The Boston Directory of Boston, Massachusetts, was first published in 1789. It contained "a list of the merchants, mechanics, traders, and others, of the town of Boston; in order to enable strangers to find the residence of any person." Also included were listings for public officials, doctors, bank directors, and firemen. The directory was issued annually after 1825; previously it had appeared irregularly.
The number of listings in each directory reflected fluctuations in the population size of Boston. In 1789, the directory included some 1,474 listings; by 1875, there were 126,769.
Publishers included John Norman (1789); John West (1796-1803); Edward Cotton (1805-1818); Charles Stimpson (1820-1846); George Adams (1846-1857); Adams, Sampson & Co. (1858-1865); Sampson, Davenport & Co. (1865-1884); Sampson, Murdock & Co. (1885-1903); Sampson & Murdock Co. (1904-ca.1930); R.L. Polk & Co. (1944-ca.1980).
Video Boston Directory
Boston Directories
18th century
19th century
1800-1829
1830-1849
1850-1869
1870-1889
1890-1899
20th century
1900-1949
1950-1999
Maps Boston Directory
See also
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory
- Boston Register and Business Directory
- Massachusetts Register
References
Further reading
- New England historical and genealogical register. Oct. 1862; p. 387+
- Report of the record commissioners of the city of Boston, Volume 10. Rockwell and Churchill, 1886; p. 163+
- A.V. Williams (1913), "Boston, Massachusetts", The Development and Growth of City Directories, Cincinnati, Ohio: Williams Directory Co.
External links
- HathiTrust. 1805 etc; 1849-1883
- damrellsfire.com
- Boston Athenæum: The Boston Directory 1789-1900 (Ongoing Project), Digital Collection.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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