City Directories

are an under-utilized resource in family history research.

Although the exact information in each directory is limited,
the information that you can glean from the directory is very useful.

The entries usually give the husband and his spouse's names, occupation, and address.  If the head of household is widowed it will sometimes list the name of the deceased.  Finding an ancestor in a city directory allows the researcher to know where a certain family member is or is not living at a certain time.  This is helpful in locating census, birth, marriage records, or obituaries.  Directories can narrow down time frames for events from births to deaths.

In your research try using local directories and see how they can aid in your research.

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