[Genealib] Researching street names?

[Trevia W Beverly]

Barbara, no shortcut that I know about and I've researched one or two
myself.

    I can't answer for all areas of the country, but there are a several
things you might try.  City and County.
Normally, when a new street is opened the developer must check with the city
and/or county to register and make sure there is not already another street
by that name.  Some are better than others with files, of course.
Does your town council secretary keep records of this nature, or perhaps you
have a city preservation officer who would have files. Of course in some
undeveloped areas, roadways to some person's home were eventually developed
with other homes and the name of the first homeowner stuck, without the need
to check with anyone.
     And check with you local historical museum and/or society (obviously
they don't since they are the ones asking you) ... vertical files.  And I'm
sure you have checked your own vertical files ... I know that here in our
Texas & Local History dept. we have a vertical file folder marked "streets"
in which there are a number of newspaper articles when streets were opened
and name.
    Was any kind of city or county directory ever published, or county
histories (sometimes I found just a mention of streets being named for
someone in some of the early, out of print histories).
    All else failing, get some reporter to do an article asking people to
contact 'whoever' regarding street names - maybe you'd like to begin a
vertical file -
    A fellow in my hometown has a website and he has begun to put this type
of information on it  - http://www.ourbaytown.com/     If there is a site
devoted to this town, check it out and if not already doing so, perhaps they
can be enlisted to begin ... and again, a newspaper article stating that it
is being done would help bring the info in.
    I hope some others will share ideas if they have done this type of
research.

Trevia Wooster Beverly
Houston, Texas


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barbara Hill" <bhill at calmail.berkeley.edu>
To: <genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 2:20 AM
Subject: [Genealib] Researching street names?


> Dear colleagues,
>
> I live in a small suburb (pop. appx. 24,000) incorporated about 1917.  The
> president of the local historical society has asked me to find out how the
> street I live on came to be named.  Knowing that my neighborhood was
> developed in the early to mid 1920s, and believing the name to be a
> surname, I've checked the 1920 census and have formed a working
hypothesis,
> and I hope to locate a living descendant of the family soon who might be
> able to verify it.  But during all this, I began to wonder, how is it that
> researchers find out how, why, or for whom a particular street was
> named?  Is there a regular process for doing this?  In other words, a
short
> cut?
>
> Thanks for any help -
>
> Barbara Hill
> <bhill at calmail.berkeley.edu>
>
>
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