Kelly's Directory Of Hereford 1928-1929 Census Substitute

Kelly's Directory of Hereford 1928-1929 – The Essential Inter-War Census Substitute (Digital Download or CD)

Product Description:

Step back into the late 1920s and uncover the lives of your ancestors with this high-quality reproduction of Kelly’s Directory of Hereford 1928-1929. An invaluable resource for genealogists and local historians, this directory serves as a vital "Census Substitute," bridging the critical gap between the 1921 Census and the 1939 Register. With the 1931 Census lost to history and the 1931 Census for England & Wales destroyed during the war, this directory is often the only way to pinpoint exactly where your family was living and what they did for a living during the inter-war years.

What’s Inside the Directory?

This comprehensive volume is packed with detailed information about the County of Hereford and the City of Hereford. It has been meticulously scanned from the original book and is available as a convenient digital download or on CD.

• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents, allowing you to locate heads of households, retired military officers, and prominent gentry.
• Commercial Directory: A classified trade directory covering everything from Aldermen to Wheelwrights. This is essential for understanding the local economy and finding ancestors who ran small businesses.
• Street Directory: For the City of Hereford, a street-by-street listing of heads of households, allowing you to walk down your ancestor’s road virtually.
• Official Information: Details on the County Council, Magistrates, and local officials, offering a glimpse into the civic machinery of the time.
• Towns and Villages: Separate sections for major market towns such as Ledbury, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Bromyard, and Kington, as well as smaller hamlets.

Historical Context and Interesting Facts (1928-1929)

Using this directory gives you more than just names; it places your ancestors in the vibrant context of 1920s Herefordshire.

• The Cider Industry: By 1928, Herefordshire was firmly established as the cider capital of Britain. You will find numerous cider manufacturers, cooperages, and orchardists listed. This was the era when companies like Bulmers were expanding, turning a local agricultural tradition into an industrial giant.
• The Three Choirs Festival: The directory covers the period leading up to the famous Three Choirs Festival, held in Hereford in 1929. The city would have been bustling with musicians and visitors.
• Music and Culture: While the legendary composer Edward Elgar had moved from the area by this time, his shadow loomed large over the county's musical identity. You may find local music sellers or choir masters connected to the traditions Elgar loved.
• Famous Connections: This was the home county of John Masefield (Poet Laureate), born in Ledbury. While he was living in London by 1928, his family roots and the local landscape influenced his work.
• Sport: Hereford United Football Club was formed in 1924. By 1928, the club was establishing itself, and you may find local sports outfitters or mentions of the ground in the trade sections.
• Agricultural Heritage: The directory is dominated by the "Hereford" cattle breeders, hop farmers, and agricultural engineers, reflecting a county that had not yet been overtaken by the industrialization of the midlands.

About the Format and Navigation

Please note that this product is a scan of the original historical text, consisting of high-resolution images. The text itself is not embedded or searchable in the traditional sense. However, due to the strictly alphabetical nature of the Kelly's Directory sections, navigation is intuitive and straightforward.

Furthermore, modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat or browser-based viewers) now feature advanced "OCR on the fly" capabilities. This means that if you open the file in a current PDF viewer, the software can often read the text from the images, allowing you to use the "Find" (Ctrl+F) function to locate surnames or street names with a high degree of accuracy.

Map Disclaimer Please be aware that some original directories were issued without pull-out maps, or in the case of used copies, maps may have been removed by previous owners. We have made every effort to ensure the completeness of this scan. If a map was present in the source book used for scanning, it is included here as a special bonus.