CITY DIRECTORIES–A TREASURE TROVE OF GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION

One of my favorite sources for information are city directories.  They can tell you so many things about your ancestors.  

City Directories aren’t always easy to locate on Ancestry.com.  They often don’t show up when we do searches, or perhaps they are several pages into the search listings. 

I use the general search feature up at the top of the home page to conduct a specific search for directories.  Once I've clicked on "search," I do the following:

- Go to the right column and scroll down to “Schools, Directories & Church    Histories” and click on City & area directories. 
- Then I click on USA and from there I type “Detroit” in the title. 
- If I type Detroit in the keyword box instead, I get 96 hits and some of those are not for Detroit.

By typing Detroit in the title box I get EVERYTHING in the Detroit directory category.  I had 50 results when I did it this way.

If I go straight to the card catalog and type “directory” in the title box and then put “detroit” in the keyword box, I get 86 results.  HOWEVER, those results also include Bay City, West Bay City, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and even an Iowa Gazetteer & Business Directory.  

Someone else may have a better way to bring up the exact results and if so, please let me know.

RESULTS OF MY SEARCH FOR DETROIT DIRECTORIES

When I select the highlighted 1884 directory this is what comes up on the screen.



You can see that on the right of the screen you can go into the directory and locate the General Index, Advertisements, Deaths in Detroit, Mayors, Business Directory & several other items.  That allows you to scroll through those sections, if you want to.  Or you can type a name into the search boxes and be taken directly to the page containing that name.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM A CITY DIRECTORY

• Where your ancestor was living
• Where your ancestor worked
• What your ancestor’s occupation was
• Who else was living at the same address
• Who else might be living nearby with the same surname
• What organizations, lodges, clubs were in the area
• What churches were in the same neighborhood
• Who were the elected officials
• Deaths during a certain year
• What businesses were operating during that year      

UPDATE - On March 10, 2015 I located my great grandfather's listing in the Detroit city directory giving his exact date of death.  This listing was in a directory in the year following his death.
 
I find directories very interesting and informative.  Let’s take a look at some of my finds.
Here is an 1879 Detroit, Michigan city directory.  I will look at the GOULD’s listed on this page. (click on any image to enlarge it)

1879 DETROIT CITY DIRECTORY LISTING FOR GOULD

As I scroll down this page I look at each of the Gould surnames and find my family.

Gould, John C., teamster, h 254 Howard
Gould, Willard V, clk, bds 254 Howard

John C. Gould is my 2nd Great Grandfather and this information tells me where he is living as the “h” indicates home.  Willard V. Gould is another story.  John C. Gould’s son, was named Vivaldo William Gould.  He always went by William V. Gould.  So, is the Willard V. living at the same address as John, actually William V.?

I see no other names that I have proof as being related to me. 



















Let's take a look at the 1881 directory.

 

1881 DIRECTORY

 


























 Here we see Gould, Wm V, color mixer Detroit White Lead Wks, h 32 Church.  I believe this is my Wm. V. because he is known to have worked in the paint industry for many years and in many records I have found.   I don’t think the John C. listed here is my ancestor.  It’s possible, as we shouldn’t ever just discount something.  However, I know that my John C. was a farmer and a teamster in every other listing, census or record I have found him in.


NOTE:  If you look at the listings on this page you can see it lists Gould, Adeline (wid Allen).  This lets you know that Adeline is the “widow” of Allen.  If you didn’t know a death date for an ancestor this would be helpful.

Now let's check one more listing for John C. & Wm. V. Gould - 1885

1885 DIRECTORY LISTING

Here again, we see John C. and Wm. V.  This time they are both working at Acme White Lead Wks.  One is living at 368 1/2 Grand River Ave., and the other at 520 6th.





I became curious about what type of business this Acme White Lead Wks. was.  In the 1881 directory it seems to be named Detroit White Lead Wks.  Is it the same company?
I went to the pages of the directory that list information.  This is usually found at the beginning of the book.  I found on page 63 of the 1894 Detroit Directory, that they had a listing for Incorporated Companies.  There I found Acme White Lead and Color Works.

Here is the cropped information from the page I pulled up.

You can see that this is some sort of paint and/or varnish company.  They have several locations, they were incorporated on 9 Dec 1884 and they have capital of $25,000.  It also gives the names of the corporate officers. 

Working at a paint store or company is consistent with what I know my great grandfather, Wm. V. Gould did for a living for many years. 

