New York City (Manhattan) directories are available online from 1786 thru the early 1900s at Fold3.com, formerly called Footnote.com.  They also have Brooklyn directories from 1862 thru the early 1900s.  These have been a goldmine of info in my search.  They have other databases too, military, naturalizations etc. It is a paid subscription site but has been well worth it for me with my legion of NY/Brooklyn ancestors.  The down side is that it has to be the most annoying website on the internet that I go to.  Very slow to load, poor search function, lots of tech glitches etc etc. A hint.  When searching a name, look instead for a common name that might be near it alphabetically.  In searching for my McCaw ancestors, I enter "McCarthy", of whom there are many.  If there is a McCaw, he will be nearby.  On Fold3.com, McCarthy will bring results; McCaw will not. This is in reply to the person looking for a marriage record. You may find where your ancestor was living and then the church. I changed the subject line to be more useful to others as well.  Virginia