This document provides resources for locating historic Indiana businesses, including city directories, gazetteers, maps, and manuscripts that contain business advertisements and records. City directories list businesses by address and owner for various cities and years. Additional resources like county histories, commercial indexes, and Secretary of State reports provide information on businesses organized as corporations.

1. Historic Indiana
Business Resources
Kimberly Brown-Harden, Indiana
State Library

2. Where do I look for businesses?
• Locating an old business can be difficult.
• Depending on the type of business, there are
resources that can help you locate a local
business or a well-known business you
remember from your childhood!
• Simple questions and a little patience can help
you begin your search.

3. Who? Where? When?
• Who owned the business? What was the
name of the business? That’s the first thing
you need to know before you begin.
• Where was the business located? If you have
an address or a general location, you may be
able to find your business.
• When was it opened/closed? This helps to
begin or end your search.

4. The State Library has resources that may help
you!!
City Directories:
• Most City Directories contain a list of businesses
and industries for that particular city.
• Depending on the publisher, a business directory
immediately follows the list of
residents/occupants.
• The Directories contain basic information about
the business: address and owner at the time of
publication.
• Most directories contain ads for services and
businesses.

5. Indianapolis Business Directory, 1867

6. City Directories:
City Directory for Clinton Indiana
1912… Ad taken from the Directory..

7. City Directories, cond’t:
Columbus, Indiana: 1915-1916
Entry taken from Columbus City
Directory:

8. Gazetteers:
– 1849-1917: contain businesses and industries
from all over the State.
– Also contains brief histories for each City,
including county/city officers, courts, and
banks.
– Contains a section with business and
professions in alphabetical order-helpful if
you don’t know the particular city of the
business.

9. Other Resources…
• Indianapolis Commercial Index and Guide to First Hands…
– Contains a wealth of information on Indianapolis businesses and
industries.
– Arranged in alphabetical order by industry.
– Has advertisements for a variety of businesses.
– Some businesses have a paragraph describing their specialty
and number of employees
– Commercial index includes businesses with earnings of 50,000-
1,000,000+; not likely used for small, family-owned businesses.

10. Ads taken from the Indpls. Commercial
Index:

11. Entry from the Commercial Index:

12. County Histories:

13. Well-known Indianapolis Bank:

14. Indianapolis businesses:

15. County Histories: (Huntington County)

16. County Histories (Richmond)

17. Local business in Richmond:

18. Indiana Annual Register..
• Organized by County.
• Each entry contains information about county
government; such as county seats, auditor,
treasurer, etc.
• Principal merchants, physicians, and
attorneys.

19. Business & Professional Directory of Central
Indiana…
• Contains an index of cities listed.
• Businesses/Industries are listed in alphabetical
order in the city they’re located.
• Offers a brief description of each major city
included in the directory.

20. Secretary of State Reports…
• Contain articles of incorporations and
dissolutions.
• Helpful in searching larger, well-known
organizations and railroads.
• Later businesses/organizations can be
searched on their website:
https://secure.in.gov/sos/online_corps/name
_search.aspx.

21. Example of a current business search in the Secretary of
State’s website.
Contains information about the company, the owners, and when the
company was created and or dissolved.

22. Maps
• Can provide detailed locations of businesses
throughout the State.
• Some maps have rendered drawings of
business structures; others have descriptive
drawings of business and industries.
• Not available for all years or cities.

24. Pictorial Map of Industries in Indiana:

25. Sanborn Map, Huntingburg, IN:

26. Manuscripts and Rare Books:
• Collections contain advertisements from
well-known to family businesses.
• Businesses can be found in a variety of
subjects/collections (personal papers,
buildings, etc)
• Has unique and rare advertisements-ranging
from puzzles to Christmas cards.
• Has business records for some businesses.

27. Manuscripts Collections..
Advertisement for Best-Grand
Laundry; doubled as a Christmas card.
Date unknown…

28. Advertisements on jigsaw puzzles:

29. Advertisements of all
kinds:
This was included in a jigsaw puzzle for
a local builder.
A very entertaining and clever way to
advertise.
Company nor date mentioned.

30. Jigsaw puzzle for local builder:

31. Advertisement for a local drug store

32. Fun advertisement:
Front… Back…

33. Hoosier Cabinet Company…

34. Local Dentist:

35. Advertisement for local company:

36. Ad for W.H. Messenger:

37. Local furniture store
Front Back:

38. ISL Subject Guide: