Using the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory on HeinOnline

Are you doing historical research on a law firm? Or want to know where your ancestor's law office was located? Try searching the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory on HeinOnline.

According to HeinOnline, "The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory has long been a reliable source of information on law firms, banks, and real estate offices in every United States city for lawyers, bankers, merchants, manufacturers and others. In addition to providing addresses and contact information for law firms, the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory also contains ratings and a section on foreign lawyers and law firms. HeinOnline now includes the historical archive of this publication from its inception in 1868 to 1963."

This collection includes Martindale's American Law Directory (1868-1930), Hubbell's Legal Directory (1870-1930), and the joint Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory (1931-1963). Jenkins also has copies of the Pennsylvania volumes on microfiche (1868-1999) and the more recent editions (2000-present) in print.

The first issue of Martindale's American Law Directory (1868) has 10 pages of attorneys from Philadelphia. This volume is categorized as "Containing the names, office addresses, and places of residence of all the Lawyers and Law Firms in the United States and the Territories, designating, also, who are practicing, who have ceased practice, and who are on the bench, with a complete list of every county and shire-town."

"Lawyers in Philadelphia, PA." begins on page 202 and includes many notable lawyers and justices of the time.

Many prominent Philadelphia law firms count some of the listed attorneys as influencial figures in their firms' histories. Dechart credits George T. Bispham as a forerunner of their firm and Rawle & Henderson includes him as an alumnus. Both Pepper Hamilton and Saul Ewing consider John G. Johnson as important in the early histories of their firms. Before it was Ballard Spahr, it was Shapley & Ballard, founded by Rufus E. Shapley. And Rawle & Henderson, "the oldest law firm in continuous practice in the United States", counts many members of the Rawle Family, including William H. Rawle, as early members of its firm.

Some of the names found in Martindale went on to become justices in both the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Courts. F. Carroll Brewster spent part of his career as a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge and William B. Hanna was the President Judge of Philadelphia Orphans' Court (63 L.I. 362). D. Newlin Fell, James T. Mitchell, Edward M. Paxson, John M. Read, George Sharswood, James Thompson, and George W. Woodward all worked their way up to Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (122 Pennsylvania Manual 94).

The directory also includes names of lawyers who served in public office. This list includes former Mayor of Philadelphia Peter McCall as well as U.S. Congressman Horace Binney, Pennsylvania State Senator Eli K. Price, and William B. Reed, the U.S. Minister to China.

Jenkins also has portraits of many of these men hanging on our walls, including John C. Bullitt, Samuel Dickson, J.I. Clark Hare, William B. Mann, J. Alexander Simpson, and George M. Stroud.

The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory on HeinOnline is available to most Jenkins' members on their desktops. Those doing historical research who are not attorneys and do not work for a law firm can visit the library for $5 a day.