Using City Directories For Genealogy Research

You have exhausted all the more traditional sources such as birth, death, and marriage certificates, census returns etc, and still cannot find your ancestor.  That is something that every genealogist or family historian fears, but do not worry, you can still use city directories that may help you find your ancestor.

City directories can be used for family history research because they allow you to track an ancestor yearly rather than every 10 years using the census.  A city directory contains details of businesses, institutions, and some private residents, listing their address in the town or city, thus helping you to track down your ancestor.

Why Were City Directories Published?

City directories were originally published at the start of the nineteenth century, and contain a great detail of information about the town or city they encompass.  Originally published to provide details of an area for travellers and other visitors, they are normally published every year.  Although the name suggests they only covered cities, they also covered small towns and more rural areas.

Frederic Festus Kelly, the chief inspector of letter carriers for the inland or general post office, knew that if letters were to be delivered accurately, and in a timely fashion, to residents and businesses, more accurate and up-to-date lists had to be created.

Publishers of City Directories intended to sell advertising in the directory, and to sell the data contained therein.

What Are City Directories?

There are many different types of city directories, which include:

Street: A street directory lists residents, businesses and tradesmen by street address

Commercial: this type of directory includes businesses, but may also include a listing of private residents

Trade: A trade directory does not just include businesses, but also anyone who conducted a recognised trade or profession.

Court: A Court directory lists wealthy residents and government officials

Post Office: The Post Office directory includes a listing of householder’s names and addresses

Why Use City Directories?

City Directories make it easier to track your ancestor yearly, rather than by using census returns that only came out every ten years.  If your ancestor has left his place of residence, or was a businessman, using a city directory will make it easier to track when he may have moved to a different address.

City directories normally contain a history of the local area, and would also include information regarding churches, schools, shops and local businesses.  

A city directory also includes details of some private residents.  Please bear in mind that this list is by no means complete.  The list of private residents in earlier directories was predominantly the gentry and nobility, along with the prominent and more affluent individuals.  In later directories, however, more private residents, especially householders, began to be included regardless of their social status.

Directories provided descriptions of the town and neighbouring locations, so can help you to determine what your ancestor’s life was like by placing your ancestors in historical context.

How Was Information Collected For City Directories?

Kelly made his directories more up-to-date by using postmen to ensure the directory’s listings were more accurate.  He also sent canvassers to different streets to ensure that names and addresses were correct.

Publishers also employed local agents to visit residents and business to compile information for the directory.  Some of the agents included in such a commission were keepers of registry offices, policemen, accountants, land and house agents and auctioneers.

Census enumerators were also employed to compile information for the city directories as they could collect information, sell advertising in the directories, and even solicit sales of the directory.

What Month Were City Directories Published?

Directories were produced in the Autumn before the date stated on the spine of the directory.  Therefore, if you are looking at a directory from 1875, the information would have been collected in the Autumn of 1874.

Who Published City Directories?

City directories in England and Wales were predominantly published by Pigot, Kelly, Slater, and White.

Pigot’s Directory

Pigot’s directory was originally published in 1814 by James Pigot, so cover the period before the advent of civil registration in 1837.  

Covering counties, the directories contain a brief local history about the area, including towns and villages.

Information included in the directory for each town or village includes a list of the nobility, those involved in the main trades and industries of the parish, inns and public houses, and then shopkeepers and other traders.  

The different parishes in the area are listed, including information regarding the inhabitants of the area, and a geographical description.

Kelly’s Directory

Kelly’s Directory was established by Frederic Festus Kelly and begin in the 1840s.

What are Kelly’s Trade Directories?

Frederic Festus Kelly, the chief inspector of letter carriers for the inland or general post office, took over the Post Office London Directory in 1836 after purchasing it from his predecessor’s widow.  Over the next several decades, Kelly produced directories for many more UK counties, towns and cities.

Kelly’s directory included an index in the first few pages, which provided a list of all towns and villages included.  It then went on to provide a list of all the principal seats in the area such as, in the Directory of Northamptonshire, 1910, Althorp Park, seat of the Right Honourable Earl Spencer.  

