City Directories: Genealogy

This guide is a selective list of directories. The emphasis is on publications having multiple years of coverage. The Library collection specializes in Delaware resources, but there are materials covering other areas. For example, the Library has a very good collection of city directories for Philadelphia. Note: early directories in Delaware were published for the entire state of Delaware, rather than for cities.

Ancestry Library Edition. Location: Library Databases: Only one colonial era directory available for Delaware. Contains text extracted from thousands of city directories around the world.

Boyd's Delaware State Directory / The Delaware State Directory and Gazetteer for .... Wilmington, DE: Commercial Printing Co.; Wilmington, DE: Joshua T. Heald. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F162.3 .B69)

City Directories. (Cyndi's List) Location: Internet (http://www.cyndislist.com/citydir.htm)

Cross Reference Directory, Greater Wilmington.... Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F174.24 .W7 .C75) Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref F174.24 .W7 .C75) Latest ed.: Library has 1961,1963,1965 to present.

Delaware State Directory / Delaware State and Peninsula Directory. Wilmington, DE: Jenkins & Atkinson; Ferris [etc.]. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F162.3 .D45)

A Directory and Register for the Year .... Wilmington: R. Porter. Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfiche S 324): Library has 1814.

Distantcousin.com Location: Internet (http://www.distantcousin.com/Directories/): Free access to digital images from many city directories.

Gopsill’s Philadelphia Business Directory. Philadelphia: J. Gopsill. Location: Morris Library (F158.2 .G65): Arranged by business, then by name of person. Appendix contains governmental information and listings of churches, libraries, societies, etc. Library has 1880,1883,1885,1889,1891.

Gopsill's Wilmington Directory. Wilmington, DE: J. Gopsill's Sons. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F174.24 .W7 .G66): Library has 1845-1898.

Greater Wilmington (Delaware) City Directory. Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F 174 .W7 P65)

Polk's Wilmington... Directory. Richmond, VA: R.L. Polk. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F174.24 .W7 .P65)

Polk's Wilmington Suburban (New Castle County, Del.) Directory. Boston: R.L. Polk. Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F174.24 .W7 .P655): Library has 1954,1963-1982/1983.

Street Directories (1785-1885). Location: Internet (http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/handle/19716/1485): A collection of city and street directories from Delaware, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and other localities. Compiled by Richard E. Stevens of the Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD) at the University of Delaware. Lists are presented in spreadsheet format. Best viewed using the IE browser.

The Wilmington City Directory. Wilmington, DE: Ferris. Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm no. 2876): Library has 1882-1901.

The Wilmington City Directory and Business Gazetteer. Wilmington, [Del.]: Eastern Directory Company. Location: Morris Library - Microforms (Microfilm no. 2866): Library has 1861-1882.

Wilmington, Delaware 1889 City Directory. Distantcousin.com Location: Internet (http://distantcousin.com/Directories/DE/Wilmington/1889/): Digital page images of a Wilmington 1889 directory. Contains business and residential listings. Indexed by business category and by name.

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Browse by subject:		Search by keyword:
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Delaware Genealogical Research Guide. 3rd ed. Wilmington, DE: Delaware Genealogical Society, 2002. Location: Morris Library - Reference (Ref F163 .D349 2002) Location: Morris Library - Special Collections (Del F163 .D349 2002): The most important guide for doing genealogical research in Delaware. It covers specific types of records and where they can be found in the state. Edited by Thomas P. Doherty and published by the Delaware Genealogical Society (http://delgensoc.org).

Special Collections Department (http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/) University of Delaware Morris Library Newark, DE 19717-5267 (302) 831-2229

City Directories of the United States, 1860-1901: Guide to the Microfilm Collection. Woodbridge, CT: Research Publications, 1983, c1984. Location: Morris Library (Z5771.2 .C58 1984): Listing of the city directories available in the microform set. Identies which reels or microfiche to request through Interlibrary Loan. The company producing the set is now called Primary Source Media. Website provides the guide online for viewing and downloading.

This page is maintained by Rebecca Knight, Reference Department.
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Version: 01/2008
Last modified: 02/05/08

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