If you’re like me, you probably know what city directories are but couldn’t imagine how to really use them in your genealogical research. Sure, city directories list a person’s name, occupation, and address, which we can trace annually through time. But what else can we do with that information? Can you use it solve challenging genealogical questions?
In this blog post, I present a brief case study where I used 18th and 19th century Philadelphia city directories to build a proof argument about a family relationship. Before I present the case study, I will review what information is generally found in city directories.
City Directories
City directories are like modern day phone books, but so much more. Early directories were created to help people find business and one another.[1] They contain much more information than names, occupations, and addresses. City directories often include maps (or list of cross-streets), local histories, table of coins, and a list of local, state, and national politicians.[2] Businesses, churches, and institutions were often detailed as well including short histories. Many early directories also include information typically found in almanacs. For example, the 1794 Philadelphia directory provided a multiple-page description of how yellow fever began in Philadelphia in 1793 and killed 4,041 people that year, or roughly 10% of the city’s population.[3] In fact, the city directory detailed how the Loganian Library was converted into an orphanage and admitted 200 children with 60 being infants!
Perhaps the most relevant to genealogists are the names found within the directories. Typically, just the man’s name was listed, but sometimes it includes the wife’s name. Widows are often listed by first name but sometimes just as “Smith, widow”, for example. On a few occasions, I’ve even seen the deceased husband’s name listed along with the widow’s name. Early directories were far from a complete list of all residents, and sometimes names were only organized alphabetically by the first letter of the surname rather than fully alphabetized.[4] Early directories sometimes only listed residents in either the respective business or residential section.
Case Study: Who was Widow Lydia Matthews?
Background Information. Last year, I began building out the family tree for one of my autosomal DNA matches who was part of a genetic cluster associated with my McMasters line. I discovered that this match descended from John McMasters (1758-1845) from Philadelphia. Because my own McMasters line was from neighboring Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I began to research John McMasters through documentary records hoping to find a connection to my line.
My theory at the time was that this John McMasters (1758-1845) might be the son of John McMasters, who died in Philadelphia in 1768[5] and who had spent time in Bucks County in the 1750s and early 1760s like my ancestors.[6] This John McMasters (d. 1768) married widow Lydia Search in 1758 in Amwell, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, which was just across the Delaware River from Bucks County.[7] A notable record for John McMasters (d. 1768), who I will call John Sr., was that he was sued for non-payment in 1765 by attorney William Pidgeon from Trenton, NJ.[8] This point becomes an important part of my research plan as I will explain shortly.
While researching John McMasters (1758-1845) in Philadelphia, who I will call John Jr., I found reference to someone called Lydia Matthews in a 1796 probate record for Conrad Pidgeon and several church records between 1809 and 1827 where Lydia Matthews, John McMasters, and William Pidgeon attended the same bible study classes.
Lydia Matthews intrigued me in part because Lydia is not an entirely common first name, but also because of Lydia Matthew’s association with William Pidgeon and John McMasters Jr. in bible classes and the previously mentioned 1765 court record involving William Pidgeon and John McMasters Sr. Because Pidgeon is not a common surname, and I also wondered if Lydia McMasters, widow of John McMasters Sr., could have remarried someone named Matthews? Could this help me establish whether John McMasters (1758-1845) was the son of John Sr. and Lydia McMasters?
The Evidence. I found John McMasters Jr. (1758-1845) in nine small bible study classes with Lydia Matthews spanning 1808 to 1827 at the Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church. In two of the records (1809 and 1810), Lydia and John were listed (in non-alphabetical order) next to one another, which was probably a coincidence, but it caught my attention nonetheless.[9] In the remaining records, which included the years of 1808 and 1822 to 1827, Lydia and John were in the same small class but not listed next to one another.[10] William Pidgeon attended the same bible study class with John McMasters in 1793.[11] No other church records were found for any of the three investigated individuals.
The image below is a partial list of the 28-member bible study class from 1810. Lydia Matthews and John McMasters Jr. are listed next to one another, and John’s second wife, Ann, is listed next to him.
On Ancestry.com, I did a quick search on William Pidgeon and found him listed as the administrator of the 1796 estate for Conrad Pidgeon.[12] Orphan Court records indicated William was the eldest son of Conrad Pidgeon.[13] Within the list of final accounts for Conrad Pidgeon were several entries for Lydia Matthews as paying rent to the estate between 1796 to 1800 (see excerpt below).
