I {heart} city directories for genealogy research. They offer year-by-year insights into our ancestors’ lives. In-between censuses, I can see people move into different neighborhoods, take new jobs, and even marry or separate.
Grandpa’s first city directory entry
My grandpa Felix (appearing below as John J Jr) first appears in a city directory in 1945. He was a young, single veteran just returned from World War II service, living with his mother, both still listed under the name of his recently-deceased father. This Pueblo, Colorado city directory tells an entire story, doesn’t it?
In 1945, just back from the war, a lot had already happened in my young grandfather’s life, and things were about to change again. In early 1947, he married Barbara Jane Hall, a 1946 graduate of Pueblo Central High School, of which John was also an alum. Here’s grandma’s yearbook photo from her senior year. Love the elegant up-do hairstyle!
Their lives unfold in city directories
Entries from the city directories for the following years show the trajectory of this young couple:
In 1948, I can see a quick glimpse into grandma’s brief professional career: “opr TelCo.” She was a telephone operator before she became a stay-at-home mom! What was that like? According to 1940s film footage I found on YouTube, my grandmother would also have been an emergency dispatch operator, since there was no such thing as 9-1-1 service yet.
In these city directory entries, I can also see that my grandpa is starting his career working in the dairy industry. But that’s a post for another time!
I love how city directories and other resources such as yearbooks and even that training video reveal my grandparents’ young lives together.
Want to learn more about researching 20th-century relatives? Ask your local genealogy group to book my talk, Relatively Recent Relatives: 20th Century Research, which I could give in person or as a webinar. Thank you!
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