# Boston Directory

The Boston Directory of Boston, Massachusetts, was first published in 1789. It contained "a list of the merchants, mechanics, traders, and others, of the town of Boston; in order to enable strangers to find the residence of any person." Also included were listings for public officials, doctors, bank directors, and firemen. The directory was issued annually after 1825; previously it had appeared irregularly.
The number of listings in each directory reflected fluctuations in the population size of Boston. In 1789, the directory included some 1,474 listings; by 1875, there were 126,769.
Publishers included John Norman (1789); John West (1796-1803); Edward Cotton (1805-1818); Charles Stimpson (1820-1846); George Adams (1846-1857); Adams, Sampson & Co. (1858-1865); Sampson, Davenport & Co. (1865-1884); Sampson, Murdock & Co. (1885-1903); Sampson & Murdock Co. (1904-ca.1930); R.L. Polk & Co. (1944-ca.1980).

## Boston Directories
### 18th century

| Title | Year | Google Books | Internet Archive | Other |
| Boston Directory | 1789 | | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Directory | 1796 | reprint via Google Books, p. 215-302 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | 1798 | | | via Boston Athenæum |

### 19th century
#### 1800-1829

| Title | Publisher | Year | Google Books | HathiTrust | Internet Archive | Other |
| Boston Directory | | 1800 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | John West | 1803 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1805 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1806 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1807 | | via HathiTrust | | |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1809 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1810 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1813 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1816 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Edward Cotton | 1818 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1820 | | via HathiTrust | | |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1821 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1822 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1823 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | | |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1825 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Directory | Frost and Stimpson | 1826 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Hunt, Stimpson, and Frost | 1827 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Hunt and Stimpson | 1828 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Charles Stimpson, Jr. | 1829 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |

#### 1830-1849

| Title | Publisher | Year | Google Books | HathiTrust | Internet Archive | Other |
| Boston Directory | | 1830 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1831 | | | via Internet Archive | |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1832 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | | |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1833 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1834 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1835 | | | via Internet Archive | |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1836 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1837 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1838 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1839 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1840 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1841 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1842 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1843 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1844 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1845 | | | | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Stimpson's Boston Directory | Stimpson & Clapp | 1846 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Adams's New Directory of the City of Boston | George Adams | 1846-47 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Adams's Boston Directory | French and Stimpson | 1847-48 | | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | French and Stimpson | 1848-49 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1849-50 | | via HathiTrust | via Internet Archive | |

#### 1850-1869

| Title | Publisher | Year | Google Books | HathiTrust | Other |
| Directory of the City of Boston | George Adams | 1850 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1851 | via Google Books via Google Books via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1852 | via Google Books | | |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1853 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1854 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1855 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1856 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | George Adams | 1857 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1858 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1859 | | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1860 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1861 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenaeum |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1862 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1863 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1864 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | Adams, Sampson, & Co. | 1865 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1866 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1867 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1868 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1869 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |

#### 1870-1889

| Title | Publisher | Year | Google Books | HathiTrust | Other |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1870 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1871 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Commercial Directory | Wentworth & Co. | 1871 | via Google Books | | |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1872 | | via HathiTrust | December supplement via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1873 | via Google Books via Google Books via Google Books | via HathiTrust | November, December supplements via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1874 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1875 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1876 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1877 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1878 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1879 | | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1880 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1881 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1882 | via Google Books | via HathiTrust | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1883 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Davenport, & Co. | 1884 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1885 | | | via Boston Athenæum via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1886 | via Google Books | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1887 | via Google Books | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1888 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1889 | | | via Boston Athenæum |

#### 1890-1899

| Title | Publisher | Year | Google Books | Other |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1890 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1891 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1892 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1893 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1894 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1895 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1896 | via Google Books | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1897 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1898 | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1899 | | via Boston Athenæum |

### 20th century
#### 1900-1949

| Title | Publisher | Year | HathiTrust | Internet Archive | Other |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1900 | | | via Boston Athenæum |
| Boston Directory | Sampson, Murdock, & Co. | 1905 | via HathiTrust | | via Tufts University |
| Boston Directory | Sampson & Murdock Co. | 1916 | | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Register and Business Directory | Sampson & Murdock Co. | 1922 | | via Internet Archive | |
| Boston Directory | Sampson & Murdock Co. | 1925 | | | via Tufts University |

#### 1950-1999

| Title | Publisher | Year | Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1955 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1956 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1959 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1961 | v.1, v.2 via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1962 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1965 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1966 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1969 | via Internet Archive |
| Boston City Directory | R.L. Polk & Co. | 1970 | via Internet Archive |