Since Greene County’s establishment in 1796, there has been a long history of business activity, from stock selling, general stores, boat building and mercantile business, to full-fledged industry and large companies. But how does one go about learning about these businesses of the past? Early records are sparse, and in some cases business ledgers and transaction registers survive, but most information can be found in tax and census records. Published family histories can often be the best sources of information for early business.
For later in the 19th century, there are a couple excellent resources available that can shed a lot of light on businesses that existed within our borders for a 75-year period stretching until about 1940. This information can be found in the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and the Business Directory of Caldwell’s Atlas.
Caldwell’s Atlas is the earlier resource, dating to 1876. It’s easy to find a copy of Caldwell’s Atlas; local libraries and historical organizations have them in their collection, and they are available for sale at Cornerstone Genealogical Society. However, they can also be found online in scanned resources. If you go to the website www.greeneconnections.com and click on the resources icon, then books, you’ll find a listing for Caldwell’s Atlas that will take you to online scans. The last several pages of the Atlas are organized as Business Directories for each township. Each entry shows when a business was established, who operated it, and the nature of the business, including farmers, stock raisers, carpenters, and everything else. Some descriptions go into detail, for example specifying the sorts of goods a merchant may be selling in the store.
The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are a later resource that span several decades, from the late 1880s through the 1930s. Unfortunately, depending on the year, the Sanborn Maps may only cover Waynesburg and its immediate vicinity or other larger towns in the county. However, given that they cover a period of several years, you can see the buildings the business occupied and how it’s footprint expanded over time. You can also sometimes see the types of large equipment they may have been using, if they had direct railroad access, how their buildings were constructed and other things of that nature. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are also easy to find and are also easily found via the Greene Connections website. On the website, click on the resources tab again, then follow it to maps, and there you will find a listing for Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
Businesses in Greene County are a very interesting topic to research, and while these resources are just a basic introduction to researching local businesses they are an excellent place to begin your journey.
