Abstract
The city directories of Norristown, Pennsylvania, were analyzed to determine their usefulness for the study of migration and occupational mobility. Tests showed that they provided a complete enumeration of the city's population and its occupational composition. Death certificates identify persons who disappeared from directory listings through death, and birth certificates and school records identify those who first appeared in the listings upon arriving at the minimum age for inclusion. Then, by the method of residues, the remainder were classified as either out-migrants or in-migrants. Thus, through corroborative use of diverse sources, American demographers have a valid substitute for the system of continuous population registers found in several European countries.
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