What are the Henderson Directories? | TBPL Research Blog

Ever wonder who lived in your house when it was first built? Or have you ever wondered where your Thunder Bay relatives lived? Can’t remember what the name of the cornerstore you grew up next to was called? Our collection of Henderson Directories from 1884-2004 at our Brodie Location can help you find the answers to all of these questions! 

Henderson Directories Limited was established in 1878 in Winnipeg and served “From the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean” with this service being offered in cities all the way to the West Coast. The directories list businesses as well as the address and profession of private citizens. The staff of the Henderson Directories would go door to door asking for people to disclose their information to be included in the directory as well as solicit information about businesses. 

Also included were listings of various officials from city departments, school boards, and religious organizations. The Directories also include a brief description of the happenings of Port Arthur and Fort William from previous years that outline both social and economic impacts that the Twin Cities faced that were sometimes referred to as “The Department of Miscellaneous Information” that highlights civic history and industry. This section of the Directories were very helpful in having people learn about the history of the Twin Cities. It’s also a very beneficial examination of how people in the time period of the publishing felt about the cities. 

The directories have both a section for searching alphabetically by street address or another section that allows you to search alphabetically by last name. This allows you to search two ways in case you only have either the name or the address. When searching your family history, you can look up the name of your relative that lived in Port Arthur or Fort William in the alphabetical directory to see where they used to live. The address directory can be used to help determine who lived in your home before you, and also help you narrow down what year your house was built. 

There is also a business section of the Henderson Directories that people used to find contractors, service providers, and any other professional they might need. Nowadays this section gives researchers glimpses into the past of what neighbourhoods in our community used to look like, as well as which industries were prominent at that time Staff often turn to the business sections of the Henderson Directories when we receive questions such as “What was the name of that restaurant that used to be on the corner of this street and that street? Using the Henderson Directory, we can track down the answer to that question, for example, we can trace the history of the storefronts in the Ruttan Block, #4 Court Street to see what businesses used to operate out of that location. For instance, in 1911, there was a Commercial Club and Northern Island Pulpwood Company Limited. In 1925, this building was home to Confederation Life Association and Forestry Branch of the Ontario Government. 

If you’d like to learn more about how the Henderson Directories can help you find the history of your house, street, or a business in town, please email research@tbpl.ca.