''The Boston Directory'' of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
,
, 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.
[Advertisement for Boston Directory. Boston Almanac, 1875.]
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).
Boston Directories
18th century
19th century
1800-1829
1830-1849
1850-1869
1870-1889
1890-1899
20th century
1900-1949
1950-1999
See also
* ''
Boston Almanac and Business Directory''
* ''
Boston Register and Business Directory''
* ''
Massachusetts Register
The ''Massachusetts Register'' is the bi-weekly publication mandated by the Administrative Procedures Act (Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A); it is an official organ of the Massachusetts state government. The Register publishes new and amende ...
''
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+
* {{Citation , publisher = Williams Directory Co. , location = Cincinnati, Ohio , author = A.V. Williams , title = The Development and Growth of City Directories , date = 1913 , chapter=Boston, Massachusetts , hdl = 2027/nyp.33433082423645
External links
* HathiTrust
1805 etc1849-1883
damrellsfire.com
Boston Athenæum: The Boston Directory 1789-1900 (Ongoing Project), Digital Collection
History of Boston
Directories
Publications established in 1789
18th century in Boston
19th century in Boston
20th century in Boston
1789 establishments in Massachusetts
Books about Boston
City directories