City and County Directories Online

Posted by: John Calvert

City and County Directories Online

The following is a list of online resources for researching city directories. The directories are a formidable source of information: locations of residents & businesses, occupations of residents, local advertisements, and more.

Internet Archive – http://www.archive.org

Search for Ottawa Directories

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject:%22Ottawa%20(Ont.)%20–%20Directories%22

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=publisher%3A%22Ottawa%20%3A%20Might%20Directories%22

Ottawa City Directories

Might Directories, Ottawa, Ont.

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawacitydirect1901mighuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec190900midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec191100midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec191200midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec191300midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec191400midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec191500midiuoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirectory191600ottauoft

http://www.archive.org/details/ottawadirec192300midiuoft

Search for Carleton County Directories

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject:%22Carleton%20(Ont.)%20–%20Directories%22

Vernon’s Farmers’ and Business Directory

– for the counties of Carleton, Dundas, Glengarry, Lanark, Prescott, Renfrew, Russell and Stormont 1916
Publisher: H. Vernon, Hamilton, Ont., 1916
http://www.archive.org/details/vernoncarleton00vernuoft

City of Ottawa and Carleton County directories can be downloaded in various formats (e.g. PDF, DjVu).

Note: there is a repeated error in the archive.org website for all these directories in the URL to download the DjVu file. The URL shows as http://www.archive.org/stream/ottawadirec190900midiuoft/ottawadirec190900midiuoft.djvu but it should be http://www.archive.org/download/ottawadirec190900midiuoft/ottawadirec190900midiuoft.djvu, i.e. the “stream” folder in the path is incorrect and should be “download”. Simply copy the URL from the archive.org webpage, edit to patch the path, then paste in your browser address bar (as of Dec 2008 and since at least May 2008).

Note: the archive.org FAQ provides an out of date URL to download a DjVu viewer. Instead use this URL http://www.celartem.com/en/download/djvu.asp (as of Dec 2008 and since at least July 2008).

Note: Additional select years and streets in hard copy, available from JMC:

YearStreetsYearStreets
Ottawa 1907– Ottawa South (all)Ottawa 1908– Belmont Ave
Ottawa 1910– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
– Riverdale Ave		Ottawa 1920– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
– Riverdale Ave
Ottawa 1921– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
Names: MacDonald, McDonald, Spratt		Ottawa 1922– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
Names: MacDonald, McDonald
Ottawa 1925– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
– Riverdale Ave
Fire department		Ottawa 1927– Bank St
Ottawa 1930– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
– Riverdale Ave
Names: MacDonald
Fire department, post office		Ottawa 1935– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
– Riverdale Ave
Names: MacDonald
Fire department, post office, aldermen
Ottawa 1940– Belmont Ave
Names: Macdonald, Stewart
Fire department, post office		Ottawa 1945– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
Names: Forbes
Ottawa 1946– Bank St
– Belmont Ave
Names: Forbes		  

Abbreviations used in the directories

1901 directory

1909 directory

1915 directory

Ottawa directories available via Library & Archives Canada

There are many older Ottawa city directories online – see Canadian Directories via the LAC website:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canadiandirectories/index-e.html

Using the Search the database function, there is a pull-down menu to specify which directory and many older Ottawa directories (i.e. pre-1900) are available, including as of May 2010:

  • Business … Directory…of All Cities in Ontario…1899-1900
  • Cherrier & Kirwin’s Ottawa Directory for 1872-73
  • Counties of Carleton, Lanark and Ottawa Directory 1884
  • Eastern Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1898-99
  • Farmers’ and Business Directory…Carleton, Dundas: 1885-6; 1886-7
  • Hunter, Rose & Co.’s City of Ottawa Directory for 1870-71
  • Lovell’s Province of Ontario Directory for 1871
  • Mitchell & Co.’s Canada Classified Directory for 1865-66
  • Mitchell & Co.’s Carleton and Ottawa Directory 1864-5
  • Ontario Gazetteer and Business Directory: 1884-5; 1886-7; 1888-9; 1892-3; 1895
  • The Ottawa Citizen Directory of Ottawa, 1863
  • Ottawa and Counties of Carleton and Russell Directory
  • City of Ottawa Directory 1873-74; 1874-75; 1875; 1881; 1882; 1883; 1884; 1885; 1886; 1887; 1888-89; 1889-90; 1890-91; 1891-92; 1893-94; 1895-96; 1896-97; 1897-98; 1898-99; 1899
  • The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory 1869
  • Sutherland’s City of Ottawa Directory: 1868; 1869-70

A couple of early Ottawa Directories available online: