Guelph City Directories
City directories have been published for over 200 years and provide name and address listings for individuals and businesses. Although earlier directories usually included prominent individuals and services most needed by residents, later directories generally listed everyone.
Directories consist of an alphabetical listing of individual’s surnames and an alphabetical listing by street. They also often include the name of the business where the individual worked, his or her occupation and the individual’s personal address. A history of the community along with listings of schools, churches and government offices may also be included.
Although directories can help to identify where your ancestors lived, worked, their occupation and can also provide clues to dates of marriages, deaths and divorces, it is important to remember that these directories were not always checked for accuracy.
| Year | Wellington Branch Collection | Guelph Public Library | Guelph Civic Museum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855 | X | ||
| 1871-1872 | X | ||
| 1873 | X | ||
| 1875-1877 | X | ||
| 1882-1883 | X | ||
| 1885-1886 | X | ||
| 1907 | X | ||
| 1915 | X | ||
| 1916 | X | ||
| 1918-1919 | X | ||
| 1922 | X | ||
| 1923 | X | ||
| 1925 | X | ||
| 1926 | X | ||
| 1927 | X | ||
| 1928 | X | ||
| 1929 | X | ||
| 1930 | X | ||
| 1931 | X | ||
| 1932 | X | ||
| 1933 | X | ||
| 1934 | X | ||
| 1935 | X | ||
| 1936 | X | ||
| 1937 | X | ||
| 1938 | X | ||
| 1939 | X | ||
| 1940 | X | ||
| 1941 | X | ||
| 1942 | X | ||
| 1943 | X | ||
| 1944 | X | X | |
| 1945 | X | ||
| 1946 | |||
| 1947 | X | X | |
| 1948 | |||
| 1949 | X | ||
| 1950 | |||
| 1951 | X | X | |
| 1952 | |||
| 1953 | X | ||
| 1954 | |||
| 1955 | X | X | |
| 1956 | |||
| 1957 | X | X | |
| 1958 | X | X | |
| 1959 | X | X | |
| 1960 | X | X | |
| 1961 | X | X | |
| 1962 | X | X | |
| 1963 | X | X | |
| 1964 | X | X | |
| 1965 | X | X | |
| 1966 | X | X | |
| 1967 | X | ||
| 1968 | X | ||
| 1969 | X | ||
| 1970 | X | X | |
| 1971 | X | ||
| 1972 | X | ||
| 1973 | X | X | |
| 1974 | X | X | |
| 1975 | X | ||
| 1976 | X | ||
| 1977 | X | X | |
| 1978 | X | X | X |
| 1979 | X | X | |
| 1980 | X | X | X |
| 1981 | X | X | |
| 1982 | X | X | X |
| 1983 | X | ||
| 1984 | X | X | X |
| 1985 | X | X | X |
| 1986 | X | X | |
| 1987-1988 | X | X | |
| 1988-1989 | X | X | |
| 1989-1990 | X | ||
| 1990-1991 | X | ||
| 1991-1992 | X | X | |
| 1992-1993 | X | ||
| 1993-1994 | X | ||
| 1994-1995 | X | X | |
| 1995-1996 | X | ||
| 1996-1997 | X | X | |
| 1997-1998 | X | X | |
| 1998-1999 | X | ||
| 1999-2000 | X | X | |
| 2000-2001 | X | X | |
| 2001-2002 | X | ||
| 2002-2003 | X | X | |
| 2003-2004 | X | ||
| 2004-2005 | X | X | |
| 2005-2006 | X | X | |
| 2006-2007 | X | ||
| 2007-2008 | X | X | |
| 2008-2009 | X | X | |
| 2009 | X | X | |
| 2010 | X | X | |
| 2011 | X | X | |
| 2012 | X | X |
Wellington County Directories
Members of the branch have transcribed the names from the Wellington County Directory and Gazetteer, 1867. The publications include the names, their occupation, concession number, lot number, township, as well as an indication as to whether they are a freeholder or householder. If you wish to see what publications are available and/or to place an order, click on the ‘Publications’ tab on the green bar at the top of the page.
The Wellington County Branch Family History Collection at the Guelph Public Library includes copies of a number of transcriptions of Directories and Gazetteers. To view the list, either type or copy and paste the following into the Guelph Public Library search engine ‘Ontario Genealogical Society +Wellington +Directories’.
The McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph perhaps holds the largest collection. Some are on microfilm and/or microfiche. Some are in the Archives Reference Collection, and some are held at the Annex and must be ordered in ahead of your visit. When you locate the directory that you want, it will tell you if it has to be ordered and you can do it online through the library website.
The Wellington County Museum and Archives, Aboyne, have the following directory in hard copy: Vernon’s Farmers’ and Business Directory for the Counties of Perth, Waterloo & Wellington, 1931.
Many of the directories can be found online, but knowing what to search for is the tricky part. While not an all-inclusive list, the information below provides some clues to searching for Wellington County directories.
Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, for 1871-2.
In Library and Archives Canada’s ‘Canadian Directories Collection’, they have the Union Publishing Co.’s Farmers’ and Business Directory for the Counties of Waterloo and Wellington, 1887, available online here
The Virtual Reference Library has the following directories. If you copy ‘Wellington (Ont. : County)—Directories’ into their search engine you should come up with the following copies available for viewing online:
Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, 1867
The County of Wellington Gazetteer and Directory for 1879-80
Wellington County Gazetteer and Directory for 1883-84
The Union Publishing Co.’s (of Ingersoll) Farmers and Business Directory for the Counties of Perth, Waterloo and Wellington, Vol. V, 1890
The Union Publishing Co.’s (of Ingersoll) Farmers’ and Business Directory for the Counties of Grey, Waterloo and Wellington, Vol. IX, 1891
The Union Publishing Co.’s Farmers’ and Business Directory for the Counties of Halton, Waterloo and Wellington, Vol. X, 1894
The Union Publishing Co.’s Farmers’ and Business Directory for the Counties of Halton, Waterloo and Wellington, Vol. XII
Union Publishing Co.’s Farmers and Business Directory for the Counties of Halton, Waterloo and Wellington, 1906
Union Publishing Company’s Farmers’ Directory for the Counties of Dufferin, Halton, Peel, Waterloo and Wellington, Vol. XIX, 1911
Vernon’s Farmers and Business Directory for the Counties of Dufferin, Halton, Peel, Waterloo & Wellington, 1915, is available online here