We had a telephone question from a patron this week about our city directories. Yes! There are city directories for Augusta and they go back as far as 1841 although not all years are covered before 1870. We have them in our Georgia Room. The early ones are available for viewing on microfilm since they are too fragile to handle. The last 65 years of the city directories can be accessed in book form.
We also have a super resource for the city directories courtesy of Ray Rowland. He created some personal name and business indexes for the directories. The personal name indexes cover the years 1841 to 1902 and the business indexes include the years 1841 to 1930. These indexes make it much easier to search for information.
The information included in each city directory varies. The African American population is represented beginning in 1872. Some city directories name spouses. professions, place of employment, and whether they rented or owned. Alice O. Walker published a Catalog of the Augusta (Georgia) City Directories: 1841 – 1939 which lists what is included in each directory.
Whether you are researching a house or looking for information about your ancestors, the city directories can help. Come have a look!