Kerrville City Directory Collections
Kerrville's surviving directory shelf is useful, but it is not an unbroken annual run. The strongest published inventory is the Kerrville Genealogical Society book list. It names a C. B. Page directory for 1956 and R. L. Polk volumes for 1958, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1980, and 1983. The inventory also lists a 1964 Kerrville and Harper telephone directory, a 1987 volume without a stated publisher, and a 1989 catalog lead. The Kerr Regional History Center confirms that it holds Kerrville directories, although it does not publish a complete online shelf list.
| Collection | Years | Where held | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. B. Page and R. L. Polk city directories | 1956; 1958, 1963, 1967-68, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983 | Kerrville Genealogical Society shelf | In person; verify the exact volume |
| Telephone directories | 1928, 1930-35 examples; 1964 shelf item | Local collections and historical report leads | On-site or archival inquiry |
| Earlier C.H. Jackson directory example | 1936-37 | Historical Commission building report | Digitized report |
| Catalog and digitized directory leads | 1989 catalog lead; collection coverage varies | FamilySearch, UNT, and TSLAC | Search by place, year, and publisher |
A missing year is not proof of a move. It may reflect a gap in the local shelf, a volume held elsewhere, a spelling change, or directory coverage that left a household out. Record the title page, year, and page number for every directory result. Those details make a later check possible.
Kerrville City Directories at History Center
The Kerr Regional History Center at 425 Water Street combines city directories with local newspapers, Tivy yearbooks, and the Kerr County Oral History Project. Published hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Center lists 830-258-1278, with a separate reference number of 830-258-1274. Staff and volunteers can help locate print and electronic material, which matters when a volume is not obvious from a catalog search.
The History Center collection page identifies local historical materials available for a household search.
Its local-history holdings let a directory entry be checked against a yearbook, newspaper item, or oral-history lead without treating any one source as final proof.
The Kerrville Genealogical Society Research Center at 125 Lehmann Drive is another in-person stop. Its reported collection exceeds 4,000 items and includes local land, probate, death, divorce, cemetery, church, and family material. It is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Treat its indexes as finding aids, then inspect the cited book or record before deciding that a name is absent.
Kerrville City Directories Online
Digital searching can uncover a title or a page before an in-person visit. The UNT Portal to Texas History city-directory collection supports county and time filtering and reports 361 items across 137 years. Search both Kerrville and Kerr County, then test the publisher and year. A result may be a directory volume, a related book, or a catalog record, so confirm the item title and scan before adding it to a household trail.
The UNT city-directory collection provides the browse and search path used for this collection image.
Use the item metadata and page image together, because a search result alone does not establish what the original volume printed.
The library's digital resources list adds FamilySearch, newspaper resources, the Kerr County Archives collection, and Ancestry Library Edition, which is available on site only. A newspaper or yearbook can supply an extra date or name form, while the directory remains the dated address layer.
The Kerrville library digital-resources page lists the local and statewide research paths behind this image.
Some sources require an on-site computer, so save the title, date, and repository before making the trip.
Reading Kerrville City Directory Entries
A historical Kerrville entry should be read in parts, not as a single claim about a person's life. Texas State Library and Archives Commission guidance says directories commonly show a name, address, telephone number, and spouse. Some add a work or occupancy notation. The local 1936-37 transcription is especially useful because it supplies a real example of parenthetical spouse information, home notation, a residence address, a business role, and a separate commercial line.
The Texas State Library city-directory guide explains the records and access limits that inform this entry reading.
Its guidance is a reminder to preserve the directory's own abbreviation key instead of assuming every historical volume uses the same marks.
| Name | Exact surname, initials, and given name as printed, including alternate spelling. |
|---|---|
| Spouse notation | A spouse may appear in parentheses, as Gertrude does with Horace Aubey in the 1936-37 transcription. |
| Address and marker | Record the whole street address and the local (h) home marker. It identifies a residence listing, not legal title. |
| Work or business line | Copy the stated role, business, or separate commercial listing exactly. |
| Telephone and abbreviations | Read the volume's key first. Common conventions can include res., wid, widr, bds, and rms. |
- Criss-cross directory
- A directory arranged by street and address rather than surname. The research did not establish a complete Kerrville reverse-directory run, so verify that a requested volume includes one.
