I read your comment about using the city directories and I thought I'd share my recent experience with city directories. A cousin, now deceased, did extensive work on the family and shared all her papers with her daughters and various other family members. She did a wonderful job, a few dates a bit off but for the most part we use her work as the guide to finding supporting documents. She listed the names of her uncles, her father's brothers and their birth/death dates. While using her work I found that her grandfather had also listed his children when he was in the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA. His list of his sons was just a bit different than the list my cousin prepared of her father and his brothers. I started digging and was so excited to find them in the city directories! I knew the first and third brothers died in 1918 so I followed two other brothers in the city directories from 1920 in San Francisco all the way through 1952 in San Mateo. These men were in the dry cleaning business so that helped, seeing the same occupation each time I found them. So far so good...two brothers, one named Vincent, or Jos.V, or JV, and his wife was Dolores. The other brother was Rey/Ray and his wife was listed as Laura. The two were listed in the same directories, usually one below the other, both as in the cleaning business, for the same company. One listed with an address with the letter "h" that I thought indicated his home, and the other with the letter "r" which I thought meant renter. But ya know what? There was only ONE guy...not two! Joseph Vincent often went by the family nickname he was given as "Rey" and his wife was Maria Dolores who often used a nickname of Laura, probably Lora but written as Laura. So for all the entries in the city directories listing two men and two different wives' names...there was only one person. The original papers I had listed this guy as John. His father listed him as Benson which was what the person wrote as they heard a heavy Spanish accent saying Vincent. Luckily the address for Benson matched an address for Jos.V in the city directory. His WWI Draft info listed him as Joseph Vincent and his wife was "Mary D". I had hoped a death record might solve the mystery but he's listed as Joseph R! So my point here is don't give up on finding your guy in the city directory...even though there are several with the same name, and the same spouse's name...it could be the same person. My guess is that the info was collected by several people and just added together causing the rest of us to go nuts years later! Good Luck, Sheila ... who spent nearly a week tracking two, when there was only one! -----Original Message----- From: "Paul Puente" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 2:56:12 AM Subject: Re: [NORCAL] George Thomas b. 1887 California Eugene - I use city directories extensively and that's how I tracked my George Thomas up until he disappeared in 1917. But Thomas is such a common surname and without his wife's name and occupation to work with I lost the trail. At one point in San Francisco there were 3 George H. Thomas with spouses named Elizabeth. I could keep them separated but then my George disappeared. By the way do you or anyone else know how city directories are or were actually compiled? I guess they would have to survey people in some way to obtain not only their address but also their occupations, spouse name, etc.

I'm wondering how to connect into a web site that has city directories. Specifically I'm looking for information in Caldwell, Kansas. Can you offer any suggestions or links that could help? Larry C -----Original Message----- From: Sheila Ruiz Harrell <[email protected]> To: norcal <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, Apr 25, 2012 10:20 am Subject: [NORCAL] City Directories I read your comment about using the city directories and I thought I'd share my ecent experience with city directories. A cousin, now deceased, did extensive work on the family and shared all her apers with her daughters and various other family members. She did a wonderful ob, a few dates a bit off but for the most part we use her work as the guide to inding supporting documents. She listed the names of her uncles, her father's rothers and their birth/death dates. While using her work I found that her randfather had also listed his children when he was in the Home for Disabled olunteer Soldiers in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA. His list of his sons was just a it different than the list my cousin prepared of her father and his brothers. started digging and was so excited to find them in the city directories! I new the first and third brothers died in 1918 so I followed two other brothers n the city directories from 1920 in San Francisco all the way through 1952 in an Mateo. These men were in the dry cleaning business so that helped, seeing he same occupation each time I found them. o far so good...two brothers, one named Vincent, or Jos.V, or JV, and his wife as Dolores. The other brother was Rey/Ray and his wife was listed as Laura. The wo were listed in the same directories, usually one below the other, both as in he cleaning business, for the same company. One listed with an address with the etter "h" that I thought indicated his home, and the other with the letter "r" hich I thought meant renter. But ya know what? There was only ONE guy...not wo! Joseph Vincent often went by the family nickname he was given as "Rey" and his ife was Maria Dolores who often used a nickname of Laura, probably Lora but ritten as Laura. So for all the entries in the city directories listing two men nd two different wives' names...there was only one person. The original papers had listed this guy as John. His father listed him as Benson