Realizing that John McMasters Jr., Lydia Matthews, and William Pidgeon were part of the same FAN Club (friends, associates, and neighbors), I began checking the Philadelphia city directories on Fold3.com to see if I could locate where they resided and discover more about them.
I found several entries for Lydia Matthews living on Emslie Alley between 1806 and 1824.[14] In the earliest entry in 1806, Lydia was listed as widow Matthews.[15] At times Lydia was listed as living at 3 Elmslie Alley, 11 Elmslie Alley, or simply Elmslie Alley. There were no entries for Lydia prior to 1811. An image from the 1811 directory is found below.
According to the city directory, Elmslie Alley was on the west side of 2nd between Walnut and Spruce Streets.[16] John McMasters Jr. resided at 380 South 2nd in 1794,[17] and William Pidgeon resided 122 South 2nd in 1793.[18] All lived in the Southwark district of Philadelphia; see the map below.[19]
While I did not find Lydia in city directories prior to 1806, I did find a William Matthews living at 2 Emslie Alley in 1793 and 1794.[20] After 1794, there were no more entries for William Matthews. An image from the 1794 directory is below.
To help visualize the results from the city directory search, a summary table of the all the entries available in the Philadelphia directories between 1785 and 1828 are presented below.[21] Note that a change in house number does not necessarily mean a move nor does an absence from an edition mean a removal from the city. Early on, house numbers were not consistently applied, directories were published at irregular intervals, and entries were dependent the publisher’s canvasser who traversed neighborhoods collecting information.[22]
Conclusions. Based on evidence from the Philadelphia city directories and Conrad Pidgeon’s probate records, it is quite probable that Lydia Matthews is the widow of William Matthews. City directories also indicated she was a tailor.[23] She disappeared from the Philadelphia city directories after 1824 (although the 1825 edition is incomplete and there were no publications in 1826 and 1827[24]). Lydia Matthews disappeared from bible study classes after 1827. Collectively, this appears to suggest she may have moved, remarried, or died. No other evidence for her was found.
Unfortunately (for me), it is not probable that widow Lydia Matthews and widow Lydia McMasters are the same person. Lydia McMasters married John McMasters Sr. about 1758 in Amwell, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.[25] Prior to Lydia’s marriage to John, she was married to Christopher Search with whom she had several children.[26] Based on these facts, it is probable that Lydia McMasters was born between 1710 and 1725. Because Lydia Matthews was last found in city directories in 1824, it’s unlikely that Lydia Matthews could be Lydia McMasters if for no other reason Lydia McMasters would have been about 100 years old in 1824 and seemingly living alone on Elmslie Alley. Not improbable, but also not likely.
For the Pidgeons, I was unable to establish a connection between the Philadelphia Pidgeons and the Trenton Pidgeons. Philadelphia city directories indicate that Conrad’s son, William Pidgeon, resided in Philadelphia between 1793 and 1822.[27] Attorney William Pidgeon from Trenton, New Jersey died a horrible death in a 1780 fire in Stratford, Monmouth County, NJ, where he removed from Trenton shortly before his death.[28] It is possible that William Pidgeon of Philadelphia and William Pidgeon of Trenton were kin, but current research failed to establish a connection. Without further evidence, the McMasters’ association with the Philadelphia and Trenton Pidgeons appears coincidental.
Summary
City directories can easily establish places of residence, especially in between census years. It can also identify occupations, and through its maps and historical facts, directories can also provide rich context to our ancestors’ lives in the cities in which they lived.
However, directories can do so much more. As indirect evidence, and coupled with other records, they can help prove or disprove relationships. Indeed, in an earlier blog post, I used Philadelphia city directories from 1794 through 1796 to build a proof argument that Margaret (McMasters) Flanigan was a probable sister to John McMasters Jr. (1758-1845).
As disappointing as it was not to establish that Lydia Matthews and Lydia McMasters were the same person, I was able to rule her out as a potential candidate for John McMasters Jr.’s mother. Resolving conflicting evidence is an important part of the genealogical proof standard.[29] It also helps to not “waste” more time researching Lydia Matthews. Regardless, and in a small way, I hope that my linking of Lydia Matthews to William Matthews may help a future researcher with their brick wall should either of them be his or her ancestor.