A list of advertisers and advertisements in the directory was also included, along with the page they could be found on – this is especially useful if you know your ancestor owned a business – you never know, you could find an advertisement for their business in the directory.

A topographical description of the area was also included, and it also gave list of towns and villages, along with the Union they were part of.  Members of Parliament for the county were also included in the volume.  The names of members of the county council and magistrates were also included in the directory.

The directories listed all businesses and tradespeople of the towns and villages covered by the directory, and also included a list of postal addresses for the local nobility and gentry, charities and other facilities.

Kelly’s directory was in fact a predecessor of today’s Yellow Pages, which were telephone directories of business organised categorically rather than alphabetically.  They were printed on yellow paper.

Slater’s Directory

Slater’s directory was published after 1843 by Isaac Slater, and carried on where Pigot had left off after his death in 1843.   

Isaac Slater was born in 1803 and was an apprentice to James Pigot, the founder of Pigot’s directory.  He was made a partner in the firm in 1840, the firm then becoming known as Pigot and Slater, which then became known only as Slater following James Pigot’s death.

Slater primarily published directories in Ireland, Scotland, and northern England due to competition from Kelly and Co., who had expanded from London to publish directories in other cities.

White’s Directory

Whites directories were published from the 1820s by William White of Sheffield.  Whites directory included residents, local traders and also provides information regarding information about the area covered by the directory.  You should be aware that not every resident of towns and villages was listed.

Searching City Directories

Streets are listed in the directory in alphabetical order, with a list of householders or business situated in that street.  A list of householders in alphabetical order is also included in the directory, but if you are searching for a female ancestor, it becomes more difficult because many female householders were only entered as Miss or Mrs, making it difficult to ascertain if you have found the right person.

If the directory is published near to a census year, cross referencing the women you have found in the directory with that on the census return may help you track down that elusive female ancestor.

A list of business proprietors is also included in a directory, with these being sorted in alphabetical order.  A classified list of businesses is also included.

If you know your ancestor’s occupation, you should look for that occupation in the directory for the area your ancestor lived in to see if he is listed.  If you have found him in one directory, searching in successive directories may help you to determine when he may have moved or retired from the business.

Searching in the city directory for a person’s occupation may also help you to find other family members.  If your ancestor retired from the family business, it is always possible that another family member, especially a son, may have taken over.  You may therefore be able to trace the family over many years.

If you are unable to find your ancestor in a census, try searching for them in a city directory published one or two years before or after the census date.  You may be able to find him in either the list of tradesmen or the list of private residents, which may help you trace him and his family in the census.

Abbreviations in City Directories

Many first names in city directories were abbreviated to save space.  Some abbreviations include:

Where Can I Find City Directories?

City directories can be found in either libraries or local county record offices.  Directories can also be viewed at the National Archives and at the Guildhall Library.

It is also possible to view some City Directories for free by accessing the Historical Directories of England and Wales collection at the University of Leicester.  This collection provides access to 689 directories covering the 1760s to the 1910s, and includes at least one directory for every English and Welsh county covering the 1850s, 1890s and 1910s.  

The directories are searchable by name, place and occupation.  Kelly’s and Pigot’s directories are included in the collection, along with some directories published by local publishers.  Help on how to search these historical directories is also provided on their website.

UK, City and County Directories, 1766-1946 can also be accessed at Ancestry.  Many different types of directory are accessible, which include:

Street: A street directory lists residents, businesses and tradesmen by street address

Commercial: this type of directory includes businesses, but may also include a listing of private residents

Trade: A trade directory does not just include businesses, but also anyone who conducted a recognised trade or profession.

Court: A Court directory lists wealthy residents and government officials

Post Office: The Post Office directory includes a listing of householder’s names and addresses

Directories and almanacs are also available at FindmyPast.  Their collections include Robinson, Son and Pike trade directories which date back to the 1890s.  They also hold Scottish Post Office Directories, along with Irish and Ulster trade directories.

It is also possible to purchase directories from TWR Computing.  A comprehensive list of trade directories for many different counties are available to purchase and download.  Counties for which directories can be purchased include: