Directories online
This page contains links to online editions of directories. Almost all the books are on the website Google Books.
Lists of birth, marriage and death, usually under the heading "Domestic Occurrences" and lists of ships sailing and their passengers embarking/disembarking at various ports can be found towards the back of most annual directories published before about 1850. This type of information can also be found in the more frequent monthly or quarterly journals and newspapers. These periodical publications are listed in Newspapers and journals online.
For more details of the information contained in the books, refer to the Directories reading list, which also has information about libraries which hold copies of the books, and alternative versions available on CD-Rom and microform.
Also see Military periodicals online
Army Lists
- Lists of the officers of His Majesty's, and the Hon. Company's troops, serving under the presidency of Bombay. Adjutant General's Office. January 1st. 1798 Google Books
- Indian Army List, 1 January 1912 is available through the commercial site Ancestry, category Military, as a transcript, not original images.
Also refer East-India Register & Directory and India List and India Office List on this page, and The New Annual Army List on the Military periodicals online page.
Bengal Almanac
1851 This book contains much general information, including civil service and military regulations but no lists of names. Index
Bengal and Agra Annual Guide and Gazetteer
Bengal Directory
There were various titles over time
Bengal Almanac and Annual Directory 1815-1823; The New Annual Bengal Directory and Calcutta Kalendar eg 1823, 1824; Bengal Directory and General Register 1824-1834; Bengal Directory and Annual Register 1835-1842; Bengal and Agra Directory and Annual Register 1843-1853; Bengal Directory and Annual Register 1854-1858; Thacker’s Directory for Bengal 1865-1868; Bengal Directory, published by Thacker, also known as Thacker’s Bengal Directory 1869-1884.
1838 Google Books
The following books are available to read online on Digital Library of India website. They may be located by searching using the words Bengal Directory.
- The New Annual Bengal Directory and Calcutta Kalendar
- 1823 Contents, computer page 6
- 1824 Contents, computer page 6
- Bengal Directory and General Register
- 1824 2nd edition corrected to 1 July 1824. Contents, computer page 6. This book is catalogued as Bengal Directory, with publication date 1824.
- 1825 Catalogued as The New Annual Bengal Directory And General Register Part. 1(1825). Only the first part of the book to computer page 333 is for 1825. From computer page 334 (numbered page 325) the pages appear to apply to December 1843 onwards, Births from December 1843 from computer page 510. From page 540, the first of a series of indexes, only relevant if the reference is to page 325 onwards. These pages seem to be from the 1845 edition, refer below.
- 1825 2nd edition Contents, computer page 8
- 1826 2nd edition Contents, computer page 8
- 1829 2nd edition Contents, computer page 6 Index to names, computer page 496.
- 1830 Contents, computer page 4
- 1831 Contents, computer page 10
- 1831 2nd edition Contents, computer page 8
- 1832 Contents, computer page 8
- Bengal Directory and Annual Register
- 1835 Contents, computer page 8; Apothecaries, page 237, computer page 278
- 1838 with 3rd Quarterly Register, Contents, computer page 8; Apothecaries page 245, computer page 262.
- 1838 available, but also available on Google Books, refer above
- 1839 Contents, computer page 8; Apothecaries, page 245, computer page 264
- 1840 Contents, computer page 8; Apothecaries, page 245, computer page 268
- 1841 Contents, computer page 8; Apothecaries, page 258, computer page 283
- Bengal and Agra Directory and Annual Register
- 1843 The title is The Bengal and Agra Directory and Half Yearly Register for 1843. Note some pages appear to be missing, for example actual page 566 is computer page 469. Contents , computer page 8; Shipping Arrivals and Departures from December 1842 computer page 472; BMD from December 1842 computer page 484; Apothecaries , page 262, computer page 295
- 1844 Contents, computer page 8; BMD from December 1842, computer page 530; Apothecaries, page 155, computer page 174
- 1845 Contents, computer page 6; only contains pages to page 332, computer page 339; Apothecaries, page 157, computer page 164. Balance of book appears to be at the back of the 1825 edition.
- 1846 Contents, computer page 6; Apothecaries, page 155, computer page 186
- 1848 Contents , computer page 8; Shipping Arrivals and Departures from computer page 592; BMD from December 1846 from computer page 609; Apothecaries, page 155, computer page 190.
