1807 Boston Directory title page The Boston Directory 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. 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.
Publishers included John Norman (1789); John West (1796-1803); Edward Cotton (1805-1818); Charles Stimpson (1820-1846); George Adams (1846-1857); 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).
Boston Directories 18th century Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory 1789 Boston Directory 1796 Boston Directory 1798
19th century 1800-1829 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory 1800 Boston Directory John West 1803 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1805 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1806 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1807 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1809 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1810 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1813 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1816 Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1818 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1820 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1821 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1822 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1823 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1825 Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1826 Boston Directory Hunt, Stimpson, and Frost 1827 Boston Directory Hunt and Stimpson 1828 Boston Directory Charles Stimpson, Jr. 1829
1830-1849 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory 1830 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1831 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1832 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1833 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1834 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1835 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1836 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1837 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1838 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1839 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1840 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1841 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1842 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1843 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1844 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1845 Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1846 Adams's New Directory of the City of Boston George Adams 1846-47 Adams's Boston Directory French and Stimpson 1847-48 Boston Directory French and Stimpson 1848-49 Boston Directory George Adams 1849-50
1850-1869 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Directory of the City of Boston George Adams 1850 Boston Directory George Adams 1851 Boston Directory George Adams 1852 Boston Directory George Adams 1853 Boston Directory George Adams 1854 Boston Directory George Adams 1855 Boston Directory George Adams 1856 Boston Directory George Adams 1857 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1858 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1859 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1860 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1861 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1862 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1863 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1864 Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1865 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1866 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1867 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1868 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1869
1870-1889 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1870 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1871 Boston Commercial Directory Wentworth & Co. 1871 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1872 supplement via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1873 , supplements via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1874 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1875 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1876 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1877 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1878 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1879 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1880 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1881 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1882 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1883 Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1884 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1885 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1886 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1887 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1888 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1889
1890-1899 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1890 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1891 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1892 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1893 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1894 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1895 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1896 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1897 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1898 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1899
20th century 1900-1949 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1900 Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1905 Boston Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1916 Boston Register and Business Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1922 Boston Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1925
1950-1999 Title Publisher Year Google Books HathiTrust Internet Archive Other Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1955 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1956 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1959 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1961 , via Internet Archive Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1962 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1965 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1966 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1969 Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1970
See also Further reading . Oct. 1862; p. 387+ , 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 : External links 