Boston Directory
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.[1] 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.[2]
Publishers included John Norman (1789); John West (1796-1803); Edward Cotton (1805-1818); Charles Stimpson (1820-1846); George Adams (1846-1857);[3] 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).[4][5]
Boston Directories
18th century
- Boston Directory. 1789.
- Boston Directory. 1796. (reprint on p.215-302)
19th century
1800-1849
- Boston Directory. Boston, Mass.: Edward Cotton. 1805.
- Boston Directory. 1807.
- Boston Directory. Boston, Mass.: Frost and Stimpson. 1820.
- Boston Directory. 1823.
- Boston Directory. Boston, Mass.: Frost and Stimpson. 1825.
- Stimpson's Boston Directory. Boston, Massachusetts: Stimpson & Clapp. 1831.
- Stimpson's Boston Directory. Boston, Massachusetts: Stimpson and Clapp. 1832.
- Boston Directory. 1834
- Boston Directory. 1835
- Boston Directory. 1836
- Boston Directory. 1848.
- Boston Directory. 1849.
1850-1899
- Boston Directory. 1850.
- The Boston directory for the year 1851. Boston: George Adams. 1851.
- The Boston directory for the year 1852. Boston: George Adams. 1852.
- The Boston directory for the year 1856. Boston: George Adams. 1856.
- The Boston Directory for the year 1857. Boston: George Adams. 1857.
- The Boston Directory for the year 1858. Boston: George Adams. 1858.
- The Boston Directory ... 1861. Boston: Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1861.
- Boston Directory, 1862, OCLC 1696416
- The Boston Directory ... 1864. Boston: Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1864.
- Boston Directory. 1868.
- Boston Commercial Directory for 1871. Boston: Wentworrth & Co. 1870.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory for the year 1872. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Davenport & Co. 1872.
- Boston Directory. 1873.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory: 1879. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Davenport & Co. 1879.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory ... 1885. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Davenport & Co. 1885.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory ... 1889. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1889.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory ... 1891. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1891.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory ... 1893. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1893.
- Boston Almanac and Business Directory ... 1894. Boston, Mass.: Sampson, Murdock & Co. 1894.
20th century
1900-1949
- Boston Directory. Boston, Mass.: Sampson & Murdock Co. 1916.
- Boston Register and Business Directory: 1922. Boston, Mass.: Sampson & Murdock Co. 1922.
1950 -
- Boston City Directory, 1955. Boston, Mass.: R.L. Polk & Co. 1955.
- Boston City Directory. 1956
- Boston City Directory, 1959. Boston, Mass.: R.L. Polk & Co. 1959.
- Boston City Directory. 1961
- Boston City Directory. 1962
- Boston City Directory. 1965
- Boston City Directory. 1966
- Boston City Directory. 1969
- Boston City Directory, 1970. Boston, Mass.: R.L. Polk & Co. 1970.
References
- ↑ Boston Directory. 1789.
- ↑ Advertisement for Boston Directory. Boston Almanac, 1875.
- ↑ New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1866
- ↑ Advertisement for Boston Directory. Boston Almanac, 1875.
- ↑ http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/228685309
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.