City Directories | KC History (2024)

Table of Contents
Notes: Missouri Kansas Coverage beyond Kansas City Found within Kansas City, Missouri Directories FAQs References

Notes:

  • Unlike telephone directories that often apply to entire metropolitan areas, city directories are published with very specific coverage boundaries. It is advisable to investigate the coverage area of a directory if you are having trouble locating an entry.
  • City directories for Kansas City, Missouri, are available on microfilm in the Missouri Valley Room.
  • Entries listed by address for Kansas City, Missouri, directories begin with the 1917 volume.
  • Many city directories can be accessed through the HeritageQuest database (a KCPL card number and PIN is required to access this resource).

Missouri

Missouri Counties and CitiesVolumes Available
Kansas City1859-1942, 1945, 1947, 1949-1983, 1985-1990, 1992-1994, 1996-2020
Blue Springs1975-1977, 1979, 1981-1983, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993
Cameron1910
Cape Girardeau1954, 1956
Carthage1953, 1956
Cass County1997-2001, 2003
Columbia1954, 1956, 1995
Cooper County1912-1913
Excelsior Springs1976, 1979, 1981-1982, 1984, 1986, 1988-1989, 1991, 1993
Grandview1974, 1976, 1980
Hannibal1859-1860, 1871-1872, 1875-1876, 1888-1889, 1894-1896, 1903, 1907, 1914, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1937, 1953, 1955
Harrisonville1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1989, 1990
Independence1888-1889, 1898 (Includes Jackson County outside of KC), 1905-1908, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959-1991, 1993
Jackson County1898, 1907-1908
Jefferson City1929, 1995
Jefferson County1907
Johnson County1912-1913
Joplin1953, 1955-1957
Lamar1903, 1911
Liberty1911, 1962, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991
Louisiana1907
Osage County1915
Parkville (Telephone Directories)1905-1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1915, 1918, 1921, 1927, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936-1937, 1940, 1942-1943, 1946, 1950-1951, 1953
Platte County (Telephone Directories)1954, 1961
Poplar Bluff1952, 1954
Raytown1960, 1962-1963, 1965, 1967-1968, 1970-1981, 1983-1984, 1986-1991
St. Charles1952, 1955
St. Joseph1859-1861, 1869-1870, 1872-1873, 1875, 1877-1882, 1884, 1891-1892, 1894, 1897, 1902, 1905, 1907, 1912, 1915, 1921, 1924, 1925 (telephone directory), 1926, 1930, 1932-1933, 1935, 1937, 1939-1941, 1946-1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1977, 1981-1983, 1986, 1990-1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999-2007
St. Louis1842, 1854-1855, 1863 (Business directory only), 1864, 1873, 1897 (Business directory only), 1911, 1915, 1917 (St. Louis County only), 1924, 1952-1953, 1955 (St. Louis City and County), 1956, 1961, 1963-1964, 1966
Sedalia1900-1901, 1913, 1954, 1956
Springfield1953, 1955-1956
Trenton1990
Webster Groves1915

Kansas

Kansas Counties and CitiesVolumes Available
Atchison1950, 1991
Chanute1953
Coffeyville1953
Emporia1953, 1955, 1986, 1988-1989, 1991
Great Bend1954, 1956
Hays1989-1990
Hutchinson1949, 1953, 1955
Johnson County1996-2017
Kansas City1894, 1896, 1899, 1901, 1909-1910, 1912-1913, 1916, 1920, 1922, 1924-1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1945, 1947-1948, 1950, 1952, 1954-1955, 1957-1989, 1991-1992, 1996
Lawrence1985-1986, 1988-1989, 1999-2004
Leavenworth1859-1861, 1879-1880, 1884 (All after 1884 include Lansing and Leavenworth County), 1897-1898, 1907-1908, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1985-1991, 2004
Manhattan1984, 1986-1989, 1991, 2004
Miami County2003
Mission1962-1964
Northeast Johnson County1933, 1953, 1955, 1958-1961
Olathe1962, 1964-1966, 1968-1969, 1971-1973, 1975-1981, 1983-1984, 1987-1990, 1992-1995
Ottawa1928, 1953, 1955, 1975
Parsons1880
Pittsburg1955, 1985-1988, 1990-1991
Salina1913, 1954, 1990-1991
Shawnee Mission Area1965-1966, 1968-1981, 1983-1984, 1986-1991, 1993
Topeka1954-1956, 1995-2003
Wichita1954-1956, 1990 (Suburban edition), 2003 (City and suburban editions)
Wyandotte County1997-2017