Let’s take a look at the 1884 “Deaths in Detroit” and see what is listed.

The page states that the deaths are from Jun 1st, 1883 to May 15th, 1884.  Compiled from City mortuary reports.  Here is the first page from this section.



I don’t know about you, but this sure gets me excited to look at more city directories.  

TIP: Even if you were to use the search feature at the beginning of the directory, I would still check this section.  You never know if an indexer could have missed a name.  

I hope this post has gotten you thinking about the possibilities of information available in city directories.  I’ve demonstrated with Detroit directories because I am most familiar with them.  Which now leads me to tell you that I need to begin looking at city directories for many other areas of the country.  

Let me know what you find in those directories from your ancestor’s areas.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

TUESDAY’S TIP–Street Guide included in City Directories –Have you used this handy resource?

If you read my recent post about William H. Thorpe, you know that I used the Detroit City Directories extensively.  It’s certainly not my first time using those directories.  I have used them over the years and find them incredibly helpful and full of information.  However, there was an area of the directory I only recently learned about and it proved to be incredibly helpful.

It’s called the STREET AND AVENUE GUIDE

Here is an explanation of what the guide contains

It’s a list of all the streets and their addresses with the occupant of each.
 
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT AND HELPFUL?

As an example:  When I was trying to locate the death record for William H. Thorpe, I found his widow, Kittie, in the 1916 Detroit directory, living at 154 Alger Ave.  Looking at the other Thorpe’s on the page, I found none of them at that same address.



Who was Kittie Thorpe boarding with?  

NOTE:  Many times you will see boarders on census records and in directories.  Those boarders often turn out to be family members.  It’s not how we think of boarders in our current time, but it was how they were frequently listed during our ancestor’s time.

I then went to the Street and Avenue Guide in the back of the directory and looked for 154 Alger Ave., to see whose name is listed for that address.

     Guess who I found listed at 154 Alger Ave?
** J. D. STANTON – son-in-law of Kittie Thorpe **



Kittie’s daughter Grace M. Thorpe married John Davies Stanton on 24 Jul 1907 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.
 
This is good evidence that I have the correct Kittie in the 1916 city directory.

LEGACY 8 TIP – I CREATED MY OWN EVENT FOR CITY DIRECTORIES.  I WANTED THEM TO BE SPECIFICALLY LISTED AS “CITY DIRECTORY LISTING” AND NOT JUST AS A RESIDENCE.  THIS ALLOWS ME TO SEARCH FOR ANYONE WHO HAS A CITY DIRECTORY LISTING EVENT AND I’VE FOUND IT VERY USEFUL.

Here is an example from another one of my Thorp’s who has quite a few events.  You can see all the city directory listing’s.



I checked the 1909 Binghamton, New York city directory to see if they too included a Street Guide.  The answer is YES.  I found this one at the back of the directory, just like the Detroit guide.  I find them by browsing, as they don’t seem to be listed in the Table of Contents.

I don’t know if every directory in the United States has a street guide, but I would suggest checking for it in your particular directory.

I hope you’ve found this information helpful.  Please tell me how city directories have helped you in your research.
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
CITY DIRECTORIES - A treasure trove of genealogical information
AN EXACT DEATH DATE in a City Directory
THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY - Why Don't I Have a Death Date or Record for William H. Thorpe? 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Henry A. Hart Killed By A Train–His story

I’ve been doing more research on my Hart line this past week.  They are a direct paternal line for me and some possible DNA matches have me going back to this line and doing more research.

You know how it goes.  You begin looking at various websites and run across something that grabs your interest.  In this case it was a newspaper article  located on the website GenealogyBank with the title Henry A. Hart Is Killed by Train.

Here’s the article.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


Henry was 64 years old and was married at the time, to Marian Brewster Hart.

Of course I had to learn more about Henry.

Henry A. Hart is my half 1st cousin 3 times removed.  He was the son of Hiram Harper Hart and Clarissa Curtis.  Henry A. Hart was born (according to his death certificate) on 5 Oct 1854 in Michigan.  He was the oldest of 5 known children of Hiram and Clarissa.  I expect he was named after his grandfather, Henry Hart (ca 1785-1879). 

This has been a tough family to trace and much of the information I began with came from an unverified cousin, named Judy.  While this information was very helpful and gave me a great start, there were no sources attached.  I’ve been hunting for sources every since.

