With my friends, however, we ventured off the safe “touristy” path. We discovered shysters near Washington Square Park, screaming cab drivers everywhere. But, the most pronounced neighborhood was Chinatown. New York City’s Chinatown in the 1970s  was an amazing overload on our senses. Our eyes were dazzled with shops, restaurants, small streets, and the smells, both good food and bad city sanitation, weaved into our psyche a feeling unique to Chinatown. I felt as though I had instantly landed in another country. The transition only took as long as the walk from my father’s office on Fifth Avenue at Forbes Magazine, to the crowded chaotic NYC Chinatown. The experience, repeated many times as teens, had a strange alluring draw on us. 

                    Here I was, exploring the same city, but following a completely different path, depending on who guided me through it. This is how I view genealogical research. The answers are out there, whether I find them is solely based on the research path that I choose. My cousin taught me to use city directories, where available. The late 1800s through the mid-1900s are the most common years to find city directories. Organized by the last name, often including the occupation of the individual, place of employment, and current residence. Because the US Census can only help us establish the movements of our relatives every ten years, the city directories fill in crucial gaps. Career changes, family deaths, residential changes, and more, can often be traced with city directories. A widow will be listed as such, establishing the death of her husband since the last census. 

Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org are excellent places to access city directories.

When you build a timeline for your relative’s life, you will easily establish an accurate story therein. Try it out, have fun, and enjoy.