Coverage beyond Kansas City Found within Kansas City, Missouri Directories

Polk’s City DirectoriesAdditional Coverage Areas
1884-1885Armourdale, Armstrong, Kansas City Riverview, Wyandotte
1886-1888Westport, Kansas City
1889-1890Kansas City
1892-1903Kansas City
1904-1909Argentine, Independence, Kansas City, Rosedale
1910-1912Independence, Kansas City, Rosedale
1913Independence
1914-1917Independence, North Kansas City
1918North Kansas City
1930-1931North Kansas City
1933-1942North Kansas City
1945North Kansas City
1947North Kansas City
1949North Kansas City
1950-1951Clay County (Annexed area), North Kansas City
1952-1953North Kansas City
1955-1967North Kansas City
1968-1969Gladstone, North Kansas City
1970-1972North Kansas City
1973-1990Gladstone, North Kansas City
1993Gladstone, Liberty, North Kansas City
Cole’s City DirectoriesAdditional Coverage Areas
1950Kansas City, Independence, North Kansas City
1951

Missouri, South of Missouri River: Atherton; Blue Mills; Courtney; Dallas; Dodson; Grandview; Hickman Mills; Holmes Park; Independence; Jackson County (unincorporated); Leeds; Lee's Summit; Little Blue; Martin; Mount Washington; Raytown; Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Birmingham; Claycomo; Clay County (unincorporated); Gashland; Linden; Liberty; North Kansas City

Kansas, Johnson County: Kenneth; Leawood; Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Mission Hills; Mission Woods; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Quivira; Shawnee; South Park; Stillwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Bonner Springs; Edwardsville; Fairway; Kansas City; Morris; Muncie; Nearman; Spencer; Turner; Welborn; Wolcott; Wyandotte County (unincorporated)

1952Missouri, South of Missouri River: Atherton; Blue Mills; Courtney; Dallas; Dodson; Grandview; Hickman Mills; Holmes Park; Independence; Jackson County (unincorporated); Leeds; Lee's Summit; Little Blue; Martin; Mount Washington; Raytown; Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Birmingham; Claycomo; Clay County (unincorporated); Gashland; Linden; Liberty; North Kansas City

Kansas, Johnson County: Kenneth; Leawood; Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Mission Hills; Mission Woods; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Quivira; Shawnee; South Park; Stillwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Bonner Springs; Edwardsville; Fairway; Kansas City; Morris; Muncie; Nearman; Spencer; Turner; Welborn; Wolcott; Wyandotte County (unincorporated)

1953Missouri, South of Missouri River: Independence, Jackson County (unincorporated)

Missouri, North of Missouri River: North Kansas City

Kansas: Kansas City, Johnson County

1955Missouri, South of Missouri River: Atherton, Blue Mills, Courtney, Dallas, Dodson, Grandview, Hickman Mills, Holmes Park, Independence, Jackson County (unincorporated), Leeds, Lee's Summit, Little Blue, Martin, Mount Washington, Raytown, Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale, Birmingham, Claycomo, Clay county (unincorporated), Gashland, Linden, Liberty, North Kansas City, Northmoor, Parkville

Kansas, Johnson County: Kenneth, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam,
Mission, Mission Hills, Mission Woods, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Quivira, Shawnee, South Park, Stillwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, Fairway, Kansas City, Morris, Muncie, Nearman, Spencer, Turner, Welborn, Wolcott, Wyandotte County (unincorporated)

1956-1957Missouri, South of Missouri River: Atherton; Blue Mills; Courtney; Dallas; Dodson; Grandview; Hickman Mills; Holmes Park; Independence; Jackson County (unincorporated); Leeds; Lee's Summit; Little Blue; Martin; Mount Washington; Raytown; Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Birmingham; Claycomo; Clay County (unincorporated); Gashland; Linden; Liberty; North Kansas City; Northmoor; Parkville

