Kelly's Directory Of Sussex 1899

Kelly's Directory of Sussex 1899 - Digital Download or CD-ROM

Product Description:

Unlock the secrets of your Sussex ancestry with this pristine republication of Kelly's Directory of Sussex 1899. Perfectly positioned between the 1891 and 1901 censuses, this essential genealogy tool serves as the ideal "census substitute," helping you bridge the gaps in your family tree and trace relatives who may have moved or eluded the census enumerators.

Why You Need This Directory Just as we see parallels with government distrust in modern times, many of our Victorian ancestors were wary of official inquiries. Whether due to privacy concerns, fear of taxation, or general distrust of authority, a significant number of residents refused to fill in census forms. However, they still needed to be found! Kelly's Directory was a commercial necessity for trade and communication, meaning even those who dodged the census official are likely listed right here.

What’s Inside? This comprehensive volume offers a fascinating snapshot of life in Sussex at the height of the Victorian era. It is divided into easy-to-use sections:

• Sussex Topography & History: A detailed look at the county’s geology, magistrates, and administrative structure.
• Court Directory (Private Residents): An alphabetical list of private residents, making it incredibly easy to find names without scanning through hundreds of pages of street listings.
• Street Directory: Detailed listings for major towns including Brighton, Hastings, Chichester, and Eastbourne, showing who lived at which address.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: An alphabetical list of professions and businesses. Find out if your ancestor was a blacksmith in Battle, a brewer in Bognor, or a grocer in Guildford (Brighton).
• Advertisements: A delightful collection of period advertisements, offering insight into the products and services available to the Victorian consumer.

Famous Residents & Historical Context This edition captures a county booming with industry and tourism. In 1899, Sussex was the home of Rudyard Kipling, who was residing in Rottingdean (The Elms) during this period before moving to Bateman’s. You may also find listings related to the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon at the historic Goodwood estate.

Interesting Facts About Sussex in 1899:

• The Cradle of Cricket: As the home of Sussex County Cricket Club (the oldest professional county club), the directory lists many players and groundskeepers associated with the sport.
• Seaside Boom: With the railway network fully established, towns like Brighton and Worthing were at the peak of their popularity as health resorts. The directory is packed with hotels, bathing machines, and entertainers catering to the influx of tourists.
• Industry: While known for agriculture and sheep farming on the South Downs, Sussex had a thriving heavy industry, particularly in shipbuilding and engineering along the coast.

Navigating the Directory Please note that this product is a high-quality scan of the original book. The text is not embedded or searchable in the traditional sense like a modern Word document. However, due to the alphabetical nature of the directory sections, locating individuals is straightforward. Furthermore, most modern PDF readers (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Edge, or Preview) now perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) on the fly. This means you can often use the "Ctrl+F" (Find) function to search for names and places instantly!

Important Map Disclaimer Please be advised that original directories often had maps removed by previous owners before binding. We have included whatever maps were present in the source copy used for scanning. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the presence of maps. If they are included in your copy, please consider it a fantastic bonus!

Format & Availability This product is available as an instant Digital Download or can be shipped to you as a convenient CD-ROM. Compatible with PC and Mac.