The Saginaw City Directories Collection contains many of the city directories from the years 1866 to 1936 pertaining to East Saginaw and Saginaw City before consolidation in 1890 and the city of Saginaw after 1890, as well as some listings for local townships. City directories were and are a common reference guide for businesses and citizens in local communities. Typically, the names of the heads of households (sometimes with spouses listed in parentheses) were provided, along with an address, occupation, and other pertinent information. City directories could also provide other helpful information, such as local histories, business advertisements, and lists of governmental agencies, local schools, benevolent societies and more.