The New-York City Directory, first published in 1689, was the second ever printed directory of New York City. It listed 967 names. It was published from the office of Captain Thomas Ellis in White Plains.
The New York City Directory became very popular during the 1800's. It was widely used during that time, but there were many changes made to it in an attempt to make it more accurate. In 1815, the edition was finally revised. It was published under the auspices of Governor Sewall and is often referred to as the "Sewall New York Directory." As far back as the nineteenth century, the City Directory was very popular and was available for purchase.
In 1820, a New York state law required all cities and towns to have a city directory. The New York Times was the only publication that did not require a City Directory and even then only for towns with populations over fifty thousand. This law was passed to help prevent the abuse of power by city officials.
Since the nineteenth century, the New York City Directory has been revised several times, but today is available in both hard bound and electronic format. Each edition is updated on a regular basis with names and addresses changed or added. Because of the popularity of this publication, the State Library and Records Commission keep a large collection of New York City directories, as well as the New York State Vital Statistics Index.
The first New York city directories were written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These lists included the names of those living in a certain town or city. They also included other information such as the names of their ancestors and other family members. This was only the beginning of the information that was available.
After the eighteenth century, city directories began to include much more information. A full name, including middle name and maiden name, was available and was also written down. This was also followed by the inclusion of marital status, occupation, number of children, number of years in the household, and other important data that were often needing to do a complete job search.
In 1810, the New York City Directory made its way into the public library in New York. Although these books are no longer in print, a large archive of these books exists. The city directory was reprinted many times, but the city directories still use a simple black and white style.
Over the years, the New York City Directory has been revised several times, most recently in 1998. The names have been changed, but the listings remain the same. There are a large number of indexes available for the name and address searches. Also, the index allows for multiple searches so that people can enter the exact name and address for a business or individual location.
Because of the popularity of the New York City directory, it is frequently requested by other cities in New York for a copy of its listings. Because of the sheer volume of listings, it can be difficult to get hold of copies in smaller towns that do not have a state library or records office. Sometimes, a local newspaper may need the name and address information for a particular person in order to write an article on them.
Another reason for which the New York City Directory is sought after is the availability of information that it provides. Many people want to know if their partners are married or divorced. They want to know if someone in their family has ever been convicted of a crime. This is possible through the inclusion of details such as whether the person has ever had any arrests and convictions, where they lived in the past, and how long they have lived there.
Another reason for requesting a copy of the New York City directory is to locate the owner of any home or building. It is possible to search by name, street name, or address. This way, you will be able to locate people, even if they are not listed in the phone book or white pages.
Some people are interested in the New York City Directory, in order to help find people who have been missing for some time. By searching using the city directory, you can find out about any lost friends, family members or neighbors. If you are missing somebody with a long lost relative, you may be able to locate them from the New York City directory.
