Collections Behind the Davis City Directory
The confirmed Davis directory trail is a mix of catalogs, newspapers, archives, and local reference work. The public research pass did not locate a complete publisher-by-year shelf list, so no unverified Polk run is presented as fact. The strongest local starting point is Davis County Library Headquarters in Farmington, where the catalog, reference desk, microfilm reader, scanning service, and digital library connect a researcher to local holdings.
| Collection | Years | Where Held | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah directory and gazetteer | 1879–1880 | State and genealogical catalogs | Names and occupations; verify copy |
| Printed Davis city, telephone, and reverse volumes | Run not published online | Davis County Library catalog and reference desk | Ask for local year and publisher |
| Davis County Clipper | 1892–1992 | Davis County Library Digital Library | Searchable online back issues |
| FamilySearch Davis County records | 1869–1953 collection record | FamilySearch catalog | Images vary by contract and privacy |
| Utah death index and images | 1905–1970 | Utah State Archives | Free index; fields include residence and burial |
The exact Davis publisher sequence, reverse-directory years, and a photographed local entry remain a library-reference question. A catalog record can show that a volume exists without placing its pages online. Ask staff to confirm the year, publisher, call number, whether an address section is present, and whether a scan or in-person reader is available. That honest gap is more useful than a guessed coverage range.
Ask Farmington for the Reverse Section
Davis County Library Headquarters is at 133 South Main Street, Farmington. The listed hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library reports seven locations, a catalog, information desk, interlibrary loan, digital scanning, and a Farmington-only microfilm reader. Ask the reference desk for city directories, telephone books, address-order volumes, yearbooks, obituary clippings, cemetery books, local histories, and historic maps.
The digital library’s searchable Davis County Clipper back issues span 1892–1992. Search by surname, street, business, church, school, obituary wording, and city. A newspaper notice can help tell an occupant from a property owner, but it is still a secondary source. The Bountiful Branch renovation notice directs researchers to a temporary Twig location, so confirm branch service before a visit.
The library site does not expose a verified publisher run. Record the staff answer with the volume year and call number, then cite that source in family notes.
What the Davis Archive Can Confirm
Utah State Archives provides indexes, series descriptions, digital collections, research guides, and reference help by phone, email, or appointment. FamilySearch catalog record 1922448 identifies Davis County records from 1869–1953, including deed books, births, deaths, marriages, probate and decree books, naturalizations, mining records, cemetery records, and wills. Images may require sign-in, a FamilySearch Center, or an in-person library, and some are restricted by contract or privacy.
The Utah Historical Society collections page adds photographs, documents, architectural records, artifacts, and digital exhibits. Farmington Historical Museum, Heritage Museum of Layton, Bountiful Museum and Learning Center, Centerville DUP Cabin, Charles Penrose Cabin DUP Museum, and Hill Aerospace Museum are local context points. Their collections may hold family papers or school and community material, but a public surname index should not be assumed.
| Collection clue | Resident value | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1879–1880 Utah directory and gazetteer | Early names, occupations, and town links | Confirm the catalog copy and pages |
| Clipper, 1892–1992 | Obituaries, notices, schools, business, civic events | Newspaper evidence can omit people |
| FamilySearch Davis catalog | Deeds, marriages, probate, cemetery, naturalization | Image availability varies |
| Archives death index, 1905–1970 | Residence, burial, parents, occupation, death date | Historical index, not current residence |
How to Read a Davis Directory Entry
A Davis city directory entry is a dated snapshot compiled for publication. The exact local abbreviation key must come from the volume, but these are the fields to inspect and transcribe before drawing a family-history conclusion.
| Name | Head of household, with initials and possible spouse notation. |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Work or business, sometimes paired with an employer. |
| Address | House number and street, with residence or boarding marks. |
| Owner or renter mark | A volume-specific symbol or abbreviation; copy its key. |
| Widow notation | A note such as “wid” can connect a spouse and prior household. |
- Criss-cross section
- The street- or address-order half of a directory, used to work from location to name.
