Here are links to sites hosting free Chicago city directories online. No complete set of Chicago city directories exist. But an impressive number have been digitized. And these directories are great substitutes for records lost in the Chicago Fire and the 1890 census fire.
For links to other free Chicago resources, click here.
Please note: This list features free resources. Ancestry, MyHeritage and other subscription genealogy sites also hold directories that are not listed here. And let me know if you find dead links!
FamilySearch
For a list by dates of digitized Chicago directories at FamilySearch, click here. Following are some uncommonly titled directories in the FamilySearch holdings that may not show up on a simple search:
- General directory and business advertiser of the city of Chicago for the year 1844 : with a historical sketch and statistics extending from 1837 to 1844
- Fergus’ directory of the city of Chicago, 1839 : with city and county officers, churches, public buildings, hotels, etc. : also, list of sheriffs of Cook County and mayors of the city since their organization, together with poll-list of the first city election, Tuesday, May 2d, 1837, and also list of purchasers of lots in Fort Dearborn, the no. of the lots, and the prices paid, 1839, etc., etc.
Courtesy FamilySearch
- Hall & Smith’s Chicago city directory for 1853-54 : containing a full alphabetical list of citizens, with their places of business, &c., all the state, county & city officers : also a full list of the hotels, railroad & steamboat routes, and other information valuable to citizens and strangers
- Gager’s Chicago city directory, vol 1., 1856
- J.C.W. Bailey & Co.’s Chicago city directory for the year…, 1865-1866
- Chicago census report and statistical review : embracing a complete directory of the city, showing the number of persons in each family, male and female, birthplace and ward now residing in, with a vast amount of valuable, statistical, historical and commercial information, 1871
- The Chicago city directory for 1902
Chicago Ancestors at The Newberry Library
Each directory is divided into several sections. Click on the year and then each section to download PDF files.
Archive.org
(courtesy internetarchive.org)
Chicago Blue Books, Social Registers, Business Directories, and Reverse Directories for following years:
- 1844
- 1867
- 1875
- 1879
- 1880
- 1881
- 1883
- 1885
- 1886
- 1890
- 1899
- 1902
- 1904
- 1905
- 1906
- 1907
- 1908
- 1909
- 1910
- 1912
- 1913
- 1914
- 1915
- 1916
- 1917
- 1918
- 1919
- 1921
- 1922
- 1924
- 1933
- 1965
- 1987
- 1990
- 1991
Don’s List – Chicago City Directories and Blue Books
Chicago City Directories 1844. 1866, 1867, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1873
Reverse Directory of the Elite of Chicago 1875, 1880, 1883
Lakeside City Directories 1892, 1896, 1900, 1913
Chicago Jewish Community Blue Book 1918
Hathi Trust Digital Libraries
Blue books, city and business directories, social directories, church directories, telephone directories. Note: access to some titles may depend upon membership at a particular library.
Linkpendium’s Cook County and Chicago City Directories
Links to city directories for towns and cities in Cook County at this leading genealogy research portal.
Genealogy Trails
A typescript of this 1844 directory. Only genealogists can really appreciate the frustration in this introduction:
The basis for this work was Chicago’s first Directory of 1844… a careless and indifferent canvass made during 1843-August to December, by James W. Norris, and issued in December of that year.
One of the publishers, William Ellis who did the presswork of that volume, has been dead several years; the other is still here, and as he set the type, he knows how much he did for it and how much worse it would have been had he followed copy…
…As he later discovered, sailors were made tailors, and tailors sailors, names were spelled at and locations guessed, etc.; in fact, the names of many prominent men were entirely omitted, or as inserted might as well have been, as those for whom they were intended could not recognize them.
Other Internet Resources for Chicago City Directories
For more information on directories at free and subscription sites, consult Chicago Ancestors. Cynthia Richardson’s great tutorial on Chicago city is very helpful.
Know about other free Chicago city directories online to add to this page? Links not working? Click here to let me know. Happy searching for those Chicago ancestors and may all your tailors stay tailors!
Thanks for taking the time to put together so many good Chicago web resources.
That’s great, Annette. Getting into the census by address is tricky, but can be done.
Thanks very so much for posting these links! I found my great-grandfather in 1910! Couldn’t find him on the 1910 Census will use the address to see if I can find the family now :).
I’m so glad the links are helpful. Those city directories around 1890 were invaluable for tracking my immigrant ancestors.
Stay tuned – I’ll be putting up more Chicago resources soon.
Thank you for sharing these links. I was able to find my ancestor during some years between what is available on the “big” sites. Thanks!