Kansas, Johnson County: Kenneth; Leawood; Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Mission Hills; Mission Woods; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Quivira; Shawnee; South Park; Stillwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Bonner Springs; Edwardsville; Fairway; Kansas City; Morris; Muncie; Nearman; Spencer; Turner; Welborn; Wolcott; Wyandotte County (unincorporated)

1958Missouri, South of Missouri River: Grandview; Independence; Lee's Summit

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Gashland; Liberty; Parkville

Kansas, Johnson County: Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Overland Park; Shawnee

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Kansas City; Muncie; Turner

1959Missouri, South of Missouri River: Independence; Jackson County

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Clay County; Kansas City, North; North Kansas City; Platte County

Kansas: Johnson County; Kansas City

1962Missouri, South of Missouri River: Belton; Blue Springs; Grain Valley; Grandview; Independence; Lake Lotawana; Lee's Summit

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Birmingham; Gashland; Excelsior Springs; Liberty; Kansas City North; North Kansas City; Parkville

Kansas, Johnson County: Leawood; Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Olathe; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Roeland Park; Shawnee; Stanley

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bonner Springs; Kansas City

1963Missouri, South of Missouri River: Belton; Blue Springs; Grain Valley; Grandview; Independence; Lake Lotawana; Lee's Summit; Raytown; Riverside; Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Excelsior Springs; Gashland; Kansas City North; Liberty; North Kansas City

Kansas, Johnson County: Leawood; Lenexa; Merriam; Mission; Olathe; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Shawnee; Stanley

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Bonner Springs; Kansas City; Muncie; Turner

1964-1970, 1977, 1979Missouri, South of Missouri River: Belton; Blue Springs; Grain Valley; Grandview; Independence; Lake Lotawana; Lee's Summit; Raytown; Riverside

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Excelsior Springs; Gashland; Kansas City North; Liberty; North Kansas City; Parkville

Kansas, Johnson County: Leawood; Mission; Merriam; Olathe; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Shawnee; Stanley

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bethel; Bonner Springs; Kansas City; Muncie; Turner

1982Missouri, South of Missouri River: Belton; Blue Springs; Buckner; Grain Valley; Grandview; Greenwood; Independence; Lake Lotawana; Lee's Summit; Oak Grove; Odessa; Raytown; Riverside

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Excelsior Springs; Gashland; Kansas City North; Liberty; North Kansas City; Parkville; Smithville; Waldron

Kansas, Johnson County: Leawood; Merriam; Mission; Olathe; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Shawnee; Stillwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Basehor

Leavenworth Co.): Bethel; Bonner Springs; Kansas City; Muncie; Turner

1998Missouri, South of Missouri River: Belton; Blue Springs; Buckner; Freeman; Grandview; Harrisonville; Independence; Lake Lotawana; Lee's Summit; Levasy; Lone Jack; Oak Grove; Raytown; Sibley; Tarsney Lakes

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Excelsior Springs; Gladstone; Liberty; Missouri City; Nashua; Parkville; Platte City; Smithville

Kansas, Johnson County: Lenexa; Louisburg; Olathe; Overland Park; Shawnee; Spring Hill; Stilwell

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Kansas City

1999-2000Missouri, South of Missouri River: Bates City; Belton; Blue Springs; Buckner; Butler; Grain Valley; Grandview; Greenwood; Harrisonville; Independence; Kansas City; Lee's Summit; Lake Lotawana; Lone Jack; Oak Grove; Odessa; Passaic; Peculiar; Pleasant Hill; Raymore; Raytown; Sibley; Strasburg; Sugar Creek

Missouri, North of Missouri River: Avondale; Camden Point; Dearborn; Edgerton; Excelsior Springs; Gashland; Gladstone; Gower; Holt; Hoover; Iatan; Kansas City; Kearney; Lathrop; Lawson; Liberty; North Kansas City; Parkville; Platte City; Plattsburg; Riverside; Smithville; Tracy; Trimble; Weston

