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). ^{[2] [4]}

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

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., hdl: 2027/nyp.33433082423645

External links

• HathiTrust. 1805 etc; 1849-1883
• damrellsfire.com
• Boston Athenæum: The Boston Directory 1789-1900 (Ongoing Project), Digital Collection.