas Directory – 1904
• Texas Directory – 1938
• Texas Directory – 1940
• Texas Directory – 1943
• Texas Directory – 1946
• Texas Directory – 1948 supplement Directory
• Texas Directory – 1951
• Texas Directory – 1956
• Texas Directory – 1959
• Texas Directory – 1962
• Texas Directory – 1965
• Texas Directory – 1968
• Texas Directory – 1972
• Texas Legal Directory For 1876-77
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory – 1882-83
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory – v. 2 (1884-1885)
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory – v. 3 (1890-1891)
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory, 1884-85
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory, 1890-91
• Texas state Gazatteer and Business Directory, 1914-15
• Texas State Gazatteer and Business Directory. R. L. Polk, 1914

Abilene

• Census and Directory of the City of Abilene, 1901
• City Directory of Abilene, Texas: Comprising a Census and History, 1905
• Directory of Abilene, Texas, 1907-08
• John F. Worley Directory Co. Abilene City Directory, 1917
• John F. Worley Directory Co. Abilene City Directory, 1919
• John F. Worley Directory Co. Abilene City Directory, 1921
• John F. Worley Directory Co. Abilene City Directory, 1926
• Polk Directory of the City of Abilene, 2000
• Polk Directory of the City of Abilene, June 2002
• Polk Directory of the City of Abilene, May 2003
• Polk’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1958
• Polk’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1960
• Polk’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1961
• Polk’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1962
• Polk’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1963
• Worely’s Directory of Abilene, Texas, 1909
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Tex.) City Directory, 1933
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Tex.) City Directory, 1934-35
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Tex.) City Directory, 1939-1940
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1946
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1948
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1951
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1953
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1955
• Worley’s Abilene (Taylor County, Texas) City Directory, 1957
• Worley’s Abilene (Texas) City Directory, 1928
• Worley’s Directory of Abilene, Texas, 1911
• Worley’s Directory of Abilene, Texas, 1914
• Worley’s Directory of Abilene, Texas, 1915

Alto

• Alto City Directory
• Alto City Directory
• Alto City Directory, 1918
• Alto City Directory, 1920

Austin

• 1872 Austin City Directory
• 1906-7 City Directory of Austin With Street Directory of Residents
• Austin, Travis County, Texas, City Directory – 1914
• Austin, Travis County, Texas, City Directory – 1916
• Austin, Travis County, Texas, City Directory – 1941
• Austin, Travis County, Texas, City Directory – 1955
• Capitol Directory, Austin, Texas
• Directory of the City of Austin, 1912-1913
• Joint Directory of the Christian Churches of Austin, Texas
• Mercantile and General City Directory of Austin, Texas—1872-1873.
• Mooney & Morrison’s General Directory Of The City Of Austin, Texas, For 1877-78.
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Austin for 1881-1882
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Austin for 1889-1890
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Austin for 1897-1898
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Austin, 1885-86
• Polk’s Morrison & Fourmy Austin City Directory, 1918
• Polk’s Morrison & Fourmy Austin City Directory, 1922
• University of Texas ex-student Directory (graduates and non-graduates) 1883-1925

Bonham

• Bonham Telephone Company Directory, 1924
• Bonham Texas Standard City Directory, 1938
• Worley’s Directory of Bonham and Fannin County Texas, 1914

Brownfield

• City Directory for Brownfield, Terry County, Texas – 1960

Brownwood

• Brownwood City Directory, 1921
• Brownwood City Directory, 1923
• Brownwood City Directory, 1925
• Curry’s Brownwood (Texas) City Directory 1938
• The Mullin-Kille and Banner Brownwood, Texas Con Survey City Directory, 1939
• The Mullin-Kille and Banner Brownwood, Texas Con Survey City Directory, 1941
• The Mullin-Kille and Banner Brownwood, Texas Con Survey City Directory, 1947
• The Mullin-Kille and Banner Brownwood, Texas Con Survey City Directory, 1949
• The Mullin-Kille and Banner Brownwood, Texas Con Survey City Directory, 1952
• The Mullin-Kille and Bulletin Brownwood, Including Early Texas, Con Survey City Directory, 1961
• The Mullin-Kille and Bulletin Brownwood, Including Early Texas, Con Survey City Directory, Supplement Edition, 1961
• Worley’s Brownwood (Texas) City Directory, 1928 
• Worley’s Brownwood (Texas) City Directory, 1929-1930
• Worley’s Brownwood (Texas) City Directory, 1931

