I agree that "r" means resides, implying that the person or family rents the whole house. "H" indicates that the person is a home owner and should also be found in the land tax records. "Bds" or "b" means that the person boards there. In some directories, that includes all the primary owner/renter's children over age 16.
The 1916 directory of Anderson, Indiana, includes a listing for my ancestor Wm. M. O'Neill and his wife Jennie at 1203 W. 10th Street [they own the house, but instead of "h" there is no letter code]. The directory also shows as boarding (b) at that address Nora S. O'Neill [born 1897] and Herbert O'Neill [born 1899], who are unmarried children living at home. The children born after 1900 are not shown.
Donald L. Wilson, Virginiana Librarian
The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center
for Genealogy and Local History (RELIC)
Prince William Public Library System
Bull Run Regional Library
8051 Ashton Avenue, Manassas, VA 20109-2892
703-792-4540
www.pwcgov.org/library/RELIC
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Valos, Troy
Sent: Monday, February 29, 2016 10:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Definition-question
Good Morning John,
Yes... I have always took the abbreviations to mean:
"Bds" = represents "boards" or "room & boards"
"H" or "R" = represents "home address" or "resides" who in other words owned the property.
I will put in the caveat that they might have made a mistake when they put the abbreviations beside the names. The directory worker might have been confused and mislabeled the individual's residential status.
If you need to be sure, I would recommend looking at the land tax/property tax records for that year. It would tell you who owned the property at that time.
I hope this information helps.
Have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
Troy Valos
Local History and Genealogy Specialist
Sargeant Memorial Collection
Slover Memorial Library
235 East Plume Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Cullom Sr.
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2016 10:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] Definition-question
Good Morning,
I am looking at a 1901 Dallas City Directory. Every word possible is abbreviated so every entry is one line I suppose, i.e., "r" = "residence" & "bds" = "boards". (They supply a list of abbreviations used fortunately.) Question: "r" for residence is clear enough but what does bds = boards mean? "room & board" normally means a "room with meals" supplied for payment. But none of the entries with "bds" indicate an "r" for residence. In their quest for brevity did they mean for "bds" to stand for "room & board"? Thanks.
John Cullom
Westminster, MD
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