Excellent post! City directories are more than an A-Z list of residents. The front matter has been about what I call nonprofit Buffalo since the very beginning of Buffalo directories. That's where you find listings for government offices, churches, charities, clubs & associations, schools, hospitals, cemeteries, and probably more that I can't think of at the moment. You can browse a few Buffalo directories here: http://www.buffaloresearch.com/onlinedirectories.html --- D S <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi to all, > > I told you recently how much I enjoyed digging into many > Buffalo City > Directories when visiting the BECPL. Of course, I was most > interested > in the surname pages over many directories - and getting each > sourcing > info down. > > Today - back here in California - I spent some time with the > 1927 > Buffalo City Directory - at Amazon.com. But I spent time with > all the > "front matter" pages this time. Wow! Tells me again that > those of us > who have to travel to do "in person" research often have to > choose btw > one or two things and dig DEEP - or three or four or more > things and > dig SEMI-DEEP - given time constraints. (how long can we keep > paying > for that motel, rental car, meals, etc) lol > > Anyway - the point of this message - 1927 Buffalo City > Directory > > 1) I found a front listing for WESTMINSTER HOUSE. This is > something > I'd been searching for more info about - as I have a vintage > photo of > my grandmother (Nora WITT) with several other women there - > all lined > up in those old bathing suits - circa 1919-1921. near a huge > swimming > pool. I've heard the "family story" that she worked on > projects there > to send to soldiers? My thought was that it was a place > where > eastside Germans could go (settlement house) to get help, > information, > support - or volunteer to give same. Anyone know? > > The listing was in a section called "Charitable, Religious > Societies > and Associations". > On page 25 (image 24) it says: << Westminster House - a > Social > Settlement; 424 Adams and 421 Monroe. Head Resident: Mrs > Ida > Grumiaux >> > > I didn't have this when looking at those huge Sanborn maps - > so now > need to pull out my digital photos and get my bearings for > where this > is - in relation to their church (see #3 below) and where > their house > was located - at 191 Sherman Street. > > 2) Here's another bit for the person interested in the Dames > of > Malta! They too, are in this 1927 city directory > On page 33 (image 32) it says: << DAMES OF MALTA. Star of > America > Sisterhood No 34. Meets first and third friday at Moeller's > Hall, 386 > Pearl. Queen, Mrs Clara Eggleston; K of A Anna L Clark, 765 > Front av > >> > > 3) All the churches are listed. Another surprise in store > for me > there. Looked for St Stephens where my WITT family attended, > children > were baptized and my grandmother attended school. (don't know > if her > older brothers and sister did or not). NOT listed under > "Evangelical > Lutheran" where I thought it would be. Instead, it's listed > with > those called "Evangelical Synod Church". (Yet more learning > for me to > do on that one) The listing is on page 39 (image 38) and > says: << > St Stephen's -- Peckham cor Adams; Rev Wm Henry Schild, > pastor. Res > 308 Adams >> > > I assume that last bit is the residence address for the > pastor? That > Rev Schild is the one on my grandparent's marriage certificate > - > married at St Stephens in 1922. > > And there you have it for 1927 Buffalo City Directory > adventures today > - and this is all minus all the pages that list FAMILY MEMBERS > = the > usual points of discussion. :) > > Deb > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-* Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com http://www.BuffaloResearch.com "Everyone claims to want a city, but no one here wants city living. City living by its definition is crowded. It is tolerant of other people. It is dependent on a sophisticated population that makes a hundred compromises daily so that they can benefit from the collective energy that a city generates." --Robert N. Davis, Jr. (1955-2007)