Jan Garland indicated some interest in Mobile about the time her STOCKING ancestors lived there in the 1830s. I have found the city directories to be a fascinating reference. Some libraries have them on microfiche. In addition to listing heads of households with their occupations, many editions have writeups of different topics. Some even have early advertisements. Altogether, they show that Mobile was a pretty sophisticated place - perhaps more than most towns its size in that era. It's well worth the time spent for a better understanding of ordinary life there. Dave