Mike
I spend a lot of time in city directories at NYS Library. At the
genealogy
desk on the 7th floor, they have a 22 page finding guide to the city
directories and telephone books on microfilm and microfiche that
include many other states. These are located in the film cabinets
along the reader area and past the census microfilms. They are
alphabetical by city name and you help yourself.
This printed list does not include what is on 3x5 cards in the cabinet
beside the NYS vital records drawers (green labels) which face the
windows and tables. You will find some real gems in here that are
not listed in the on-line catalog and I have found many little towns by
looking for the larger cities in the same county. This is a real mix
and match situation. This includes all types of directories including
business and organizations in some cases. These must be retrieved
by the circulation desk. The problem I have encountered with some
of these is that they are not always there. I was told that some have
gone to other libaries thru interlibrary loan and never been returned
and there is no paper trail to locate them but they are still listed on
the cards in that file.
I searched the NYSL Catalog to see what it offered but it did not
find those in the finders guide but did come up with directories from
Bay City, MI and Titusville, PA, etc. There are quite a few in the
microform
list including many other states.
In the finders guide, I found the places you mentioned in your message
and will quote what it has available on microform for those:
Troy, NY
Directories 1829-1860/61 (fiche), 1861-1920, (1921 not published),
1922 - 1935 (film) I believe there are later books available which are
not microfilmed and would be in the 3x5 drawer.
Troy, NY
Telephone books 1945/46, 1948/49, 1949/50 (film)
Glens Falls, NY
1879-1888, 1890-1900, 1903-1920, 1922-1931, 1933-1942, 1944,
1946 (film)
Pittsfield, MA
1859/60 (fiche), 1859/60, 1868-1869, 1873, 1875-1913,1915-1941,
1943, 1946 (film)
Mechanicville, NY
1924, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1936, 1940
Hoosick Falls, NY
1882-1883, 1886-1887, 1889, 1893-1894, 1907-1908, 1910,
1912, 1916, 1919, 1929, 1934 (film)
The above are from the guide which I copied and have at home.
One may also find that there are other years available in the original
hard copy that must be retrieved through the circulation desk.
What is fascinating is that there are so many for other states.
All vary according to where they were published but all have
basic formats of information.
There are also many collections in college libraries that may
contain some that even local libraries do not have. Some are not
out on the shelves but in some other storage area.
God Bless
Ruth Ann Messick
A Couple of Questions.
Is there a place where all old city directories are kept for all cities
which one was made in New york State? For example. In the Troy public
library, they are missing years, around the 1940's and 1950's
especially. The same goes for Glens Falls, and even Pittsfield,
Mass(different state of course) Then, there are the smaller
cities/villages in which directories were made, but are lost in their
respective cities it seems. Like Mechanicville(they said lost in a
garage which collapsed) and Hoosick Falls. The Troy public library has
some for these places, but either sporadic years or clumps of years.
Also, I noticed in the 1930's in Pittsfield, Mass's city directories
they had pages that listed every person that died in the city for that
year. Are there other places where a list similar to this could be
found?
Thanks,
Mike Engle
ps - If all goes right, the Miss Albany Diner will be the second New
York State diner to make the State and National Historic Register =)
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