Boston Directory
Introduction 1807 Boston Directory title page'''''The Boston Directory''''' of  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===TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory  1789    via Internet Archive  Boston Directory  1796  reprint via Google Books, p. 215-302    via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory  1798     via Boston Athenæum===19th century=======1800-1829====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory  1800     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory John West 1803     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1805   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive  Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1806     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1807   via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1809     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1810     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1813     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1816     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Edward Cotton 1818     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1820   via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1821     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1822     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1823  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1825   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive  Boston Directory Frost and Stimpson 1826     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Hunt, Stimpson, and Frost 1827     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Hunt and Stimpson 1828     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Charles Stimpson, Jr. 1829     via Boston Athenæum====1830-1849====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory  1830     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1831    via Internet Archive  Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1832  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1833     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1834   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive  Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1835    via Internet Archive  Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1836   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive  Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1837     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1838     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1839     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1840     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1841     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1842     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1843     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1844     via Boston Athenæum Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1845     via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Stimpson's Boston Directory Stimpson & Clapp 1846     via Boston Athenæum Adams's New Directory of the City of Boston George Adams 1846-47     via Boston Athenæum Adams's Boston Directory French and Stimpson 1847-48     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory French and Stimpson 1848-49   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive  Boston Directory George Adams 1849-50   via HathiTrust  via Internet Archive ====1850-1869====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Directory of the City of Boston George Adams 1850  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory George Adams 1851   via HathiTrust   Boston Directory George Adams 1852  via Google Books    Boston Directory George Adams 1853   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory George Adams 1854   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory George Adams 1855   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory George Adams 1856  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory George Adams 1857  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1858  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1859   via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1860   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1861  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenaeum Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1862  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1863   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1864  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1865   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1866   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1867   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1868   via HathiTrust   Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1869   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum====1870-1889====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1870  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1871   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Commercial Directory Wentworth & Co. 1871  via Google Books    Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1872   via HathiTrust   December supplement via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1873   via HathiTrust   November,  December supplements via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1874   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1875  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1876   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1877  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1878   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1879   via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1880     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1881     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1882  via Google Books  via HathiTrust   via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1883     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Davenport, & Co. 1884     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1885     via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1886     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1887  via Google Books    via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1888     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1889     via Boston Athenæum====1890-1899====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1890     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1891     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1892     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1893     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1894     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1895     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1896     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1897     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1898     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1899     via Boston Athenæum===20th century=======1900-1949====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1900     via Boston Athenæum Boston Directory Sampson, Murdock, & Co. 1905   via HathiTrust   via Tufts University Boston Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1916    via Internet Archive  Boston Register and Business Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1922    via Internet Archive  Boston Directory Sampson & Murdock Co. 1925     via Tufts University====1950-1999====TitlePublisherYearGoogle BooksHathiTrustInternet ArchiveOther Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1955    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1956    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1959    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1961    v.1,  v.2 via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1962    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1965    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1966    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1969    via Internet Archive  Boston City Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1970    via Internet Archive
See also * ''Boston Almanac and Business Directory''* ''Boston Register and Business Directory''* ''Massachusetts Register''
References
Further reading *  New England historical and genealogical register. Oct. 1862; p. 387+*  Report of the record commissioners of the city of Boston, Volume 10.Rockwell and Churchill, 1886; p. 163+*
External links * HathiTrust. 1805 etc;  1849-1883*  damrellsfire.com*  Boston Athenæum: The Boston Directory 1789-1900 (Ongoing Project), Digital Collection.