The collection provides historical, personal, and professional information about the inhabitants of a city and information about the city's civic, social, benevolent, and literary organizations. City directories are among the most comprehensive sources of historical and personal information available. Their emphasis on ordinary people and the common-place event make them important in the study of American history and culture. One of the few means available for researchers to uncover information on specific individuals, these directories provide such information as:
City and Business Directories: West Virginia, 1839-1929