- Householder index
- An alphabetical or address aid centered on the person responsible for a listed household.
- Abbreviation key
- The volume’s legend for short marks such as residence, widow, occupation, or street terms.
Dates Behind Davis Directories
Printed directories make more sense when placed beside the county’s record timeline. The Clerk’s office began with the government of Deseret in 1850. The Recorder identifies 1870 as the beginning of its historical land-record collection. Utah’s state death-certificate system took over uniform recording in 1905, and digitized death access expanded through a FamilySearch partnership in 2006. These milestones explain why a directory entry may need a county book, state index, and newspaper to complete the same household story.
- 1850: Davis County Clerk and Recorder duties begin in the territorial record system.
- 1870: the Recorder’s historical land collection begins, with older material in book and legal-description form.
- 1892–1992: Davis County Clipper issues provide searchable local notices and obituaries.
- 1905–1970: the Archives death index supplies historical residence, burial, parent, and occupation fields.
- 1981 and after: Recorder computerization and microfilming create a modern bridge, but image cutoffs vary by series.
Note: A collection date identifies the record series, not a guarantee that every page or name is open online.
Trace Family Through Davis Directories
Trace a household by keeping each directory year in its own row. Do not treat a missing entry as proof that a family left, died, or stopped living at an address. Canvassing dates, temporary moves, name variants, and publication gaps can all create an empty year.
- Write every spelling, initial, former surname, spouse, business name, street number, and city variant before searching.
- Find the earliest confirmed name entry and save the year, page, full address, occupation, spouse note, and symbol key.
- Use the criss-cross section for the address. This can reveal a different occupant, boarding-house head, business, or number.
- Pair directory snapshots with public federal census years, comparing ages, relationships, birthplace, occupation, and street or tract context.
- Test changes with the Clipper, death index, cemetery, probate, deed chain, and city permit record instead of guessing.
A later deed can show an owner transfer, an obituary can name relatives or a later city, and a census can confirm household structure. The directory remains valuable because it can place a person at a street in the gap between those records.
Davis City Directory Clues in Print
The Davis County Clipper’s 1892–1992 run is a major companion to the city directory shelf. Searchable back issues can reveal obituaries, marriage and anniversary notices, reunions, school news, business openings, public meetings, civic events, and property mentions. Search a surname with a street, city, business, church, or school term. A person may be easier to find in a notice than in a volume whose local year run has not yet been confirmed.
Newspaper wording still needs care. A notice may name a relative, a business operator, a funeral home, or a former address. It is a lead, not a certified proof of residence. Compare the date with the Utah death index, a deed, a census household, or a directory entry. The library’s digital collection is the online access route; the reference desk and microfilm reader help when a search term is hard to read.
The 1917 Bountiful Map Layer
The Library of Congress provides four public-domain sheets of the February 1917 Bountiful Sanborn map. Sanborn sheets show building footprints, street context, construction clues, and building use. They do not name residents. For an old Davis address, the map can show whether a lot held a dwelling, shop, barn, or vacant space before later subdivision or parcel changes.
Compare the Bountiful map record and its sheet view with the county parcel map. Then use a legal description, plat, lot, block, or neighboring parcel to test the address. This geographic check is especially helpful when a city directory uses a street name or number that no longer matches modern mapping.
Use the map to anchor a place, then return to the Library, Archives, newspaper, or Recorder for names.
Cross-Check a Davis Directory Find
Utah State Archives death records cover a different question from a city directory. The historical death index for 1905–1970 supports name searches and browsing by date and county. A certificate can include permanent residence, burial place and date, parents, marital status, occupation, cause, and death date. Davis County’s birth-register and divorce series offer other historical leads. FamilySearch records may require sign-in, a FamilySearch Center, or a partner library.
For a directory entry, copy the full name, initials, spouse notation, occupation, address, owner or renter mark, year, page, and abbreviation key. Then compare the person with the Archives, Clipper, census, deed, or cemetery. This makes a Davis city directory useful without treating it as a complete or current resident roll.