Boston Directory
Encyclopedia
The Boston Directory was first published in 1789 in Boston
, Massachusetts
. 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 (1944-ca.1980).
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. 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 (1944-ca.1980).
Boston Directories
- Boston Directory. 1789.
- Boston Directory. 1796. (reprint on p.215-302)
- Boston Directory. 1805.
- Boston Directory. 1807.
- Boston Directory. 1823.
- Boston Directory. 1832.
- Boston Directory. 1834
- Boston Directory. 1835
- Boston Directory. 1836
- City Directory of Boston. 1848.
- Boston Directory. 1849.
- Boston Directory. 1850.
- Boston Directory. 1851.
- Boston Directory. 1852.
- Boston Directory. 1857.
- Boston Directory. 1858.
- Boston Directory. 1861.
- Boston Directory. 1862.
- Boston Directory. 1868.
- Boston Directory. 1873.
- Boston City Directory. 1956
- Boston City Directory. 1961
- Boston City Directory. 1965
- Boston City Directory. 1969
About the Directories
- 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+