Indiana Directories

Online Resources

 * US City Directories Indiana
 * Indiana City Directories at DistantCousin, index.
 * Indiana Online Historical Directories - listed by county
 * Indiana City Directories

History
City and county directories are similar to telephone books and are useful for locating people. They were often published annually, listing heads of households, employed household members, and their occupations and addresses. They can be used with census records or as substitutes for them.

Directories are particularly helpful for research in large cities where a high percentage of the people were renters, new arrivals, or temporary residents. In fact, they may be the only source to list an ancestor who was not registered to vote, did not attend church, did not pay taxes, or did not own property. Most households were included because the directories were created for salesmen, merchants, and others interested in contacting residents of an area. They are also useful tools for studying occupations and migration patterns.

Directories of heads of households have been published for major cities in Indiana.

Libraries and Archives
Newberry Library holds directories on microcards, microfilm, and microfiche for most states. On a side note, digital versions of their collection may be located on Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.

Directories Online
Fold3.com ($) has Fort Wayne City Directories 1902-1923 and miscellaneous years dating back to 1861 as well as Indianapolis City Directories 1857, 1861, 1864-1923 (3 yrs. missing) available online.

Ancestry.com ($) has Indiana directories available online in its U.S. City Directories collection.

The Family History Library
The Family History Library has city directories for various years from throughout the state of Indiana including:

Indianapolis


 * 1855–1861 Family History Library fiche
 * 1861–1935 FS Library films beginning with
 * 1940, 1957, 1964, 1970, 1974 FS Library book 977.252 E4p

Evansville


 * 1858–1861 Family History Library fiche
 * 1863–1934 FS Library films beginning with
 * 1902–1910 FS Library films
 * 1945, 1950, 1955, 1972 FS Library book 977.233/E1 E4b

For 1858 and 1859, people in professions and trades in most Indiana cities and towns are listed by city in:

G. W. Hawes’ Indiana State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1858 and 1859. Indianapolis, Indiana: Geo. W. Hawes, 1859. (FS Library book )

To find directories, consult the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:


 * INDIANA, [COUNTY] — DIRECTORIES
 * INDIANA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] — DIRECTORIES

Websites

 * Indianapolis City Directory Collection from Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indiana
 * Indiana City Directories at DistantCousin
 * Evansville, Indiana 1922 City Residential Directory at DistantCousin
 * US City Directories This web site identifies printed, microfilmed, and online directories and their repositories.
 * Fold3.com
 * Ancestry.com
 * Whitepages.com (useful for locating living relatives).
 * University of Indiana City Directory Index, 1855-2001.