Corpus Christi

• C.B. Page Directory Company’s Corpus Christi, Texas, City Directory – 1951

Dallas

• Dallas Business Directory, Worley, 1910
• Dallas City Directory, 1875
• Dallas City Directory, 1902
• Dallas City Directory, 1909
• Dallas City Directory, 1915
• Dallas City Directory, 1918
• Dallas City Directory, 1924
• Dallas City Directory, 1927
• Dallas City Directory, 1928
• Dallas City Directory, 1930
• Dallas City Directory, 1933-34
• Dallas City Directory, 1934-35
• Dallas City Directory, 1936
• Dallas City Directory, 1937
• Dallas City Directory, 1938
• Dallas City Directory, 1939
• Dallas City Directory, 1941
• Dallas City Directory, 1944-45
• Dallas City Directory, 1955
• Dallas City Directory, 1956
• Dallas City Directory, 1957
• Dallas City Directory, 1961
• Dallas City Directory, Butterfield & Rundlett, 1875
• Dallas City Directory, Worley, 1901
• Dallas City Directory, Worley, 1910
• Dallas City Directory,1942-43
• Dallas County Directory, unknown, 1882
• Dallas Street Directory, Worley, 1901
• Dallas Street Directory, Worley, 1911
• Greater Dallas (Dallas Co., Texas) City Directory – 1916
• Greater Dallas (Dallas Co., Texas) City Directory – 1918
• Official Directory: Taxpayers of Dallas County, Texas
• Worley’s Dallas Business Directory, 1910
• Worley’s Dallas City Directory, 1901
• Worley’s Dallas City Directory, 1910
• Worley’s Dallas City Street Directory, 1901
• Worley’s Dallas City, Street Directory, 1911

Denton

• Business Directory and Handy Guide of Denton
• Denton Business Directory and advertisements
• Denton Business Review and Directory
• Denton Telephone Directory: Sept. 1924
• Retail Merchants’ Association’s Denton City Directory

El Paso

• Arizona state Business Directory: including El Paso, 1922
• Buck’s Directory of El Paso for 1902
• Buck’s Directory of El Paso for 1902
• Buck’s Directory of El Paso, Tex. for 1902, El Paso Directory Co.
• C. A. Gould & Co’s General Directory of the City of El Paso for 1886-87, C. A. Gould & Co.
• Classified Business Directory of the Cities of El Paso, Texas and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico for the years 1892 and 1893
• Classified Business Directory of the Cities of El Paso, Texas and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico for the years 1892 and 1893 
• Classified Business Directory, of the Cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Mex. for the Years 1892 and 1893, El Paso and Juarez Directory Co.
• Directory of the City of El Paso 1888
• Directory of the City of El Paso 1889
• Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas 1900
• El Paso City Directory for the Years 1895 – 1896
• El Paso City Directory for the Years 1895-1896, Frank J. McDevitt & Company
• El Paso City Directory, 1917
• El Paso City Directory, 1918
• El Paso City Directory, 1919
• El Paso City Directory, 1920
• El Paso City Directory, 1921
• El Paso City Directory, 1922
• El Paso Directory Co’s Directory of the City of El Paso 1888, El Paso Directory Company
• El Paso Directory Co’s Directory of the City of El Paso 1889, El Paso Directory Company
• El Paso Directory for 1903
• El Paso Directory for 1907
• El Paso Directory for 1908
• El Paso, Texas and Paso del Norte, Mexico Business Directory for 1885
• El Paso, Texas and Paso del Norte, Mexico, Business Directory for 1885, Rackliff & Wainey
• Evans & Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas, 1896-’97, Evans & Worley
• Evan’s and Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas 1896 – ’97
• Evan’s and Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas 1896 – ’97
• General Directory of the City of El Paso for 1886-87.
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1903, John F. Worley & Co.
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1904
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1904
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1904, John F. Worley & Co.
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1905
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1906
• John F. Worley & Co.’s El Paso Directory for 1906
• John F. Worley & Co’s El Paso Directory for 1905, John F. Worley & Co.
• John F. Worley & Co’s El Paso Directory for 1906, John F. Worley & Co.
• New Mexico state Business Directory, including El Paso, 1920
• New Mexico state Business Directory, including El Paso, 1921
• Worley’s Directory of City of El Paso, Texas 1898-1899
• Worley’s Directory of City of El Paso, Texas 1898-1899
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1909
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1910
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1911
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1912
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1913
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, Texas, 1914
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, U. S. A., 1915
• Worley’s Directory of El Paso, U. S. A., 1916
• Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Tex. 1900, John F. Worley & Co.
• Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas 1901
• Worley’s Directory of the City of El Paso, Texas 1901, John F. Worley & Co.

