Researching from Your House from Your Couch

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

Thanks for joining me from my first ever FacebookLive and blog post! The company is welcome! This discussion about research is intended to help you get your geek on and have a little stress free fun going down a research rabbit hole of fun historic photos, maps and more. Pour a cup of tea and find a sunny spot. Grab your laptop and enjoy getting away from dire headlines and the worry over toilet paper for an hour or two.

Share what you’ve found on Facebook or in the comments here! Don’t know where to look next? Post your questions! We’ll continue the discussion and have a bit of fun together.

Here are links to the online maps, city directories, etc. that I mentioned. Just a disclaimer, this is by no means a complete list of possible research resources. Just something to get you started.

Happy Hunting!

Maps
1843 Bradt Map (Boston Public Library Online Collection)
1857 Sprague Map (NYS Library’s Online Collection)
1876 Hopkins Atlas (NYS Library’s Online Collection)
1879 Beck & Pauli Perspective Map (Library of Congress)
1892 Sanborn Map (Library of Congress)
1908 Sanborn Map Volume 1 (Library of Congress)
1908 Sanborn Map Volume 2 (Library of Congress)
1934 Sanborn Map Volume 1 (Library of Congress)

1934 Sanborn Map Volume 2 (Library of Congress)

City Directories

1813 (first) - 1850 http://digitalcollections.americanancestors.org/cdm/search/collection/p15869coll21/
searchterm/New%20York%20(State)!albany%20(n.y.)/field/covera!covera/mode/exact!all/
conn/and!and/order/issue

on Hathi Trust
1844-45: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514653
1845-46: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112057581917
1848-49: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514679
1849-50: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514687
1850-51: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514695
1852-53: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514711
1853-54: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514729
1855: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514737
1856: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514745
1857: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514752
1859: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514778
1860: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514786
1861: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514794
1862: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514802
1863: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112111167398
1867: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514844
1869: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514869
1875: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514927
1877: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514943
1878: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.102187346
1879: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514968
1882: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112004602287
1884: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112047653800
1886: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106514984
1889: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112111167448
1890: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106515007
1891: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112041746253
1896: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112106515031
1900: https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiuo.ark:/13960/t0vq6n31r

Hathi Trust link for all Albany directories including 20th century directories

1630-1894 Grantee Index Volumes 1-12 (with a FamilySearch subscription)

NYS Cultural Resource Information System
has historic district and National Register information including historic resource inventory forms (blue sheets)

Historic Photos
Albany Public Library Digital Collection on NY Heritage (a NYS Museum Collection)
Historic Photos on AlbanyGroup Archive Flickr

Cool Collections
Historic American Building Survey
Library of Congress Map Collection