|
R N |
|
Radford Noone Research Service |
|
For Help Exploring Your Family Tree |
|
City and County Directories |
|
One Town/County One Surname Search |
|
City and County Directories
Directories were kept for many reasons. Some listed farmers in rural areas while others listed residents in the thickly populated tenements of urban areas. Directories can be a valuable source for tracing the movement of ancestors and their family. Not all areas in the United States had city or county directories, and not all that did have consistent years. However, what is available is a gold mine especially for documenting your ancestors.
City directories typically list the name of the person, often spouse in the case of a woman, occupation and the address of the workplace, as well as residential address. Rural directories usually list the name of the person and something about their farm or what crops they were farming. Often a county directory would combine the two.
When ordering a city directory search be aware that some metropolitan directories cover outlying areas, for example Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas. Another example is the Santa Monica, California directories, which also cover Ocean Park, Venice, Sawtelle, and later other cities. So use judgment when seeking where an ancestor may be found. You may find that an unassuming town directory actually lists residents in the entire county! Metropolitan directories cover a large geographic area even if only the main city is listed. So use the listing below as a guide.
Directories of particular interest available for Radford Noone Research Service to explore are as follows and are searched by surname since you will need the entire picture of everyone by a surname so you can plot family members and movements. Also where there are gaps in the directories the next closest directory will be searched. You will be forwarded photocopies of the pages listing the surname of interest.
If you do not find what you're looking for, remember the lists only include the microfilm collections at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. They do not include their printed book collection nor the collections at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Click on the states below to see what’s available for research. |
|
To contact us: |
