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Tennessee Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Familysearch™
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Archives
Libraries
Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Sexton Records
Funeral Home Records
Census
Federal Censuses
Territorial And State Censuses
Special Censuses
Census Substitutes
Church Records
Baptist
Disciples Of Christ
Jewish
Lutheran
Methodist
Presbyterian
Roman Catholic
Court Records
Directories
Divorce Records
Emigration And Immigration
Migration Trends
Records
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Nationwide Indexes
Web Sites About Your Family
Statewide Collections And Publications
Guardianship
History
Draper Manuscript Collection
State Histories
Local Histories
Land And Property
Land Grants
North Carolina Revolutionary War Warrants
County Records
Maps
Military Records
Colonial Period (1600–1775)
Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
War Of 1812 (1812–1815)
Cherokee Wars (removal) (1836–1839)
Mexican War (1846–1848)
Civil War (1861–1865)
State Soldier Homes
World War I (1917–1918)
World War II (1941–1945)
Other Military Records
Minorities
Melungeons
People Of African Descent
Other Minority Records
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Inventories On The Internet
Published Newspapers
Obituaries
Occupations
Periodicals
Periodical Names
Periodical Indexes
Probate Records
Public Records
Societies
Taxation
Vital Records
Birth And Death Records, Prior To 1908
Birth, Marriage, And Death Records, 1908–1912
Birth And Death Records, 1914–present
Birth And Death Records Kept By Cities Before 1908
Marriage Records
Guide To Vital Records
Voting Registers
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions Registers
Directories have been published for various Tennessee cities and counties since the mid-1800s, though they may not exist for every year. Some directories focus on the businesses or occupations of an area, while others include heads of households, landowners, and voters.
Directories are alphabetical lists of names and addresses. City directories can help you to learn where an ancestor lived. The person’s occupation is frequently given. Often the home address and the business address are both mentioned. When a husband dies, the widow is often listed as “widow of....” Directories at times can help you determine in which ward the family lived, so that when you are searching census records for big cities, you can find your ancestor more easily. Directories sometimes have maps and addresses of churches, cemeteries, courthouses, and other important locations.
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, a directory may be the only source to list an ancestor if he was not registered to vote and 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.
The following are representative of the city directories in the Family History Library Catalog:
Nashville (Tennessee) City Directories. Woodridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1980–1984. (On 29 FHL films beginning with 1377091; fiche 6044160–65 [set of 29]; computer number 658963.) This directory includes the years 1853–1935.
Knoxville (Tennessee) City Directories. Woodridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1980–1984. (On 22 FHL film beginning with 1844154; computer number 687297.) This directory includes the years 1869–1881 (some years are missing), 1902–1935. There is an 1859 city directory at some archives.
Memphis (Tennessee) City Directories. Woodridge, Conn.: Research Publications, 1980–1984. (On 41 FHL films beginning with 1377032; fiche 6044115–6044119 [set of 22]; computer number 656847.) This directory includes the years 1849–1935 (many early years missing).
The Family History Library, Tennessee State Library and Archives, the University of Tennessee, and other Tennessee repositories have large collections of city and county directories. A list of city directories at the Tennessee State Library and Archives is available on their web site. See the “Library and Archives” section of this outline.
Many groups have created directories of their organizational structure and members or personnel. Companies may create directories of their subscribers. The directories that were published for public distribution are the ones most likely to find their way into libraries and archives. Typical examples of directories in an archive are city directories, telephone directories, church directories, occupational directories, farmers directories, or rosters of society members. These directories may range from local to international in scope. Often the most recent edition of a directory is the only one an archive will have on hand.
The Family History Library has compact discs that incorporate telephone directories for most of the United States. These directories are not at Family History Centers but may be used at the Family History Library. Current telephone directories can also be found on the Internet and may assist in finding living relatives.
See the “Directories” section of the United States Research Outline (30972) for more detailed information on the value and content of directories.
To find directories, consult the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
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DIRECTORIES
TENNESSEE- DIRECTORIESTENNESSEE, [COUNTY]- DIRECTORIESTENNESSEE, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- DIRECTORIES
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Version of Data: 10/24/2001]