Kansas, Anderson County: Greeley

Kansas, Bourbon County: Mapleton

Kansas, Franklin County: Lane; Princeton; Richmond; Wellsville

Kansas, Johnson County: Clearview City; Desoto; Edgerton; Gardner; Leawood; Lenexa; Mission; Merriam; New Century; Olathe; Overland Park; Prairie Village; Shawnee; Shawnee Mission; Spring Hill; Stanley; Stilwell

Kansas, Leavenworth County: Basehor; Linwood; Tonganoxie

Kansas, Linn County: Blue Mound; Centerville; Mound City; Parker

Kansas, Miami County: Bucyrus; Fontana

Kansas, Wyandotte County: Bonner Springs; Kansas City; Muncie; Turner

City Directories | KC History (2024)

FAQs

Do they still publish city directories? ›

The labels on the catalog drawers are color coded for easy identification: pink is for the city directory catalog. Researchers should be aware that there are no current city directories for many major U.S. cities - among them Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Get More Info Here ›
How to cite city directories in Chicago? ›

A city directory is a book that is cited like a book:
  1. Creator, Title in Italics (Place of publication: Publisher, Date), specific page and/or entry.
  2. Creator, Title in Italics (Place of publication = URL : Date), specific image number of item.
Jan 29, 2023

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What does col d mean? ›

col'd (abbreviation) - colored.

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Does FamilySearch have city directories? ›

Directories at the FamilySearch Library

You can find further information about city directories in FamilySearch Wiki pages regarding each state. For example, search Ohio directories for information about directories of Ohio.

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Are old phone books available online? ›

You may be able to find old phone books from past decades in your area through online auction websites, local historical societies, or online archives of libraries or genealogy websites. You can also try contacting your local library or historical society to see if they have any resources available for public access.

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Why do historians use Chicago style? ›

Chicago style is especially popular in historical research. When developing a historical explanation from multiple primary sources, using footnotes instead of inserting parenthetical information allows the reader to focus on the evidence instead of being distracted by the publication information about that evidence.

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How to cite a city directory in genealogy? ›

Later directories include occupation and sometimes the wife or widow's name. Elements of a citation of a city directory could include: the name of the editor or compiler, the title of the directory, the city and state of publication, the name of the publisher, year of publication, page number, URL, and date accessed.

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How to use footnotes in a history paper? ›

The first footnote citation of a work should supply the full name of the author with given name appearing before surname, the exact title as found on the title page (unless it is excessively long), the edition (if later than the first), the city of publication (the name of the publisher is optional), the date of ...

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What does h mean in a city directory? ›

'b', 'r' and 'h' precede addresses to indicate the resident type. These abbreviations change meaning through the years. In early directories, 'r' means resident and 'b' means boarder. In later directories, 'r' means roomer/renter and 'h' means homeowner/householder.

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What does BDS mean in a city directory? ›

Common Abbreviations in City Directories

• b or bds: boards, boarder. • bkpr: bookkeeper. • c or cor: corner. • carp: carpenter.

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What does clk mean in city directory? ›

List of Occupation Abbreviations
acctaccountant
chfchef
chkrchecker
civ sercivil servant
clkclerk
83 more rows

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Do directories still exist? ›

The number of websites has become so large that directories have become obsolete. Even when sorted into categories, the list is far too long. It is not possible to scroll through directories anymore. This gave birth to search engines and keyword searches.

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Are Web directories still relevant? ›

Web directories aren't used much these days in SEO plans. They can give you some backlinks, but they don't have as much effect as they used to. Making great content, being active on social media, and getting backlinks from websites with strong authority have more of an impact.

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When were city directories published? ›

The first separately published directory appeared on November 16, 1785 in Philadelphia with another published 13 days later, though not as detailed. New York City followed shortly after with its first directory in 1786 and several more were published in the 18th century.

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Can you make money with directories? ›

Directory listing websites are among the most popular forms of websites that enable site owners to make money. It's easy to set up, requires less attention, and offers accessible promotional advertising opportunities. But most importantly, it helps grow businesses.

Learn More ›

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