City Directory Research at the Texas State Library and Archives

The information available in city directories varies a great deal. The most common pieces of information include name, address, telephone number, and name of spouse. Some directories may also include information about a person's occupation and whether the home is owned or rented. 

See our Introduction to Texas City Directories for helpful tips about how to get the most out of city directory research.

Clippings from Waco City Directory, 1890-1891. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

TSLAC's city directory collection includes print and microform city directories. See the listing of City Directories Available at Our Library.

Our collection of Texas city directories is located in our Reference Reading Room. Patrons are welcome to use the directories on-site at our Austin, Texas location or access other directory sources listed below.

Staff are unable to search or provide transcriptions by phone or scans by email from the directories in this collection.

The Portal to Texas History's City Directories Collection . Hosted by the University of North Texas, the Portal includes a collection of digitized city directories that can be searched and narrowed down by county and time period.

The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History's Texas Directories Collection . Located at the University of Texas at Austin, this collection includes telephone and city directories for most Texas cities and towns from roughly the late 19th century through the present day.

Ancestry.com : U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. A collection of directories for U.S. cities and counties in various years. Access to this collection is available on-site at TSLAC through Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online. Check with your local public or academic library about remote access to HeritageQuest Online through the TexShare Databases.

WorldCat.org . A catalog of library holdings worldwide, including libraries' holdings for city and telephone directories.

The Library of Congress' guide to Telephone and City Directories in the Library of Congress (Non-Current) . Review a listing of directory formats, states, cities, and years available from the Library of Congress.

Find a Texas Library in the area of your research. Some libraries may maintain collections of city directories for their area.

County Records on Microfilm
Texas County Tax Rolls
Newspaper Research at TSLAC
Texas Vital Statistics Indexes

You can hire a private researcher to conduct research in our collections on your behalf. We can refer you to the following professional associations to find a genealogist in your area. TSLAC does not endorse individual researchers and any specific questions should be directed to the listing organization.

• Association of Professional Genealogists: Member Directory 
• Board for Certification of Genealogists: Directory of Certified Genealogists 

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