Sherman Library City Directory Search
Sherman Library has an extensive collection of historical city and street address directories. The collection focuses primarily on California cities, however, the Library also holds a small number of directories for Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Hawaii.
The city directory collection is open to the public and there is no charge for personal research.
Commercial firms wishing to use the directories can do this in two ways. Firms may set up an appointment to visit Sherman Library and perform searches in person for a daily fee. Alternatively, firms may submit their search requests for Sherman Library to perform research on their behalf; this is a paid service that can be purchased here.
Contact the library at 949-673-1880 for additional information.
About the Directories
City directories typically list the residents of a city or unincorporated community in alphabetical order. City directories usually include the name, spouse’s name, home address, occupation and sometimes the individual’s telephone number and business address.
Street address directories, many of which were issued by telephone companies, are sorted by street name and address. In addition to the address, they typically include the resident’s name and phone number. Some city directories also include a supplementary street address index.