- 1849 Contents, computer page 6 Apothecaries, page 154, computer page 191
- 1851 Contents, computer page 6 Apothecaries, page 281, computer page 310
- Bengal Directory (published by Thacker)
- 1876 Contents, computer page 8
- 1878 Contents, computer page 10
- 1881 Contents, computer page 16
- 1884 Contents, computer page 8. This edition also contains information for Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
East-India Register & Directory
The editions with an M following the year are available on the subscription website The Making of the Modern World-The Goldsmiths’-Kress Library of Economic Literature 1450-1850
1802 title is A New Oriental Register, and East India Directory for 1802
| 1802 | 1804 M | |||
| 1805 M | 1808 M | 1809 M | ||
| 1810 M | 1814 M | |||
| 1815 M | 1816 M | 1819 | ||
| 1820 M | 1821 | 1822 M | 1823 | 1824 M |
| 1825 | 1826 M | 1827 M | 1828 | 1829 |
| 1831 M | 1832 M | |||
| 1837 M and D.L.I.[1] |
||||
| 1841 M | 1842 | 1843 | 1844 | |
| 1845 | 1846 | 1847 | 1849 | |
| 1850 | 1851 | 1852 | 1853 | 1854 |
| 1855 | 1856 | 1857 | 1859 |
Notes
- ↑ 2nd edition for 1837, corrected to 22 May 1837, is available to read online on the Digital Library of India website. Contents, computer page 8
Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory
A broken range of editions of Ferguson's Ceylon Directory from 1871 to 1930 is available on the website History of Ceylon Tea. This India List post advises "In the index on the left hand side look for an entry marked (usually) General Directory (towards the bottom) and then click on a page to see the contents.
Govt of India Directory
- Govt of India Directory 1935 is available to download as a pdf on OUDL (Osmania University Digital Library). This publication is similar to a Civil Service List.
- Govt of India Directory January 1947 is available to read online on the Digital Library of India website,
India List and India Office List
- July 1869 The Indian Army and Civil Service List Google Books
- From 1870 to 1893, The New Annual Army List contained an Indian Civil Service List. The full title of the publication was 1870-1880, The New Annual Army List, Militia List, and Indian Civil Service List; 1881-1893, The New Annual Army List, Militia List, Yeomanry Cavalry List, and Indian Civil Service List. Archive.org
- 1873 Indian Army and Civil Service List is available through the commercial site FindMyPast, category Migration probably as a transcript, not original images.
- 1905 India List and India Office List. The preface states: In the lists of Officers serving in India, which are contained in pages 7 to 104 of this volume, only substantive appointments are shown ; and, except in the case of members of the Indian Civil Service, the names of Officers drawing substantive pay of less than Rs. 500 a month are not included. Google Books
- 1933 India Office List is available through the commercial site FindMyPast, category Migration probably as a transcript, not original images.
- The following Lists may be viewed online on the Digital Library of India website.
- India and India/Burma
- The Combined Civil List For India. 1915-1934 (incomplete)
- The Combined Civil List For India And Burma. September 1934-1939
- The Indian Office And Burma Office List 1940, 1947.
- Provincial Lists
- Civil List For Bengal 1909-1945 (incomplete)
- Bihar And Orissa Quarterly Civil List Corrected Up To The 1st April 1931
- Bombay Civil List. 1945
- Jaipur Half-yearly Civil List. 1942
- The Quarterly List Of Civil Officers Serving In The North West Frontier Province. 1930
- The Classified List Of Officers Of The Civil Department Of H E H The Nizam’ s Government. 1932, 1936
- The Civil List for United Provinces 1913.
- Punjab Civil List corrected up to 1st November 1946.
- Western India States Agency Civil List 1931
- India and India/Burma
Indian States Register and Directory
Indian States Register and Directory 1929 is available to download as a pdf on OUDL (Osmania University Digital Library). Note that the applicable pdf is file size 59.18Mb. Also available to read online on the Digital Library of India website.
Nilgiri Guide and Directory
1916 Archive.org
Street's Indian and Colonial Mercantile Directory
1869 Google Books
Thacker's Indian Directory
From 1865 to 1884, Thacker published a Bengal Directory, refer above. The 1884 edition included Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
- The 1895 edition is available through the commercial website Ancestry and is searchable.