- Householder index
- A list centered on the head of a household. It can help separate similar names, but it may omit other members.
- Abbreviation key
- The legend, often near the front of a volume, that defines the publisher's short forms. Photograph or transcribe it with the entry.
Kerrville City Directories Meet Maps
Directory years become more useful when paired with a map and a telephone listing. The Historical Commission's report on the later 241 Earl Garrett location compares Sanborn maps from 1898, 1904, 1910, and 1916, when the street appeared as Mountain Street. Later maps use Earl Garrett. Telephone listings put Wheelus Company at 233 Earl Garrett in 1928 and at 241 from 1930 through 1935. The 1936-37 directory transcription then places Horace Aubey and the Kerrville Seafood Market at 239 Earl Garrett.
The Kerr County Historical Commission archives page describes the repositories behind the building and street-history materials.
The address example shows why a changed street name or number needs a year-by-year bridge, not a quick assumption that two similar addresses are the same place.
Sanborn sheets show structure, use, materials, and street context. They do not name every private occupant. For that reason, compare the map date, directory date, telephone listing, and deed description before connecting people to one building.
Kerrville City Directory Timeline
Local record layers changed as Kerrville grew. The following checkpoints help choose the source that fits the period. The list is not a promise that every directory year exists, and it should not replace checking the actual volume.
- 1889-1912: Kerrville incorporated in 1889, added waterworks in 1894 and telephone service in 1896, then began paving in 1912. Early land and map material can be stronger than a directory.
- 1928-1937: Known telephone listings and the 1936-37 C.H. Jackson directory example create an address bridge around the Earl Garrett change.
- 1956-1983: The published KGS inventory identifies the C. B. Page and R. L. Polk holdings for selected years.
- 1987-1989: The inventory lists a 1987 volume with an unspecified publisher and a 1989 FamilySearch catalog lead. Confirm both before relying on coverage.
Note: A gap between Kerrville city directory volumes is a gap in available evidence, not proof that a household moved.
Tracing Kerrville City Directory Families
For family history, begin with one known name, address, or year, then work outward. The best match is often the closest directory year rather than a favorite publisher. Capture the spelling, initials, spouse, address, home or business marker, and telephone number as printed. When the next volume is several years away, the gap calls for a census, newspaper, or map check instead of a claim that the household stayed put.
- Locate the nearest directory volume and copy the entry with its page number.
- Check the next available local year, preserving each address and spelling variant.
- Pair the directory with the nearest released federal census, from 1900 through 1950, to compare household members, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations.
- Search both Mountain Street and Earl Garrett, along with old and new numbers, when the address trail crosses the documented street-name change.
- Close a departure with an obituary, cemetery, probate, deed, or later directory lead, then confirm the relevant record with its custodian.
Federal schedules are released under the 72-year rule, and a directory's collection date can differ from its cover year. Those timing differences matter when two sources appear to disagree by one year. A current-person question belongs in modern official records; the Kerrville resident lookup route is better for that separate task.
Gaps in Kerrville City Directories
Several limits deserve an explicit check. The 1987 publisher is not identified in the KGS inventory. The research did not locate a complete first-to-last Kerrville directory run or a confirmed reverse-directory title list. The Texas State Library print and microform collection is available in its Austin Reading Room, but staff cannot search a directory by phone or email or send scans from that collection. Older scans, fragile books, and archival material may require an in-person visit or an appointment.
When a name does not appear, test alternate spellings, initials, a business listing, nearby years, and both Kerrville and Kerr County search terms. An absence can reflect a move, a nonresident business listing, incomplete coverage, or a missing volume. It is not a clean finding by itself.