Genealogy & Local History in Buffalo, NY
City
Directories in Buffalo and Erie County, NY - City directories are also known as Polk directories, because the Detroit-based R.L. Polk Company is the nation's primary publisher of city directories.
- City directories are not the same thing as telephone directories. Click here to go to BuffaloTalks, a current online telephone directory for Buffalo/Erie County.
- Unfamiliar with city directories? Take a look at Using Directories by Juliana Smith.
- The American Antiquarian Society has a good article about the history and development of city directories.
- In most cases, the towns and villages in Erie County first began to be included in city directories after World War II (1945). Even today, not every place in Erie County is included in a directory. Unfortunately, with a very few exceptions, there are no 19th century city directories for the towns and villages of Erie County.
- About a dozen county-wide directories have ever been published. I do not know how comprehensive they were. Skip down to Erie County to see the years available.
- Expect gaps in coverage. Directories are usually but not always published on an annual basis, especially when it comes to the towns and villages outside of Buffalo.
- Women's names rarely appear in directories before the 1920s unless they were widows or heads of households. Childrens' names do not appear at all.
Where To Find City
Directories- Grosvenor Room, Buffalo & Erie
County Public Library.
Has most years in hard copy and microfilm years 1832 to 1993. Genealogist George Richmond assures us, "These films are reputed to be in bad shape, although my experience differs." - Anna B. Reinstein Memorial
Library, Cheektowaga, NY
This branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library has Buffalo city directories on microfilm from 1860 to the present - Western New York Genealogical
Society
Collection is housed in the Grosvenor Room, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. There are quite a few paper volumes on hand. Some of them are deteriorating, but may be used with care. The WNYGS does not have any staff and cannot offer look-ups. - LDS Family History Center,
Williamsville, NY
The directories here are on microfiche, and in excellent condition. Must be used in person; no staff available for long-distance or telephone research services. Years available: 1828-1935. These same years can also be requested at any LDS Family History Center. - Buffalo & Erie County
Historical Society Library.
There are many paper volumes on hand. Again, use with care. The library also has microfilms that are in excellent condition. - Lockwood Library, University at
Buffalo
has Buffalo city directories from 1848 to the present, plus a collection of pre-1860 city directories from other American cities on microfiche, which may include Buffalo. - Buffalo State College, History
Department
has begun to acquire Buffalo city directories on microfilm. At present, they have: 1832-1893, 1895-1922, 1924, 1930, 1936-1942, 1946, 1948, 1950-1960 (1960 partial), 1961-1968 - Andrew J. Bouwhuis Library,
Canisius College
has some early and recent Buffalo city directories. I do not know if their collection is complete. - New York State Library, Albany, NY
has Buffalo directories from 1828-1935 on microform. - Library of Congress, Washington, DC
has Buffalo directories from 1861-1960 on microfilm - University of Massachusetts at
Amherst
has 1828, 1832, 1835-1844, 1847-1860 - Duke University, Durham, NC
has most years from 1828 to 1906 - Enoch Pratt Public Library,
Baltimore, MD
has 1828, 1832, 1835-1842, 1844, 1847-1860 - Newberry Library, Chicago, IL
has 1828, 1837, 1847-1848, 1863-1864, 1867, 1869, 1871, 1874, 1881, 1892, 1897, 1900, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1913, 1916, 1918, 1922-1924, 1927-1928 - Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
has 1827-1960 - Brigham Young University and the
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
have most years from 1828 to 1972. For a fee, you can also order a look-up online. - GenResearch.com, Salt Lake City, UT
A commercial research service that offers lookups in Buffalo city directories, 1827-1932 - NJGen
A commercial research service that offers lookups in Buffalo city directories, 1861-1881 - Clayton Library, Houston, TX
owns 1861-1881, 1890, 1901-1909, 1910-1911, 1924, 1931
*Thanks to George Richmond for contributing items 3-6 to this list.
Unable to Visit Buffalo for In-Person
Research?- Request photocopied pages by contacting an owning library directly and ask to be billed for copy costs
- Ask your local librarian to request photocopies by interlibrary loan
- Borrow them on microfilm from LDS Family History Centers
- Hire a private researcher to make
copies for you
City
Directories in Buffalo and Erie County,
NY| Place | Year first covered & online versions | Name (title) of directory |
Notes |
|
Buffalo |
1828 to
present. |
Varies. They were compiled by several different publishers over time. | Some mid-20th century Buffalo
directories include Kenmore or Lackawanna. Older ones list only Buffalo
city residents.
None published in 1829-1831, 1845, 1846, 1943-1945, 1947, 1949, 1954, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1994, 1995. |
|
Akron |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Alden |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Amherst |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
|
|
Angola |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Athol Springs |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
See also Hamburg |
|
Aurora |
1983 |
Buffalo Southtowns |
See also East Aurora |
|
Blasdell |
1963 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
See also Hamburg |
|
Boston |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Bowmansville |
See Lancaster |
||
|
Brant |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Cheektowaga |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
|
|
Clarence |
1991 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Colden |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Collins |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Concord |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Derby |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Depew |
1963 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
See also Lancaster |
|
East Amherst |
See Amherst |
||
|
East Aurora |
1950 |
East Aurora |
No more published until 1962 |
|
East Hamburgh |
See Orchard Park |
||
|
Eggertsville |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
See also Amherst |
|
Elma |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Erie County |
1916-17 Farm Journal Illustrated Rural
Directory of Erie County |
Rural Directory of Erie County |
No more published. |
|
Erie County |
1924, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1936, 1938, 1941 |
Erie County |
No more published. May not be comprehensive. |
|
Evans |
No known coverage except for Angola & Derby |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Farnham |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
See also Brant |
|
Getzville |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
See also Amherst |
|
Gowanda |
1964 |
Gowanda-Cattaraugus |
No other years published |
|
Grand Island |
1989 |
Tonawandas |
|
|
Hamburg |
1949 |
Hamburg |
No more published until 1956 |
|
Holland |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Kenmore |
1924 |
Kenmore |
Continued by Buffalo City, 1931 |
|
Lackawanna |
1960 |
Lackawanna |
|
|
Lancaster |
1963 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
|
|
Marilla |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
Newstead |
No known coverage except for Akron |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
North Collins |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Orchard Park |
1966 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
|
|
Sardinia |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Sloan |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
See also Cheektowaga |
|
Snyder |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
See also Amherst |
|
Springville |
No known coverage |
Possibly in Erie County directory? |
|
|
Tonawanda (city) |
1948 |
Tonawandas |
|
|
Tonawanda (town) |
1948 |
Tonawandas |
|
|
Wales |
No known coverage except for Wales Center |
||
|
Wales Center |
1996 |
Buffalo Suburban |
|
|
West Seneca |
1963 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
|
|
Williamsville |
1957 |
Buffalo Northeast Suburban |
|
|
Woodlawn |
1963 |
Buffalo Southeast Suburban |
|