- Thacker's Indian Directory Of India And Pakistan 1951 1953 downloadable as a pdf on OUDL (Osmania University Digital Library). Nb: the pdf is a large file size (305.1Mb) Also available to read online on the Digital Library of India website, refer below
Digital Library of India
The Digital Library of India (here) has the following editions (not searchable):
- Thackers Indian Directory 1908 - Contents on computer p63
- Thackers Indian Directory 1925 - Contents on computer p29, Mofussil Directory begins p973, Railways p1488, List of residents p1834.
- Thackers Indian Directory 1928 - Contents on computer p17 (Nb this edition listed on the DLoI as 'Thacker S Indian Directory 1928')
- Thackers Indian Directory 1934 - Contents on computer p17
- Thackers Indian Directory 1936 - Contents on computer p17
- Thackers Indian Directory 1938 - Contents on computer p17
- Thacker's Indian Directory including Burma and Ceylon, 1937-38 Contents commences computer p3
- Thacker's Indian Directory including Burma and Ceylon, 1939 - Contents commences computer p17
- Thackers Indian Directory Of India And Pakistan 1951 1953 Contents commences computer p 44
Nb - use the title as given here in order to find them on the DLoI website.
The Times of India Directory
- The following volumes are available to read online on the Digital Library of India website.
- The Times of India Calendar and Directory for 1907. Contains information for India generally but there is more about the Bombay Presidency. Contents, computer page 51; Civil Lists, Bombay, Madras Bengal; Bombay residents, computer page 892; Mofussil Directories for Bombay Presidency, computer page 1064; Railway Directories computer page 1146
- The Times of India Directory of Bombay (City and Presidency) Karachi-Poona- Ahmedabad etc. 1932. Index, computer page 42. This book appears in the catalogue as Directory Of Bombay-1932
- The Times of India Directory of Bombay (City and Presidency) Karachi-Poona- Ahmedabad etc. 1935. Index, computer page 26. This book appears in the catalogue as The Times Of India Directory Of Bombay (1935)
- The Times of India Directory of Bombay (City and Provincial) including Karachi and Hyderabad State 1939. Index, computer page 13. This book apppears in the catalogue as Directory Of Bombay City Province 1939 Government Of India
- The Times Of India Directory And Year Book Who’s Who 1954-1955 is available to download as a pdf on OUDL (Osmania University Digital Library). Note that the applicable pdf is a large file size (330.5Mb). Also available to read online on the Digital Library of India website
Singapore, The Straits and Penang
The National Library of Singapore has some Directories which can be downloaded. Refer Singapore for details
Subscription websites
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)
A number of directories from the late 1700’s are available on the website Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO- A part of Gale Digital Collections). The access is restricted to Library Card holders of participating libraries including the following National Libraries (noting there is generally a residential requirement): Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, State Library of NSW, and many University Libraries. ECCO may also be accessed from the British Library Reading Rooms.
- A List of the Company's civil servants, at their settlements in the East-Indies, the island St. Helena, and China. 1790, 1799. -HEIC lists of senior and junior merchants, factors, and writers
- Bengal calendar. 1787, 1789
- Bengal calendar & register. 1790
- Bengal kalendar and almanack. 1792
- Bengal kalendar and register. 1795, 1800
- Bengal or East-India calendar. 1795 includes details for Madras, Bombay etc
- Bengal register, containing lists of the Hon. Company's civil and military establishments, under the Presidency of Fort William 1787. HEIC employees in Bengal, including surgeons
- Calcutta monthly register. Vol 1, November 1790.
- East India kalendar; or, Asiatic register for Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Fort Marlborough, China, and St. Helena. 1791, 1793, 1794, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1800.
- Oriental magazine; or, Calcutta amusement. 1785
The Making of the Modern World
The Goldsmiths'-Kress Library of Economic Literature 1450-1850. A part of Gale Digital Collections. Similar access conditions apply as for ECCO, refer above.
In addition to volumes noted under The East India Directory and Register above, the following directories relating to India have been noted:
- A List of the Company's civil servants, at their settlements in the East-Indies, the island St. Helena, and China 1785
- East India kalendar; or, Asiatic register for Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Fort Marlborough, China, and St. Helena. 1791, 1792 (1791 is also available on ECCO)
- The Calcutta Star almanac and strangers’ guide in Calcutta : including commercial & trade list for MDCCCXLV. [1844?].
For further details about these two websites , refer Subscription websites-online newspapers, journals and directories
Who's Who In India, Burma and Ceylon
Tenth Year of Issue 1939, edited by Thos. Peters is available to read online on the Digital Library of India website. Index of names commences computer page 786