Henry’s story spoke to me.  As I found out more about him, I discovered that he jumped from job to job.  All of them blue collar.  He never moved away from Grand Rapids, Michigan. At least not that I could find.  I didn’t locate any children born to Henry & either of his wives. He did have family in the area though.

Henry was first married to Mattie E. Arnold on 27 Dec. 1889 in Corunna, Shiawassee, Michigan.
  





I could not locate Henry & Mattie either together or by themselves on the 1900 census.  However, I did locate their divorce record from 8 Jul 1902.  He filed for divorce from Mattie for the reason of “desertion” and it was granted.  I wonder what happened with this couple?  I have not located any further records of Mattie.

Source: Michigan, Divorce Records, 1897-1952



In 1903 I located Henry in the Grand Rapids city directory.  He is working as an Elevator Operator.

On 13 Aug 1904, Henry married Marian Brewster Kelly in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.




The following year, 1905, he is still an Elevator Operator.  

Then in 1907 I find him working as a Sashman for P M R R (a railroad company).  I conducted a search for the definition of this occupation for the railroad and didn’t find it listed.  For a list of railroad occupation you can click here.

In 1910 Henry is working at another occupation, Cabman for a steam railroad.
By 1912, Henry has yet another occupation, Car Repair.
In 1913 Henry is a Carpenter.
In 1914 he is a Yardman.
In 1916 he is listed as a Laborer.
In 1918 he is an Oiler for Bissell’s. (Remember the Bissell sweepers?)
In 1919, the year of his death, he is listed as an Employee for Bissell’s.

What comes to mind as you read all these different jobs from year to year?  I wonder…..

• Why so many jobs? 
• Why so many different occupations? 
• Did Henry voluntarily change jobs or was he “let go?”  Was Henry a drinker?  Was he a fighter? 
• Was he ill with an issue that kept him from showing up regularly? 
• Or was he just a guy who was always looking for the next best thing? 
• Was he a dreamer?

So many unanswered questions.

The next thing we know, Henry was walking home on the railroad tracks and gets hit and killed by a train.  Why didn’t he hear or see the train? 



I had wondered what P M RR stood for from the 1907 city directory listing for Henry.  This death notice gives me the answer, Pere Marquette Railroad.

Here is Henry’s death certificate.



One of the first things I look for on a death certificate, is the informant.  Knowing that, can help us to determine how accurate the information might be. In this case Henry’s brother, Arthur Hart was the informant.

Henry’s wife, Marian, died just four years later on 2 Aug 1923 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  There is no image available for her death certificate, although it should be available on both Family Search and Seeking Michigan.  I have also not been able to locate any obituary for her.

Henry and Marian are buried at Fairplains Cemetery, located at 2056 Diamond Rd., N.E. in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

You can visit their FindAGrave Memorials here:  Henry #21057459 and Marian #21057460.

Source for the various years and occupations is the Ancestry.com U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.  Those city directories can reveal a lot of information about your ancestor and family members in a certain time and place.

Please take a look at the two blog posts I’ve written about using City Directories in your research.

CITY DIRECTORIES - A Treasure Trove of Genealogical Information

TUESDAY'S TIP - Stree Guide Included in City Directories - Have You Used This Handy Resource?

I wonder if one day I’ll find a family member who has a picture of Henry A. Hart?
 
Most of our ancestors didn’t live exciting or famous lives, but just tried to make it from day to day.  Much like all of us.

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ ALPHABETICAL LIST OF DEATH DATES IN A CITY DIRECTORY

We all know that city directories can be wonderful resources for information about our ancestors.  I continue to discover more and more surprising and wonderful things in these directories.

Most of my experience with directories involves Detroit, Michigan.  Just last year I wrote about finding an exact death date listed in the alphabetical name and address portion of a Detroit directory.  You can read that post here.  I was very happy to find that reference to the death date for my 2nd great grandfather, William Lindsay.  One more piece of evidence is always welcome.

At the time, I didn’t explore the rest of that particular 1899 Detroit directory.

Fast forward to this week.  I’m doing a little research on some great grand uncles, who are listed in a probate record, as living in Detroit, Michigan in 1884.  These family members were born over in Devonshire, England and I knew some of the immigrated to the U.S.

Sure enough in a search on Ancestry.com, there is a reference to the 1884 Detroit city directory.
 

William Burgess

in the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995

Name:
William Burgess

Residence Year:
1884

Street address:
33 Leverett

Residence Place:
Detroit, Michigan, USA

Occupation:
Packer

Publication Title:
Detroit, Michigan, City Directory, 1884

Here’s the image for this entry.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

The next thing I wanted to look for in the directory was the listing of specific addresses, which will usually tell you the person who owned or rented at that location.