Fort Worth

• 1877 Fort Worth City Directory
• 1878-79 Fort Worth City Directory
• 1918 classified Directory for Fort Worth
• City Directory of Fort Worth, Texas. 1898-1899
• Directory of the City of Fort Worth 1902-1903
• Directory of the City of Fort Worth 1905-06.
• Directory of the City of Fort Worth 1914
• Fort Worth City Directory 1916
• Fort Worth Social Directory, 1937
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Fort Worth 1899-1900.
• Morrison & Fourmy’s general Directory of the City of Fort Worth, 1896 – 1897
• Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas, Farmers, stockmen and dairymen’s Directory: containing the names and addresses and amount assessed to each: acreage of Farms and capaCity of dairies. Parcel post rates and zones, also a complete copy Federal Farm Loan Act, suggestions, questions and answers regarding same

Galveston

• Galveston City Directory, 1859-1860
• Galveston City Directory, 1866-1867
• Galveston City Directory, 1868-1869
• Galveston City Directory, 1870
• Galveston City Directory, 1872
• Galveston City Directory, 1875-1876
• Galveston City Directory, Morrison & Fourmy, 1906-7
• Galveston Directory for 1859-60
• Heller’s Galveston City Directory, 1874
• Heller’s Galveston Directory, 1876-1877
• Heller’s Galveston Directory, 1878-1879
• Heller’s Galveston Directory, 1880-1881
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1859
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1881-1882
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1882-1883
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1884-1885
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1886-1887
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1888-1889
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1890-1891
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1891-1892
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1893-1894
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1895-1896
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1896-1897
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1898
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1899-1900
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1901-1902
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1903-1904
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1905
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1906-1907
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1908-1909
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1909-1910
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1911-1912
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Galveston: 1913

Harlingen

• Telephone Directory : Harlingen, Texas and Rio Grande Valley
• Telephone Directory: Harlingen, Texas and Rio Grande Valley – 1937

