The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 38, September 22, 2002, Article 13

MORE ON CITY DIRECTORIES -- PART III.

  Dick Johnson writes: "For two weeks I have written about
  the numismatic use of City Directories for researchers in our
  field. These are widely used by collectors, writers, curators
  -- and catalogers! -- of American tokens and medals.

  Despite the vast research already done in this field by
  Russ Rulau, George Fuld, Dave Schenkman, Arlie
  Slabaugh, and many, many others, a great deal remains to
  be done.  As a collector I could find no greater pleasure
  than to track down an American token or medal of the
  19th or 20th century in my collection and learn more
  about its background.  City directories are often the first
  step in this delightful chore.  Maverick tokens (those with
  no obvious location) can also be identified with city
  directory research.

  This week I would like to talk about those microforms of
  city directories (microfiche and microfilm).   It appears a
  group of Connecticut businessmen began filming, one page
  at a time, all the city directories in the collection of the
  American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.
  Missing directories were located in other libraries.

  This chore was so daunting they divided the project into
  four phases: all the American city directories from 1786 to
  1861 were in the first phase.  This was completed in 1967
  and they begin marketing these, in total, by city, state, or
  individual microfiche (this phase was issued only in
  microfiche).

  For the second phase they chose only the directories from
  the fifty largest cities in America.  Even so, they had to cut
  off Phase Two at 1881.  These were issued in microfilm (one
  or two directories per roll).  Phase Three covered 1881 to
  1901 and, they say, these works were printed on such poor
  paper, the original books were literally falling apart.

  Phase Four covered the 20th century, 1902 to 1935. Since
  then hundreds of other cities have been microfilmed. (And a
  later, Fifth phase, covers 1936-1960.)

  Their company was located, I discovered, in Woodbridge,
  Connecticut.  Great, I thought!  Since this was nearby to my
  Litchfield location, I could travel to their offices and research
  everything, from everywhere right in their offices.  I called to
  learn, sorry Charlie, that would be in competition to their
  customers, the libraries around the world who buy their
  microforms. You have to do your research in those libraries,
  that's their "business!"

  The firm, originally called Research Publications, was sold to
  Gale Research of Detroit -- they merged another company,
  Information Access Company with this firm, now called
  Primary Source Media and called this "The Gale Group" --
  and that firm, in turn, was acquired by Primary Source Media
  of Berkshire, England. If you didn't follow all those global
  business mergers, don't fret.

  Current prices for the microfiche is $4.28 each (making all
  Phase One microfiche cost over $26,000).  Microfilm rolls
  are $80.25 each (the  list of cities runs 20 pages with about
  40 per page and often dozens of rolls per city;  I can't even
  calculate THAT total cost!). These can still be obtained in
  Woodbridge and you can go to their website:
  http://www.citydirectories.psmedia.com/.

  But to do your token or medal research, start with your local
  library.  Give them the "business" first.  Then you may have to
  travel to the largest city or state library nearest where your
  item was issued.  Good luck, and let me hear of your success
 (or problems): dick.johnson at snet.net

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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