Instead of finding that I found, in “Miscellaneous Information” 

LIST OF DEATHS IN DETROIT from May 15th 1884 to May 6th 1885 – Compiled from City Mortuary Reports



WHAT?

I didn’t know this list existed.  Do the directories from other years contain this list?  I know information can vary from year to year.

I quickly created a search list in Legacy using the exact criteria.



And, got the following results:



I know that Elizabeth’s married name was Burgess. 
I located here on page 86.

• Burgess, Elizabeth……………May 16, 1884

I didn’t  locate William G. Thorpe.  He was just a baby who died at one month and two days of age.  Perhaps they didn’t list children?  Or, he wasn’t taken to a mortuary, since this list results from mortuary records?

I plan to continue my search in the Detroit directories for more death dates.  Who knows what I’ll find?

Have you found records like this in directories from your research areas?  If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ What about Alice Evelyn Bullock, first wife of Robert W. Hall, Sr.?

It has been a while since I’ve tried to locate more information on the first wife of my husband’s paternal Uncle, Robert Walton Hall, Sr.  My husband, Ron, was very fond of his Uncle Bob.  When he was a young man, he worked for his Uncle at a gas station in San Diego.

I’ve written a previous blog post about the marriage of Robert W. Hall to Alice Evelyn Bullock on 15 Jul 1929.  You can read that blog post here WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ Robert Walton Hall & Alice Evelyn Bullock – 1929

What I had not known until this week, was what became of Alice after she and Uncle Bob divorced?

Prior to the birth of her son, Alice was working for the telephone company (evidenced in the 1930 San Diego census).

In the 1934 San Diego city directory Robert and Evelyn are living at 4402 35th St. He is the manager of a Standard Gas Station.  Their son would have been 2 years old by this time.

(Please click on any image to enlarge it)

 

 

In the 1938 San Diego city directory listing I find Robt. W. Hall listed with Evelyn at 1132 Bush in San Diego.  It seems that Alice went by her middle name in most of the records I’ve located.

I don’t have online access to every year of the San Diego city directories. In addition to the ones online, I do know that some of them can be found at our downtown library here in San Diego.  It’s been some time since I’ve made the hour long trip down there.

The next hint I have about (let’s call her Evelyn from this point on) and her family is a 1940 census where her husband Robert W.,  is living with his parents and younger brother.  Bob is listed as divorced.

Where was Evelyn living in 1940?  I have found one census that seems to fit her.  An Evelyn B. Hall (she could be using her maiden name of Bullock as a middle initial), born in Rhode Island, divorced, working for the W.P.A. and the correct age to be our Evelyn.  She is living with an Orpha Doty (listing Evelyn as a sister).  However, I don't have a sister by the name of Orpha associated with Evelyn.  I need to go back to the Bullock family and see if there is a daughter I may have missed.  Or is this not Evelyn?  But, where is little Robert Jr.?  He would only have been 8 years old by now and I know he lived into adulthood (died on 16 Feb 2019 age 86).

Now that I’ve located both Bob and Evelyn, I need to go looking for young Robert Jr/ in 1940.

I looked with both sets of grandparents and didn’t find this young boy. So where was he living? I also did a image by image of the 41 pages of the 1940 census where I located that Evelyn B. Hall, mentioned above.  I found no Robert W. Hall listed.  No matter what spellings I used.

After 1940 we get into a time when records are not as easy to come by.  We don’t have the 1950 census yet and many vital records are restricted due to people still assumed to be living.

In searching city directories I have located several with Evelyn and her second husband, Harold E. Ray.  They were listed at the same residence in 1945, in San Diego.  Can we assume they were married?  Probably back then, yes. I don't have a marriage record for this couple yet either. 

Here are Evelyn and her husband Harold Ray in the 1967 San Diego city directory.

And here they are in the 1971 San Diego city directory, the year before her death.  Her obituary in Feb 1972 gives her address as 5521 Taft.

Here is the obituary for Evelyn (Mrs. Harold E. Ray).  She and Harold (he died in 1983) are buried at El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego, California.  You may visit their memorials here; Harold #213805315 and Evelyn #213805342

From the city directories to my locating her obituary and burial place, that would be all I can learn about Alice Evelyn Bullock Hall Ray.  At least at this time.

If anyone reading this has any additional information I would certainly welcome it. 

