Racist City Directories: 1870–1960
Is the letter “C” behind your name in City Phone Directory?
Did you know there was once the letter C after every Colored/Black name and/or business in the phone book of eleven states: Alabama, Parts of Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D. C., and West Virginia?
Phone books also added “Mrs.” and “Miss” in front of the name to identify White women — See McAllister Helen Mrs matron in directory above. Black women were not afforded this sign of respect under any circumstances. Additionally the letter “C” was added behind Colored businesses, too. What did the “C” mean?
Colored (or coloured) is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow Era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur.
In the 1946 Augusta Directory, my step-grandfather, Clifford Bell is listed with “c” behind his name (note red line). Additionally, the phone pages reveals whether one is married, single, or widowed; where one lives and one’s place of employment. Present day Federal Bureau of Investigation…