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Sources
[1] Williams, A.V. (1913). The Development and Growth of City Directories. Cincinnati, OH: The Williams Directory Co. Print.
[2] Ibid.
[3] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, Yellow Fever (1794), p. 218-221; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 30 January 2023).
[4] William, A.V. (1913). The Development and Growth of City Directories. Cincinnati, OH: The Williams Directory Co. Print.
[5] Pennsylvania, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993, John McMasters (1768), case no. 53, Administration Files, no. 10-72, image 306-315 of 433; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 6 September 2022).
[6] McNealy, Terry A., and Frances W. Waite (1983), Bucks County Tax Records, 1693-1778. Doylestown, PA: Bucks County Genealogical Society, John McMasters (Solebury Township, 1751), pg. 12. And Bucks County, Pennsylvania, estate file, no 572, James Paxon (1747), John McMasters (witness), Recorder of Wills, Clerk of Orphans’ Court, Doylestown. And Bucks County, Pennsylvania, estate file, no 608, John Wells (1748), John McMasters (witness), Recorder of Wills, Clerk of Orphans’ Court, Doylestown. And Bucks County, Pennsylvania, lease of indenture, John McMasters to William Briggs, (1762), Book 10, p. 418-419, Recorder of Deeds, Doylestown; database with an image (www.familysearch.org), image 324-325 of 398, film 7898966. And Bucks County, Pennsylvania, William Pidgeon v. John McMasters (1765), Court of Common Pleas, Doylestown; originals held at the Bucks County Archives, Mercer Museum and Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, item no. 7568.
[7] New Jersey, U.S., Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817, Christopher Search (1757), vol. 32, p. 284; database with an image (www.Ancestry.com), image 285 of 471; citing New Jersey State Published Archives Series.
[8] Bucks County, Pennsylvania, William Pidgeon v. John McMasters (1765), Court of Common Pleas, Doylestown; originals held at the Bucks County Archives, Mercer Museum and Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, item no. 7568.
[9] Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMasters (1809), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 1919 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Matthews and John McMasters (1810), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 83 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023).
[10] Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMaster (1808), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 1918 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and Jno. McMasters (1822), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 1919 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMasters (1823), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 101 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMasters (1824), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 123 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMasters (1825), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 146 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Matthews and John McMasters (1826), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 172 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023). And Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, Lydia Mathews and John McMasters (1827), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 195 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023).
[11] Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013, William Pidgon and John McMasters (1793), Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, image 1243 of 2201; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023).
[12] Pennsylvania, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993, Conrad Pidgeon (1796), case no. 130, Administration Files, no. 86-164, image 206-223 of 430; database with image, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2023).
[13] Orphan Court record
[14] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[15] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, Widow Matthews (1806), p. [blank, Martin, Wm]; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[16] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, Lownes or Elmsley Alley, p. 7 (Gen. Info); database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[17] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, John McMasters (1794), p. 102; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[18] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, William Pidgeon (1793), p. 113; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[19] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, Plan of the City of Philadelphia (1794), p. [blank, Gen. Info]; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[20] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, William Matthews (1793), p. 90; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023). And City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, William Matthews (1794), p. 97; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[21] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[22] Williams, A.V. (1913). The Development and Growth of City Directories. Cincinnati, OH: The Williams Directory Co. Print.
[23] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, Lydia Matthews (1811), p. 211; database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[24] Williams, A.V. (1913). The Development and Growth of City Directories. Cincinnati, OH: The Williams Directory Co. Print.
[25] New Jersey, U.S., Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817, Christopher Search (1757), vol. 32, p. 284; database with an image (www.Ancestry.com), image 285 of 471; citing New Jersey State Published Archives Series.
[26] “Public Member Trees,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, accessed 23 January 2023), “Wilson120411” family tree by rwilson7135, profile for Lydia (d. 1797-1800).
[27] City Directories, Philadelphia, 1785-1922, William Pidgeon (1793-1822); database with image, Fold3 (www.fold3.com, accessed 23 January 2023).
[28] Walker, Edwin R. (1929). A History of Trenton, 1679-1929, Two Hundred and Fifty Years of a Notable Town with Links in Four Centuries. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, p. 601-602.
[29] Board for Certification of Genealogists (2023). Ethics and Standards. Accessed 23 January 2023 at https://bcgcertification.org/ethics-standards/.