In the British & International and Directories sections of TheGenealogist.co.uk, you will find a clutch of early American directories, which could prove essential in tracing emigrant ancestors to New York (1786), San Francisco (1887), Vermont (1867) and Newark (1835–6).

In the 1800s, especially in the last two decades, American cities and their populations grew dramatically, largely a result of industrialisation and immigration. Those who lived outside of the burgeoning metropolises in smaller towns and rural areas moved citywards in droves, many in search of work. This massive growth had the effect of cities becoming overcrowded, unsanitary and polluted, and many – especially immigrant families – lived in downtrodden tenements, despite development of transport networks, space-saving skyscrapers and the steady spread of suburbs. Yet these poorer areas often grew into thriving neighbourhoods populated by migrants from Italy or Ireland, for example, leading to a preservation of ethnicity, customs and heritage that is still clearly seen today.

If collections of tradesmen’s businesses and addresses at a first seem a little dry, consider that, as well as alphabetical listings of residents and their trade and premises, the New York Directory for 1786 – the earliest of the collection – includes a map and description of the city (with a focus on churches) in the late 1700s and a list of place name changes. All this is followed by comprehensive lists of Members of Congress, judges, lawyers, professors, gold and silversmiths and many more boards and bodies.

Just over a century later, and moving to the Pacific coast, a glance at Langley’s San Francisco Directory 1887 shows the dramatic the growth of American cities in the 19th century. This far more densely packed publication is filled with listings of trades and their premises (although as yet none seem to have telephones) as well as adverts for their services. Also included are government officials (including salaries!) and offices, schools, courts, banks, churches, the military, public spaces, and much more. Alongside the listed colleges and schools, for example, are paragraphs about the school itself: its history, number of pupils, what it teaches, even staff members and specialisms.

The Newark directory available at TheGenealogist.co.uk also begins with a history of the city and includes listings of churches and hotels. Its alphabetical listings of residents and, where applicable, their trades, including a high number of tanners, saddlers and shoe makers.

The city (from 1836) of Newark expanded greatly in the 19th century thanks to a thriving leather industry. New transport links – the Morris Canal in the 1830s and the Essex Railroad – placed it in the middle of a burgeoning modern transportation network. By the later 1800s the city was as well known for its brewing industry. A great deal of this expansion was due to immigrants, especially Irish workers on the canal, as well as Germans and African Americans and their families. The name of one of the main immigrant areas, Ironbound, speaks volumes about Newark’s rapid industrialisation. This was home to the famous Feigenspan Brewing Company, started by a German immigrant. As well as manufacture of plastics, electrical goods, and chemicals, the city became known for its banking and insurance companies, which employed thousands, and which helped to keep the city solvent during Civil War years, when trade with the south was badly affected.

The small New England state of Vermont’s directory, from 1859, dates from a time when immigrants were settling there in larger numbers. Many had made the journey from Ireland and Scotland; others came from Italy and Canada. Often, new arrivals were in search of work in the state’s granite industry, granite being in demand on a national scale. There also developed a thriving boarding house and hotel industry, many run by immigrant families and populated by further new arrivals.

As well as a list of towns in and a map of Vermont in the 1850s, which is fascinating in itself for the number of places with British names, the alphabetical listings by place include information about the main businessmen and their trades. The adverts at the beginning include a surprising number of booksellers and publishers, two piano makers and one of the state’s finest hotels, the American House in Boston (pictured below).

Timeline of booming america:

In the print edition
Read about the USA’s first sports superstar in Issue 4 of Discover Your Ancestors, available now from www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk