Best way to find who lived in my house?

[LarryDallas]

I live in Westbury in a house that was built in 1958. I've been here about 10 years now and keep finding the history of the house and area as time goes by. Short of hiring someone who will do this research what is the best route to go in finding out stuff about the property and owner/occupants?

I have records that only go back to about 1985 from residents that were here since the mid 70s.

If I go downtown and look in old directories how can I look up names by street address?

Assuming I find all names since 1958, these people are probably dead by now so how would one look up stuff like what they did for a living or just some history like how many kids they had etc....

I know how to do this for someone who is living and has worked or had a line of credit since the 80s but what paper records are best to access for something so far back?

A search of my attic revealed a really old doll from the 50s, some old beer bottles, and a toilet lid stampped Sept. 1962.

Oh, and I also want to find out who the builder of the house was, what model it is, how common it was, what it sold for in 1958, etc....

[OldHouseLover]

I live in Westbury in a house that was built in 1958. I've been here about 10 years now and keep finding the history of the house and area as time goes by. Short of hiring someone who will do this research what is the best route to go in finding out stuff about the property and owner/occupants?

I have records that only go back to about 1985 from residents that were here since the mid 70s.

If I go downtown and look in old directories how can I look up names by street address?

Assuming I find all names since 1958, these people are probably dead by now so how would one look up stuff like what they did for a living or just some history like how many kids they had etc....

I know how to do this for someone who is living and has worked or had a line of credit since the 80s but what paper records are best to access for something so far back?

A search of my attic revealed a really old doll from the 50s, some old beer bottles, and a toilet lid stampped Sept. 1962.

Oh, and I also want to find out who the builder of the house was, what model it is, how common it was, what it sold for in 1958, etc....

I know the Clayton Genealogy library has city directories for some years. Call the downtown library & ask the directory years they have. As you drive the area & see elderly persons, ask if they are original owners & how much a house cost new. I'm guessing in 1958, probably @ $30,000??? I know Westburg buyers were professionals, many oil company executives. House history is like family history....lots of research. A lady named Trivia Wooster Beverly has mentioned on this website @ house history: Rootsweb.com then click on GenWeb USA then click on Texas then click on Harris County. Subscribe to the Harris County list & send your message to Trivia. Good luck.

[musicman]

I believe her name is Trevia.