This is a collection of various historical and genealogical reference works on Pennsylvania. These references cover 1000's of individuals, and are an excellent way to start or continue research focused on PA.

This material was scanned from original publications and will be provided as text searchable PDFs (unless noted in description). These files can be read using many PDF reader programs (Windows / Mac / Linux), however Adobe Reader or Acrobat are recommended.

Boyd's Directory of Easton 1860 (William H. Boyd, 1860, 21 pages)
This is an early directory for the city of Easton, Northampton County, PA for 1860. The directory information lists the resident's or business name, occupation and street address. This directory was part of a larger publication, but only the information on Easton is provided.

Gospill's Directory of Easton 1864-5 (James Gopsill, 1864, 38 pages)
This is a resident and business directory of Easton, Northampton County, PA for the years 1864-65. The directory information is listed alphabetically, noting the primary resident's name, occupation and address. This was part of a larger directory but only the section on Easton is provided.

The Northampton County Directory, for 1873 (J. H. Lant, 1873, 278 pages)
Directory of the towns of Easton, South Easton, Phillipsburg, Bethlehem and South Bethlehem and a Business Directory of the principal towns of Northampton County. Includes numerous advertisements for local businesses as well.

List of Subscribers - March 1st, 1886
(Pennsylvania Telephone Company, 1886, 84 pages)
This is a very early telephone directory covering parts of Berks, Carbon, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Northumberland, Schuylkill and York Counties, Pennsylvania and parts of western New Jersey for the year 1886. The directory information includes the resident or business name, (if a business) the type of business, and the address. At the time of publication, actual phone numbers were not in use. The directory information is listed alphabetically by name, and grouped according to location. Also, please note: at the time of publication for this directory, telephones were not in common use. Each of the towns listed below had at least one subscriber in 1886, but some of them had only one.

Pennsylvania Subscribers:
Allentown (including: Aineyville, Alburtis, Ballietsville, Breinigsville, Catasauqua, Chapman's Station, Coplay, Egypt, Emaus, Fogelsville, Fullerton, Helfrich's Springs, Hokendauqua, Macungie, Salsburg, Stemton, Unionville, Wescoesville, Whitehall), Bethlehem (including: Bath, Bingen, Coopersburg, Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, Friedensville, Hellertown, Seidersville, South Bethlehem, West Bethlehem, Wyandotte), Carlisle (including: Boiling Springs, Newville), Columbia (including: Chestnut Hill, Chickies, Fairview, Ironville, Marietta, Mountville, Norwood, Wrightsville), Easton (including: Bangor, Bloomsbury NJ, Bushkill, College Hill, Dock, Edelman's Station, Glendon, Lehicton, Nazareth, Northampton, North Bank, Odenweldertown, Pen Argyle, Phillipsburg NJ, South Easton, Stockertown), Hanover (including: East Berlin), Harrisburg (including: Bridgeport, Camp Hill, Lochiel, New Cumberland, Steeton and Susquehanna Twp.), Lancaster (including: Akron, Bareville, Gordonville, Lampeter Twp., Leacock, Lime Valley, Manheim Twp., Millport, Neffsville, Paradise, Refton, Rockland), Lebanon (including: Annville, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Guilford, Jonestown, Klinefeltersvillle, Myerstown, North Lebanon, Reistville, Richland, Shaeffertown), Lititz (including: Akron, Brickerville, Brownstown, Brunerville, Ephrata, Lexington, Pennville, Rothsville, Warwick, West Earl), Manheim, Mauch Chunk (including: East Mauch Chunk, Lansford, Lehighton, Parryville, Summit Hill, Weissport), Mechanicsburg (including: Hoguestown), Middletown (including: Goldsboro and Hummelstown), Mount Joy, Pottsville (including Ashland, Centralia, Cressona, Delano, Fountain Spring, Frackville, Gilberton, Gordon, Locust Dale, Locust Gap, Lost Creek, Mahanoy City, Mahanoy Plane, Minersville, Mount Carmel, Myersville, Orwigsburg, Port Carbon, Rothsville, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah, St. Clair, Tamaqua, Tamenend, Yorkville), Reading (including: Adamtown, Amityville, Bechtelsville, Bernville, Birdsboro, Blandon, Bridgeport, Boyertown, Brownsville, Cacoosing, Churchville, Clayton, Cumru Twp., Denver, Douglassville, East Reading, Esbach's Crossing, Fleetwood, Friedensburg, Gablesville, Gibraltar, Greisemersville, Hamburg, Hendleton, Kutztown, Leesport, Lyons, Maiden Creek, Mineral Springs, Mohnsville, Mount Pleasant, Oley, Neversink, New Berlinville, Newmanstown, North Reading, Robesonia, Spring Garden, Shanesville, Sheridan, Sinking Spring, South Reading, Spangsville, Steinsville, Stevens, Stonersville, Stouchsburg, Tulpehocken, Wernersville, West Leesport, West Reading, Womelsdorf, Yellow House), Rohrerstown, Slatington (including: Berlinville, Cherryford, Lehigh Gap, Lehighton, Treichler's, Walnutport, Williamstown), Strasburg, York (including: Dallastown, Delta, Emigsville, Glen Rock, Loganville, Manchester, Peach Bottom, Red Lion, Seitzland, Spring Garden Twp., Spring Grove, York Haven)

