Going back to our Blog Roots means we started this blog to share our learning and lets do that. Our 1^st 2026 class was on Directories. What take aways do we have from our class on directories? My first one is that there are a ton of different types of directories, some more helpful for doing family history than others. Another big one for me is not to just skip right to the names you might be looking for, but to read that information in the beginning that explains what you are looking at in this directory, why it was created, what the abbreviations are, etc. Our speaker showed how all that beginning information could be rich in cultural and historical content.

I am not sure which comes first, understanding what you might be looking for or figuring out the best place to look for it. I’ll just take them one at a time and we can decide later which to do first. I kind of think it might be a combination or depend on the situation.

First let’s tackle “the what” I am looking for issue. Originally, city directories were largely for advertising. If you know where your ancestor worked or a business they owned, you could confirm that in a directory. Early city directories might give you names, addresses, spouses, etc. Some even said the individual had died or had moved. Sometimes you could find maps of the city or county or farm rural routes. Those were cool as you could find neighbors and those might have been other family members or associates.

There were directories for professionals, churches, fraternal organizations, hospitals, and just about any group that you might think of even a directory for “society people.”  However, keep in mind that some of these were national directories, some city, some county, etc but not all directories could be found in every community. If you do find one that fits your needs, it is likely to be 6 months to a year old by the time the material is gathered and published. Just keep that in mind.

That takes us to finding them. There are the usual places like Ancestry and Family Search. This might be a great time to investigate the state archives, genealogical and historical societies and state libraries of the state you are interested in. Don’t be afraid to call them if you don’t see something searchable online. DonsList.net, Cyndi’s List, and the Allen County Public Library are a few additional locations to search. And don’t forget to check our own HQRL.

I can’t possibly give you everything that our speaker shared. This Blog would go on for quite some time. One tip I will share is this. Directories are a good source for those years between censuses. If your family is in one community one census and a different one the next try this. Start with the earlier census and look for every year in that community until you don’t find them. Next go to the next census and work backwards every year in that community until you don’t find them. That should at least narrow your search. Hopefully, the 2 searches will meet up.

It seems we all have some work to do. I hope you can find 1 or two ideas in all of this that you can use. Often finding one idea will generate other ideas and options and you are off an running.

Until next time - Brickwall Busters!

Heidi Geise, education@hqrl.com