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF  INTEREST

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #9–Robert Walton Hall–1907-1987–My husband’s uncle–Part 1

ROBERT HALL HANDCUFFED IN CONSCRIPTION EFFORT DURING ALPINE FIRE – October 1929

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AN EXACT DEATH DATE IN A CITY DIRECTORY LISTING

Page 953 - Detroit City Directory - Listing for Wm. Lindsay (deceased) 

I know that city directory listings can be great sources of information for our ancestors.  I use them all the time.

I’ve seen the women listed as “widow of John Smith.”  However, today, I found a listing for my 2nd great grandfather, William Lindsay in the 1899 Detroit City Directory.  I wasn’t looking for him specifically, but for another of our Lindsay clan.  As I’m going down the list I see this entry:

Lindsay, Wm (aged 68), died July 4, 1898.

I wouldn’t have thought to look for a listing for him in the 1899 city directory, knowing that he’d died in 1898. 

This gives one more piece of evidence as to his death date.  I already have a death certificate, his headstone photo and his burial record from Woodmere Cemetery.  But, isn’t it nice to have one more piece of evidence that confirms what I already have?   
Can we ever have too much evidence?  NO!

This gives me motivation to look at other city directory listings in the year following an ancestor’s death, and see if they are listed.
 
Was this just a one time thing, done only in 1899?  I guess I’ll find out.

Have you found death dates in city directories?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
 CITY DIRECTORIES - A TREASURE TROVE OF GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION
MICHIGAN DEATH RECORDS ONLINE - WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM?

Happy hunting,

Copyright ©  2010-2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ William H. Thorpe–1862-1909–Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar 1909, page 4

William H. Thorpe was the husband of my great grandaunt, Catherine “Kittie” Thorp.  Yes, you read that maiden name correctly.  Catherine THORP married William THORPE.

Did that cause a little confusion in my research at the beginning.  Oh yes!  But, between my cousin Bonnie (married to a Thorp descendant) and me, we figured it all out.

Here’s a transcription of his obituary.
William H. Thorpe, steward on the D. & C. and the C. & B. lines for the last 20 years, died at the Marine Hospital Saturday of Bright's disease, from which he had been suffering for six months. He was 48 years old. Besides his widow he leaves three daughters, Mrs. W. Hayes, Mrs. J. Stanton and Miss Blanche Thorpe. He will be buried today at 2:30 o'clock from the residence of his daughter, Mrs. J. Stanton, 568 Fifteenth St. Interment will be at Elmwood cemetery.

William was only 46 years old when he died.  His widow, Catherine never remarried and lived another 32 years without him.
I haven’t done a lot of research on the Thorpe (with an “e”) line of the family.  I have William’s parents names from his death certificate as Hamilton Thorpe and Jane (maiden name not given).
Catherine and William married in Detroit on 9 Mar 1884.  They had 5 children, only 3 of whom lived to adulthood.  The children were: William G. born and died 1884, Mabel Catherine 1886-1958, Grace M. 1889-1945, William 1891 to before 1900, Blanche, 1892-? (Blanche married at least 3 times and I haven’t located her death record yet).

It appears that William and his family moved to Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio for a short time.  They were enumerated there in the 1900 census.  What precipitated the move?  Was it his work?  However, by the time of William’s death in 1909, the family was back in Detroit.

Let’s try to fill in the years between their marriage in 1884 and his death in 1909 by checking some city directories.

I have located William in Detroit city directories for 1888, 1889, 1905, 1906 and the year of his death in 1909.  According to the index, in each of the listings William is working in some capacity for the railroad.

NOTE: Although I’ve been trying for the past 2 hours to bring up the images of the city directories on Ancestry, I’ve had no luck.  Even switching browsers didn’t help.   I will continue this search another time, and also try my luck on Fold3.

Here is a photo of William (courtesy of my cousin, Bonnie).  A little blurry, but it's all I have.

 
William and Catherine are buried in different cemeteries.  According to Elmwood Cemetery staff, there is no headstone for William.  However, I have created a memorial for him and you may visit it here #149488550.

If you are related to either of the THORPE or THORP families mentioned here, I’d love to hear from you.  I’m always eager to hear from new cousins.

OTHER POSTS THAT YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING

THOUGHFUL THURSDAY - Why don’t I have a death date or record for William H. Thorpe? (this was a particularly interesting afternoon of research that you may find helpful)


Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FOLLOW UP ~ Answering my questions from the blog post about Charles Brown & Cemathe Avery's wedding

 

I published a post, yesterday about another great find in Cora’s scrapbook.  But, that lead to some questions.  Did I get answers to those questions? 

