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.Boston Directory. 1789. 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.Advertisement for Boston Directory. Boston Almanac, 1875.
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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 Athenæumvia 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 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.