Kelly's Directory Of Cambridgeshire 1937

Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire 1937 - Digital Download or CD-ROM

Product Description:

Step back into the late inter-war period with this complete facsimile of Kelly's Directory of Cambridgeshire 1937. This invaluable resource is a must-have for genealogists, local historians, and anyone researching house history in the region. Available as a high-quality digital download or on a convenient CD-ROM, this directory offers a detailed snapshot of life in Cambridgeshire just two years before the outbreak of WWII.

Navigating the Directory Please note that this directory is a digitized copy of the original scanned pages. While the text is not embedded (meaning it is not strictly searchable in the traditional sense), the directory was compiled alphabetically by town and by surname. This makes navigation intuitive and straightforward.

Additionally, modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat or Edge) perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly. This often allows you to use the "Find" function (Ctrl+F) to locate names, although the accuracy depends on the clarity of the original scan.

Bridging the Census Gaps For family historians, this directory is an essential tool for bridging the "Census Gap." The 1931 Census for England was destroyed by fire during WWII, and no census was taken in 1941 due to the conflict. This 1937 directory serves as a vital substitute, helping you trace ancestors between the 1921 Census and the 1939 Register.

What's Inside? This comprehensive volume is divided into several distinct sections to aid your research:

• County Information: A detailed topographical account of Cambridgeshire, including its history, geology, agriculture, and administrative statistics.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents (heads of households) across the county. This is excellent for tracing where the gentry and middle classes were living.
• Commercial Directory: A classified list of trades and professions. Whether you are looking for a baker in Wisbech, a solicitor in Ely, or a coal merchant in Cambridge, this section allows you to find your ancestors' occupations and employers.
• Street Directory: Specifically for the larger towns (notably Cambridge), this section lists inhabitants street-by-street, invaluable for tracing the history of specific houses.
• Institutions & Official Information: Listings for the County Council, Borough Councils, Magistrates, Clergy, and schools.

Cambridgeshire Life in 1937 The year 1937 was significant as the year of King George VI's coronation. The county was a mix of academic prestige and heavy agriculture.

• The University of Cambridge: The directory lists the senior members of the colleges and university staff. 1937 was a time of great intellectual ferment at the university.
• Notable Residents & Academics: While directories rarely listed "famous" people differently from other residents, this era places figures like the economist John Maynard Keynes (Fellow of King's College) and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (residing in Cambridge) within the city during this time. The poet John Betjeman was also a frequent figure in the area around this time.
• Industry & Agriculture: Outside the city, the directory reflects the county's reliance on the rich Fenland agriculture. You will find numerous listings for fruit growers, especially in the Wisbech area (famous for apples and roses), and beet sugar factories, which were a major industrial employer in towns like Ely and Wisbech.
• Sport: The directory includes secretaries and grounds for local cricket and football clubs. Cambridge United Football Club (then known as Cambridge Town) was playing at the Abbey Stadium, having moved there a few years prior.

Important Disclaimer Regarding Maps Please be aware that in the original 1937 publication, some maps were bound in specific positions. In this reproduction, some maps may be missing or slightly misaligned due to the binding process of the original source book. We have endeavored to include all available pages, but please consider this a possibility when purchasing for cartographic purposes.

Unlock the secrets of your Cambridgeshire family tree today with this fascinating historical document!