Here are the questions I asked myself:

·   Which Presbyterian Church did John Woodbridge officiate as Pastor?  Was there only one Presbyterian Church in Saratoga Springs at the time?

·   Who are William & Charlotte Ayers?  There are no Ayers in my database/tree.  Were they friends or relatives?

·   Would it be possible to locate the actual church record for this marriage?

·    What other types of records would tell me more about the Pastor?

Here’s what happened………….

The first thing I did was search for a John Woodbridge (the Pastor) on Ancestry in census records from 1850 forward, in Saratoga Springs, NY.  I was rewarded in finding him listed in the 1870 census as a “Dd” living in Saratoga Springs with his wife and children.  I suspected that Dd meant Doctor of Divinity.  In looking on Google I confirmed that suspicion.  Now I know I have probably found Pastor John Woodbridge.

Further searching reveals Pastor Woodbridge in the Presbyterian Ministerial Directory for 1898 as follows.  And this matches up with the census records.

Let’s move on to William & Charlotte Ayers.

I have located them in the 1850 Federal census living in Saratoga Springs, New York and also the 1855 New York state census.  This does not tell me how they are associated with the bride and groom, but it does confirm them in the place and time of the marriage.

Can I use city directories to give me more information?  I entered Charles Brown in the Ancestry U.S. City Directories 1822-1995.  I found him in the 1882 directory on page 66.  His home address is one I’m familiar with 59 Church and I know that Charles was a Cigar Maker (although cigar is misspelled in the directory).

1882 Saratoga directory showing Charles Brown

Knowing that directories also contain lists of businesses, churches, associations etc., I am now going to try and find the Presbyterian Churches listed

In the Table of Contents for this directory from 1882, the churches are listed on page 45.  In reviewing that page I find two Presbyterian churches listed:

Ø First Presbyterian church, Broadway, north of Town Hall.  Rev. Peter Stryker, D.D. pastor and

Ø Second Presbyterian church, Spring street near Regent. Rev. William R. Terrett, pastor.

Neither of these shows a pastor named John Woodbridge, but this is 31 years after the marriage record and he likely had moved on or perhaps died. 

Can I locate a directory closer to the time of the marriage? I need to adjust my search on Ancestry and see if I can bring up other directories for Saratoga Springs.

The best I could do was a directory for Saratoga Springs from 1868.  That’s 17 years after the marriage, but let’s see what I can find in it.

I want you to know that I’m doing a little happy dance here.  On page 31 of the 1868 Saratoga Springs Directory is the list of churches.  And there is the “Presbyterian Church, Broadway, north of Lake avenue.  Rev John Woodbridge, D.D., residence South Broadway, a short distance below Circular street.”

Table of Contents from page 31 of the 1868 Saratoga Springs directory showing John Woodbridge as the Pastor/Reverend of the Presbysterian Church 

I made a couple of phone calls trying to locate the actual marriage record.  Afterall, the letter signed by Pastor Woodbridge states “that record of the same has been made in the Register of the Presbyterian Church.”

I made phone calls to the County Clerk for the County of Saratoga (518) 885-2213, the City of Saratoga Springs (518) 587-3550 and the Presbyterian Church (518) 584-6091 that is located in Saratoga Springs.  I spoke to some very nice ladies. We talked about the weather and had a few laughs about the difficulty in finding old records. 

Unfortunately, none of them could provide any marriage records from 1851.  I made sure to record in my Research Notes in Legacy, what organization I called, who I spoke with and the phone number.  I date all my research notes and going back to them provides me with a record of the things I’ve done in my research for a particular person or event.

When I record a marriage in my Legacy database I always include as much information as I can by using the Events/Facts entry.

Here is what this marriage looks like in my Legacy record.

This is the marriage event for this couple. 
Note the Event entries.

In the end, I did locate more information and answered some of my questions.

Ø I still don’t know how the witnesses, William & Charlotte Ayers were connected with the bride and groom.

Ø There were 2 Presbyterian Churches in Saratoga Springs at one time, but I still don’t know which one the couple was married at.

Ø I was not able to find the original church record of the marriage.

This was a good research session and I enjoyed the process. I hope that I’ve shared some ideas that would be helpful to you in your own research.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this or any of my other blog posts, please get in touch.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2023   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION