How to Find Who Lived at a Kirksville Address 100 Years Ago

If you want to know who lived at a Kirksville address a century ago, start by choosing an actual year.

"About 100 years ago" can accidentally combine several different households.

Pick a target such as 1920, 1925 or 1930, then work outward from the nearest available records.

Record the address exactly

Write down:

• the modern address;
• any historical spelling;
• directional prefix;
• nearby intersections;
• lot and block information if known.

Kirksville addresses and street names have changed over time.

Do not assume the modern number existed in the same form a century ago.

Start with city directories

Truman State University's digitized Kirksville directories are one of the best local sources.

The 1906 Wallin directory, for example, includes:

• adult residents;
• street addresses;
• occupations;
• street guide;
• business directory;
• city map.

Other directory years may be organized differently.

Search both by surname and by street when the directory permits it.

Use occupation to separate people with the same name

A directory entry may list a person's occupation or employer.

That can help distinguish two people with the same surname and initials.

Cross-check occupations with census records, newspaper advertisements and obituaries.

Then check the census

Federal census records can add household information such as:

• family members;
• ages;
• relationships;
• occupation;
• birthplace;
• ownership or rental status in some years.

Street addressing varies by census year.

Do not assign an exact address from a census that only establishes a broader enumeration area.

Occupant does not mean owner

A city directory generally tells you where someone lived.

A deed tells you who legally owned the property.

Those can be different people because of:

• renting;
• boarding;
• family arrangements;
• investment property.

Never write "John Smith owned the house" merely because a directory lists John Smith at the address.

Use newspapers to confirm the identity

Once you have a likely occupant, search newspapers for that person.

Useful evidence can include:

• social columns;
• property sales;
• weddings;
• obituaries;
• fires or accidents;
• visiting relatives;
• business notices.

Newspaper context can help prove that the person in the directory is the same person appearing in other records.

Do not treat directory absence as proof

Historical directories can omit:

• children;
• some spouses;
• boarders;
• temporary residents;
• people missed during canvassing.

The address may also have changed numbers between editions.

If a person suddenly disappears, check address history before deciding the family moved.

Build a year-by-year worksheet

For each year, record:

Year	Source	Printed address	Occupant	Occupation	Owner source	Notes

That prevents people from several years being blended into one imaginary household.

For deeper address reconciliation, see How to Research a Kirksville Address When Street Names or Numbers Changed.

Historical address research is mostly controlled skepticism: every source gets to testify, but none gets to appoint itself judge.