New Jersey Subscribers:
Belvidere NJ, Clinton NJ (including: Annandale, Landsdown, Glen Gardner), Flemington NJ, Hackettstown NJ (including: Allamunchy, Beattystown, Danville, Mt. Olive, Schooley's Mt., Stanhope, Vienna), Lambertville NJ (including: New Hope, PA), Washington NJ (including: Broadway, CHangewater, Hampton Junction, Oxford, Port Colden)

West's Directory of Easton (George W. West, 1889, 291 pages)
This is a directory of the towns of Easton, South Easton, Glendon and Odenweldertown, Northampton County, PA for the year 1889. The directory information is listed alphabetically, noting the primary resident's name, occupation and address. This was part of a larger directory but only the section on these 4 towns is provided.

Directory of Bethlehem, South Bethlehem, and
West Bethlehem - 1890 (Jos. A. Weaver, 1890, 216 pages)
This publication is a directory of the area of Bethlehem "containing, besides the names of inhabitants, their residences and places of business, a church and street directory and a lists of borough officers, fire departments, societies, &c." The directory information includes the resident's name, occupation, and street address.

1890 Census Directory of Northampton County (Eleventh U.S. Census)
Also Directory of Phillipsburg, N.J. (Joseph H. Werner, 1891, 644 pages)
This is a "Census Directory" of Northampton County, PA, and Phillipsburg, New Jersey, for the year 1890-91. It was published using the information from the 1890 (Eleventh) Census of the United States, which was later destroyed. Only a fragment of the original 1890 Census records remain leaving a large void for researchers. This type of directory is therefore very useful in replacing some of that lost information.

The directory begins with assorted information on the county and local governments, followed by business listings for Easton, South Easton and Phillipsburg. The directory information provides the name of the primary resident, and the street address of the household. It also names any other family members who live at that address. Some sections of the directory also provide the age of each of the residents and the occupation of the primary resident. The information is arranged alphabetically by township or borough.

Three Bethlehems Directory for 1893-94 (J. E. Williams, 1893, 322 pages)
This is "a general directory of the citizens of Bethlehem, South Bethlehem, and West Bethlehem, a classified business directory, a street directory, together with an appendix of useful miscellaneous information." It also contains: a list of those in various levels of local government, and a list Police, Fire, and School officials, and lists of other organizations and societies and their senior members. The directory information includes the resident's name, occupation, and street address.

1906 Directory of Easton City - Easton and South Side,
West Easton, Cedarville, Glendon, Glendon Heights
and Phillipsburg, NJ (George W. West, 1906, 620 pages)
This is a resident and business directory of the area around Easton, Northampton County, PA for the year 1906. The directory first covers Easton, but also the nearby towns of South Side, West Easton, Cedarville, Glendon, Glendon Heights and Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The directory lists 1000's of residents and businesses within these towns, giving the primary resident's (or business') name, primary residents mate's name, occupation, and street address for each.

Farmers' Directory of Northampton County 1914
(Wilmer Atkinson Company, 1914, 308 pages)
As the title notes, this is a Farm and Business Directory of Northampton County, PA for the year 1914. It contains a list of Northampton County public officials and a number of local advertisements as well as the directory information. The directory information consists of the names of farmers and details such as the wife's name, number of children, location of farm, number of horses/cattle, a notation of whether they are retired, own their farm or are tenants, etc. Following the rural listings there is also a separate classified business directory of the county as well.