Databases on 'Don's List'

In trying to locate collections and databases, especially for harder to locate information, it is beneficial when people make the effort to put together large collections on the Internet to share with others. This is the case with ‘Don’s List‘ who has gathered several databases of information, especially relating to the Pittsburgh, Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. However, as he states, there is so much more than just relating to this one region.

He has the national Social Security Death Index available. Here checking the death date and residence of a person is very helpful. Then there is the ‘Directories’ category. There is Pittsburgh, but also almanacs, registers, street guides and business directories for numerous other locations and different time periods. Included are directories from Canada, Great Britain, the Far East countries and Latin American nations. For example there is a great listing of scanned business-street-phone directories for the city of San Francisco, CA covering just about all the years from 1861 to 1982. A reminder that directories are not only a great source of listing and locations for businesses and people, but also most have some wonderful advertisements of business.

Another category is the yearbooks from across the country. Not every university, college or school, but many you might not be able to location are in this collection. Of course the Pittsburgh collection is very extensive.

Under the military category are topics such as the American Revolution, War of 1812, pensioners, American Civil War (with nearly every state represented in that conflict), plus World War I & II. There is a great scanned listing of the Official Army Register of Officers in 1918. To search for names or using a keyword on any of these there is a search box in the upper left section.

Don’s List is always adding new information. He has a separate tab titled: ‘New Additions’ where some of the recently added databases include more college yearbooks, marriage index for Maryland since 1951, the Federal Indian Census, more directories, and a Pennsylvania death Index for 1906 to 1961.

Some of the other categories have listings for cemeteries, civic organizations, railroad systems of the 1880s, churches, and trade unions. So there is a variety of topics and sources to examine.

Photo: 1913 San Diego Directory Advertisement.