Offered for sale is the First Annual Richmond, Virginia City directory of 1859. It is a PDF file of scanned images of the pages from the original directory.  Primarily text directories of private and commercial locations, which are rich in information of the period. Also include a few photos/illustrations, of less than ideal quality.

Contents include:

Ø  Residential Directory – approximately 6,500 individuals (see sample entries below)

Ø  Business Directory – approximately 1,800 listed businesses, by category (see sample entries below)

Ø  Advertising – approximately 20 pages of ads scattered throughout the directory.

Ø  City map (2 pages, included in the original directory)

Ø  City map – 1864 (Because the map included in the directory is small, street names hard to read. For easier reference, I have included on the CD a high resolution City map from 1864).

Ø  City map – 1869 Another high resolution City map, which also shows location, shape and size of buildings. Very informative.

Sample residential entries:

·         Carter, James M.,  house and sign painter, 14^th between Main and Franklin, house corner 25^th and Leigh

·         Dodson, W.F.,  Bar-room and restaurant, Locust between Main and Franklin, house same

·         Franklin, P.A.,  book-keeper Ellet and Drewry, boards Mrs. Terry

·         Poe, John, Jr.,  hat store, 1 Ballard House, house corner of 19^th and Grace

·         Wells, W.W.,  salesman at R.H.Whitlock and Son, house corner 24^th and Marshall

          Sample business entries:

·         Agents, Pension and Bounty Land – Mayo, Abel U., Franklin between 12^th and 13^th

·         Boarding Houses – Morton, Mrs. M.C., Main between 6^th and 7^th

·         Dentists – Pleasants, Wm. B., Governor opposite Capital

·         Tobacconists – Mayo, R.A., corner of 25^th and Cary

·         Foundries – Tredegar Iron Works, Canal Bank above Armory

·         Hotels – Marshall Hotel, Wm. H. Davidson proprietor, Broad between 7^th and 8^th

·         Newspapers – Dispatch, J.A. Cowardin proprietor, corner Main and 18^th

     (NOTE: founded 1850, the Richmond Dispatch would later merge with the Richmond Times. 

       Today the Richmond Times-Dispatch is located at 333 E. Grace. The 1866 building is pictured in this ad and

       on the CD)

City and business directories may be one of the most under-used genealogical sources available.

Directories provide an unmatched source for finding the exact place a person lived and their occupation, and they often function as a surrogate source of information about residents for a particular time period.

NEW Bonus #1 - Stranger's Guide and Official Directory 1863

Bonus #2 - 1907 Illustrated Handbook of City and Battlefields

Published 1907 by C. Poindexter, in conjunction with the Jamestown Tercentennial. 128 pages

Bonus #3 - Detailed 1864 city map of Richmond, VA by U.S. Coast Survey  

Bonus #4 - Vintage Photographs of Richmond, VA