which was what he person wrote as they heard a heavy Spanish accent saying Vincent. Luckily he address for Benson matched an address for Jos.V in the city directory. His WI Draft info listed him as Joseph Vincent and his wife was "Mary D". I had oped a death record might solve the mystery but he's listed as Joseph R! So my point here is don't give up on finding your guy in the city irectory...even though there are several with the same name, and the same pouse's name...it could be the same person. My guess is that the info was ollected by several people and just added together causing the rest of us to go uts years later! ood Luck, heila ... who spent nearly a week tracking two, when there was only one! -----Original Message----- rom: "Paul Puente" <[email protected]> o: [email protected] ent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 2:56:12 AM ubject: Re: [NORCAL] George Thomas b. 1887 California Eugene - I use city directories extensively and that's how I tracked my George homas up until he disappeared in 1917. But Thomas is such a common surname and ithout his wife's name and occupation to work with I lost the trail. At one oint in San Francisco there were 3 George H. Thomas with spouses named lizabeth. I could keep them separated but then my George disappeared. By the ay do you or anyone else know how city directories are or were actually ompiled? I guess they would have to survey people in some way to obtain not nly their address but also their occupations, spouse name, etc. ---------------------------------------- ORCAL ARCHIVES: ttp://archiver.rootsweb.com/ nter NORCAL. Browse by month. r click the "Search all archives" link to search by keyword. ---------------------------------------- o post a message to the NORCAL mailing list, send an email to [email protected] ------------------------------ o unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] ith the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of he message

Sheila, fascinating story about the two brothers. I'm glad we have sources like censuses and directories, but since they are both self-reported surveys with no verification, I sometimes want to yell at the people in them for the errors they created, but of course they are all dead so it doesn't do much good to get frustrated with them. Your story has given me a push to go back through all of the SF city directories from 1907 to 1917 and make a spreadsheet of all the George Thomas listings and see if I can track each man and his family through the 10 year period and hopefully beyond. I just wish there were not so many. The Husted City directories for Alameda County are complete through 1915 on archive.org and the Polk-Husted City directories pick up in 1921 and have a number of years after that. But, from 1916 - 1920 there is a gap right where I want to search. Does anyone have another source for Alameda County directories in the time period? Paul On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 7:20 PM, Sheila Ruiz Harrell <[email protected]>wrote: > I read your comment about using the city directories and I thought I'd > share my recent experience with city directories. > > A cousin, now deceased, did extensive work on the family and shared all > her papers with her daughters and various other family members. She did a > wonderful job, a few dates a bit off but for the most part we use her work > as the guide to finding supporting documents. She listed the names of her > uncles, her father's brothers and their birth/death dates. While using her > work I found that her grandfather had also listed his children when he was > in the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA. > His list of his sons was just a bit different than the list my cousin > prepared of her father and his brothers. > I started digging and was so excited to find them in the city directories! > I knew the first and third brothers died in 1918 so I followed two other > brothers in the city directories from 1920 in San Francisco all the way > through 1952 in San Mateo. These men were in the dry cleaning business so > that helped, seeing the same occupation each time I found them. > So far so good...two brothers, one named Vincent, or Jos.V, or JV, and his > wife was Dolores. The other brother was Rey/Ray and his wife was listed as > Laura. The two were listed in the same directories, usually one below the > other, both as in the cleaning business, for the same company. One listed > with an address with the letter "h" that I thought indicated his home, and > the other with the letter "r" which I thought meant renter. But ya know > what? There was only ONE guy...not two! > > Joseph Vincent often went by the family nickname he was given as "Rey" and > his wife was Maria Dolores who often used a nickname of Laura, probably > Lora but written as Laura. So for all the entries in the city directories > listing two men and two different wives' names...there was only one person. > The original papers I had listed this guy as John. His father listed him as > Benson which was what the person wrote as they heard a heavy Spanish accent > saying Vincent. Luckily the address for Benson matched an address for Jos.V > in the city directory. His WWI Draft info listed him as Joseph Vincent and > his wife was "Mary D". I had hoped a death record might solve the mystery > but he's listed as Joseph R! > > So my point here is don't give up on finding your guy in the city > directory...even though there are several with the same name, and the same > spouse's name...it could be the same person. My guess is that the info was > collected by several people and just added together causing the rest of us > to go nuts years later! > Good Luck, > Sheila ... who spent nearly a week tracking two, when there was only one! > >