The Polk Directories (officially R.L. Polk & Co. City Directories) were comprehensive yearly guides that recorded the residents, businesses, and social fabric of American cities long before the widespread use of telephones.
Founded in 1870 by Ralph Lane Polk in Detroit, these directories became the gold standard for urban data, eventually covering over 1,000 cities across North America.
Unlike modern phone books, which only list people with active phone lines, Polk Directories were compiled by canvassers who went door-to-door. This makes them significantly more detailed:
- Individual Listings: Includes the head of household’s name, their occupation, and their employer.
- Family Details: Often lists the spouse’s name in parentheses (e.g., Smith, John (Mary)) and may indicate if a woman was a widow.
- Home Status: Notations like “h” (homeowner), “r” (resident/renter), or “bds” (boarder) show the person’s living situation.
- Numerical Street Guides: A “Criss-Cross” index where you can look up an address to see who lived there, which is invaluable for property history.
- Business & Social Directories: Listings for local churches, schools, secret societies (like the Masons), and “Yellow Page” style business advertisements.
Today, Polk Directories are primary sources for historians, genealogists, and urban researchers. While the U.S. Census happens every 10 years, Polk Directories were often published annually, allowing researchers to track a family’s movement or a business’s growth year-by-year. They can identify when businesses or homes were built at an address and how ownership changed over the years.
The following Clear Lake sections of the 1960 Polk Directory include the section listing city residents alphabetically and a listing of buildings by address with occupants.