Sunday, April 29, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Historical Books

The prompt for Week 18 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is:

Historical Books: This week we’re going to shine the spotlight on other historical books that benefit the genealogy field. Do you have a favorite book that falls in this category? What makes this book special to you? How can other genealogists benefit from its content?

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A favorite book that I often turn to for local history is the 1855 Sandusky City Directory found at Google Books. This book is also available in its original form at several Ohio libraries.






















This historical city directory features listings that include surnames, addresses and occupations. Names are listed alphabetically by surname. Below is a partial listing of surnames which begin with C. You can see the name of Sandusky lawyer Eleutheros Cooke and former Mayor Charles Cross.



















Several local advertisements for businesses are scattered throughout the directory. E. B. Sadler was a well known local attorney, and Bernhard Esch had a shoe and boot store in Sandusky.




















A separate section lists information about churches in Sandusky.



















An interesting historical sketch of the city of Sandusky begins on page 3 of the directory.

















Other informative sections of the 1855 Sandusky City Directory include a guide to streets,business directory, listing of military organizations, elected officials,and a listing of lodges. The directory is searchable by keyword. This resource is an essential tool for researchers who have ancestors from Sandusky in 1855. By comparing information from the city directory with census records from 1850 and 1860, a more complete picture of an ancestor can be created. Happy hunting!

2 comments:

PalmsRV said...

I enjoyed the old advertisements, even though I don't have anyone to look up in the Sandusky directory.

Dorene from Ohio said...

Thanks so much for stopping by! I never grow tired of looking through this directory!