In our “Researching Online” series this week, we will review how city directories can assist in telling an ancestor’s story by providing residence information for years between the decennial census records (which we reviewed last week). Click here to revisit that blog post.
A researcher can also use city directories as a way to supplement information found on a census record, which sometimes does not include address detail. Many times the census will include nearby family members or friends, which is also helpful in documenting family stories. If you’re not familiar with conducting FAN analysis, check out this article by Elizabeth Shown Mills, a renowned author and professional genealogist, QuickLesson 11: Identity Problems & the FAN Principle.¹ She explains how to check the areas around the families, especially in previous decades where family and friends, associates and neighbors (thus the term, FAN), all lived near each other.
CASE STUDY:
My maternal grandfather provides an excellent example for using City Directories to help tell an ancestor’s story. My grandfather, “Daddy Mac”, or Clyde A. McNeil, was born in Parrott, Georgia in 1889, the oldest of ten children, all born over a span of twenty-five years. My poor great-grandmother! She started having babies at age 17 and continued until she was 42! I never met her as she passed away in the late 1940s but I would have loved to hear her stories.
Ok, back to Clyde. I knew little about his life when I started researching him. He left Georgia at a young age, having appeared, age 11, at home with his family on Whaley Street in the 1900 Census² in Parrott, Georgia, then in Houston, Texas at 1919 Rant Street in 1910, age 21, living as a boarder.³ Using city directories for Houston, I found him at:
- In 1911 (age 22), he’s listed as McNeil, Clyde A., clerk, Houston Electric Office, rooming at 716 Jackson.
- In 1913 (age 24), he’s listed as McNiel, Clyde A., cashier, Western Union Telegram Office, rooming at 2316 Chenevert.
- In 1915 (age 26), he’s listed as McNeil, Clyde A., cashier, Western Union Telegram Office, beds at the 2704 Travis.
- In 1917 (age 28), he’s listed as McNeil, Clyde A., cashier, Western Union Telegram Office, rooming at the YMCA.
The 1913 and 1915 directories were found on Ancestry, while the other two were found when searching the Houston Public Library Digital Archives at https://digital.houstonlibrary.org/. Many cities will house digital archives or repositories, in which you can find city directories as well as other treasures from that locality. I suggest you always look for a digital collection in the nearest large city OR locate the nearest university to determine if they house digital archives for the area. As mentioned elsewhere on my website, The Portal to Texas History , managed by the University of North Texas in Denton, has a tremendous amount of materials collected from all parts of Texas. Fold3 is another excellent source for city directories and can be accessed from Ancestry or usually free when you login from your local library.
Back to Clyde. I found that he moved to Brownwood, Texas after his military service ended after World War I. For the directories in Brownwood, I found these three records in Ancestry:
- In 1923, he was listed as McNeil, Clyde A., owner, Sanitary Bakery, rooming at 109 E. Chandler. One of his brothers, (Joe) Paul, had moved from Georgia and also lived with him.
- In the 1925 directory his address was listed as renting a home at 407 Milton, still working as the owner of Sanitary Bakery. The directory had information which showed that now two brothers lived (and worked) with him; twins, Paul (as in 1923), working as a salesman and Woodson, as a baker. The younger brothers were twins. (see the image above).
- In 1928, Clyde was listed in the directory as the Post Commander for the Texas National Guard Armory and worked as the custodian for the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. He still rented the house at 407 Milton, but must have sold his bakery. This is a key piece of information I used to research the newspapers to find out more about his bakery and his job with the Texas National Guard. Brother Paul was now a musician while Woodson was a baker for Mrs. Maurer’s Bakery; both still lived with Clyde.
Later records showed Clyde had lived in Galveston and San Antonio to live near my mother, his only child. She was being raised by her aunts as her mother (my grandmother) died of a ruptured appendix when my mother was six. The city directory records helped provide the glue to locating his residences (and confirmed family stories which I had heard).
I encourage you to add these types of records to your research strategy. In his case, I was able to follow him through several cities in Texas, as his livelihood and experiences changed. If you encounter any issues using city directory records, I’m happy to talk through the conversations and offer advice. You can fill out the Contact Me! form or email me directly at info@shapingyourfamilytree.com.
¹ Elizabeth Shown Mills. QuickLesson 11: Identity Problems & the FAN Principle. Evidence Explained: Historical Analysis, Citation & Source Usage. https://www.evidenceexplained.com/content/quicklesson-11-identity-problems-fan-principle : accessed 27 August 2022.
² Census Records. USA. Parrott, Terrell County, Georgia. 1 June 1900. Mensal (McNeil), Clide (Clyde). ED 0078. Roll 223. FHL 1240223. p. 7. https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 27 August 2022.
³ Census Records. USA. Houston Ward 3, Harris County, Texas. 15 April 1910. McNeil, Clyde. ED 0101. Roll T624_1560. FHL 1375573. p. 18A. https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 27 August 2022.
Image reference:
City Directories. USA. Brownwood, Brown County, Texas. 1925. McNeil, Clyde. Collection: U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 27 August 2022.