Valuable Research Aid - 137 Years of New York City Directories
Just came across this while researching an obscure cutlery firm.
The New York Public Library has digitized 137 years worth of city directories, spanning from 1786 to 1923. Here's the link. Some of the scans don't have great focus and can be a bit hard to read, but they're a heck of a lot better than nothing if you're looking for info on old firms located in and around New York City.
My experience browsing through the directories has been that the "Commercial Register" section -- which is where I looked first -- is mostly useless, consisting almost entirely of paid ads. You'll have better luck going alphabetically through the first part of the directories.