Houston

• Complete Business and professional Directory of Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur, La Grange, Orange, Weimar, Richmond, Sealy, Sour Lake, Galveston, Brenham, Wharton, Navasota, Columbus, Hempstead, Eagle Lake, Bellville, La Porte and Liberty, Texas, 1906-1907
• Houston City Directory for 1866
• Houston City Directory for 1867-68
• Houston City Directory for 1870-71
• Houston City Directory for 1873
• Houston City Directory for 1877-78
• Houston City Directory for 1879-80
• Houston City Directory for 1880-81
• Houston City Directory for 1882-83
• Houston City Directory for 1884-85
• Houston City Directory for 1886-87
• Houston City Directory for 1887-88
• Houston City Directory for 1889-90
• Houston City Directory for 1890-91
• Houston City Directory for 1892-93
• Houston City Directory for 1894-95
• Houston City Directory for 1895-96
• Houston City Directory for 1897-98
• Houston City Directory for 1899
• Houston City Directory for 1900-01
• Houston City Directory for 1902-03
• Houston City Directory for 1903-04
• Houston City Directory for 1905-06
• Houston City Directory for 1907
• Houston City Directory for 1908-09
• Houston City Directory for 1910-11
• Houston City Directory for 1911-12
• Houston City Directory for 1912
• Houston City Directory for 1913
• Houston City Directory for 1915
• Houston City Directory for 1917
• Houston City Directory for 1918
• Houston City Directory for 1919
• Houston City Directory for 1920-21
• Houston City Directory for 1922
• Houston City Directory for 1923-24
• Houston City Directory for 1923-24
• Houston City Directory for 1926
• Houston City Directory, 1866
• Houston City Directory, 1866
• Houston City Directory, 1873
• Houston City Directory, 1918
• Houston City Directory, 1941
• Houston City Directory, 1957
• Houston City Directory, 1962
• Houston City Directory, 1966
• Houston City Directory, 1970
• Houston City Directory, 1976 v. 1
• Houston City Directory, 1976 v. 2
• Houston City Directory, 1980 v. 1
• Houston City Directory, 1980 v. 2
• Houston City Directory, 1982 v. 1
• Houston City Directory, 1982 v. 2

Laredo

• Laredo, Texas, City Directory – 1930

Mesquite

• City Directory of Mesquite, Texas

Midland County

• Hudspeth’s Midland (Midland County, Texas) City Directory – 1963
• Hudspeth’s Midland (Midland County, Texas) City Directory, 1930-31
• Hudspeth’s Midland (Midland County, Texas) City Directory, 1941

Mineral Wells

• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Mineral Wells City Directory, 1909
• R.L. Polk & Co.’s Mineral Wells City Directory, 1920

Orange

• Orange, Texas City Directory – 1917-1918

Palestine

• Palestine City Directory, 1898-1899

Shelby County

• Shelby County Directory, 1969

Sherman

• Polk’s Sherman City Directory, 1923
• R. L. Polk & Co.’s Sherman City Directory, 1910-1911
• R. L. Polk & Co.’s Sherman City Directory, 1912-1913
• R. L. Polk & Co.’s Sherman City Directory, 1918
• R. L. Polk & Co’s. Sherman City Directory, 1925
• Worley’s Sherman City Directory, 1935
• Worley’s Sherman City Directory, 1947-8
• Worley’s Sherman City Directory, 1950

Taylor

• 1910 Taylor City Directory
• 1914 Taylor City Directory

Waco

• Baylor University, Alumni Directory, 1854-1914
• C.D. Morrison & Co.’s General Directory of the City of Waco for 1878-79
• General Directory of the City of Waco, for 1884-85
• Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co. Directory of the City of Waco 1904-1905
• Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co. Directory of the City of Waco 1906-07
• Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co. Directory of the City of Waco 1911-12
• Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co. Directory of the City of Waco, 1902-1903
• Morrison & Fourmy Directory Co.’s Waco City Directory 1921-1922
• Morrison & Fourmy Waco City Directory 1919-20
• Morrison & Fourmy’s Directory Co. Directory of the City of Waco 1913
• Morrison & Fourmy’s Directory of the City of Waco, 1888-89
• Morrison & Fourmy’s Directory of the City of Waco, 1902-1903
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco 1890-91
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco 1892-93
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco 1894-95
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1886-87
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1896-1897
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1898-99
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1900-1901
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1907-1908
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1910
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, 1916
• Morrison & Fourmy’s General Directory of the City of Waco, for 1880-81
• Morrison & Fourmy’s Waco City Directory 1917-18
• Polk’s Morrison & Fourmy Waco City Directory 1923-24
• Waco, and McLennan County, Texas; containing a City Directory of Waco
• Waco, Texas, City Directory – 1938
• Waldo’s Directory of the City of Waco, 1882

Wichita Falls

• Wichita Falls (Wichita County, Texas) City Directory, 1940
• Wichita Falls (Wichita County, Texas) City Directory, 1967
• Wichita Falls (Wichita County, Texas) City Directory, 1971