The City Has Digitized Its Historical City & County Directories Dating Back To 1858
/The City’s Heritage Preservation Office has digitized a local collection of City and County directories, with the oldest volume dating back to 1858.
These annually published directories are a rich resource for researching a wide range of topics related to City history and family genealogy.
The book scanning station used
The digitization of the directories through the book scanning stations (aka "scribes") means that the public can now access them from anywhere with an internet connection.
Peterborough Directory, Including Ashburnham. 1897.
A key feature of the digital collection is the keyword search capability, which makes it much faster to scan for specific names or words. Digitization also preserves the old, fragile and irreplaceable printed volumes by protecting them from the wear and tear of repeated handling.
Peterborough Directory, including Asburnham. 1905-6
“It’s wonderful that the City can use modern technology to make these valuable historical resources more widely available,” says Mayor Daryl Bennett.
1922 directory
City directories were published annually as a guide that listed the names, addresses and professions of people in a particular town, city and sometimes county.
As records of city life, city directories have become a well-used primary resource for historical research of people, businesses, buildings and communities.
City directory, 1913
In addition to names and addresses, a city directory may also contain a business directory, government directory, and listings of town officers, schools, societies, churches and post offices. Many local businesses placed advertisements in the directories, which provide fascinating insights into the economic, social and technological trends of the time.
A total of 115 books were scanned, with directories contributed by the Peterborough Public Library, Peterborough Museum and Archives, Trent Valley Archives and Trent University Archives. Funding for the project was provided by the Peterborough Public Library.
1860-61, Directory of the County of Hastings
