While Street Directories aren’t as sexy as a Census record, they still provide valuable intelligence regarding the places our ancestors lived. From them we can find out if the buildings still exist and possibly visit them someday to feel a connection to our ancestors. They also help to establish proof of life, in most cases.
Such is the case with James Babb, laborer and later melter. In 5 different directories spanning 13 years he lives in 5 different locations. We don’t yet know exactly where James fits into the tree, but judging from the earliest record he would have been at least 18 years old to have had a place in his name in 1870, giving us a birthdate before 1852.
A melter is unsurprisingly a professional who specializes in melting metals, often in an industrial or manufacturing setting. Melters are different than pyromaniacs, but the groups aren’t mutually exclusive. Melters still exist today and often work in foundries and may also operate machinery like forklifts and roller machines to handle materials.
The cover image is from 1870, and the others are noted in the captions below.
Today, Hamilton is a port city. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which encompasses Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is situated approximately 45 kilometers southwest of Toronto in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
That’s all there is to this one. Street view maps indicate that 3 of the 4 locations are now vacant lots with the 4th being a building that is far too new to have been there even 70 years ago.
Look! I said it wasn’t as sexy as a Census record!