Directory Discoveries

In my collection of Gloucester material, I am fortunate to have two city directories–one from 1917 and another from 1937.  City directories are a treasure trove of interesting information and trivia.  Back in the day, they were a bit like phone books as we remember them.  City directories listed residents by name, with spouse if available along with address and occupation. It might also list a death date or a “removed to _____(city or state)” date.  They also contain various statistics and general information about the area covered, as well as advertisements from area merchants.

These statistics are from the 1917 Gloucester City Directory published by Sampson & Murdock Co. of Boston Massachusetts.  The cost was $4.00.

The statistic that caught my eye was the 423 Registered Female Voters in 1915, well before the 19th amendment was approved in 1920.  Some research showed that Massachusetts women were allowed to register to vote for school committee members after the poll tax was abolished in 1892.  

The 1937 Gloucester City Directory was published by the same Sampson and Murdock Co and sold for $8.00.  Here are the statistics published for the city at that time and take note of the tenfold increase in the number of Registered Women Voters in 1936!  Well done, Gloucester Women of the day!

At this time in our social history, women (and women voters) are having a major impact on the news cycle.  I can imagine that though only 16 years had passed since women were guaranteed the right to vote, these 5008 women also had a major impact on the city’s business.

**Not sure yet how the square area changed over these 20 or so years. Perhaps someone out there knows?**