The Ford Barn

tom1948 · 05-13-2024, 11:57 AM

Oh no, I'm back. Does anyone on here know how to research old car dealers? I have a dealer that I believe was a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Gulfport, Miss. named Foley-Crain. It came off a 1947 Merc coupe parts car I had, I'm just curious.

Karl Wescott · 05-13-2024, 01:04 PM

1. The local (Gulfport) library. Old phone books, old business directories.
2. The Gulfport City Hall. Old tax records (expect to pay them to research that).
3. Newspaper archives. Look for advertisements and news articles. Depending on who has them (newspaper, library, historical society) there may be a charge for research or copies and they may be searchable/viewable on-line.
4. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. Library of Congress online. May show a sketch of the lot and/or buildings.
Good luck. Post a picture of the tag you have and results of any research.

rockfla · 05-13-2024, 01:43 PM

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My Mercury book at home "might" list them as they could have been a Lincoln/Mercury dealer, it lists ALL (or the "original" Mercury dealers form the start in 1939) Dealers through like 1972 (??) I will try and look when I get home.

05-13-2024, 11:57 AM	#1
tom1948 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: west palm beach florida Posts: 182	defunct car dealers Oh no, I'm back. Does anyone on here know how to research old car dealers? I have a dealer that I believe was a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Gulfport, Miss. named Foley-Crain. It came off a 1947 Merc coupe parts car I had, I'm just curious.

05-13-2024, 01:04 PM	#2
Karl Wescott Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,298	Re: defunct car dealers 1. The local (Gulfport) library. Old phone books, old business directories. 2. The Gulfport City Hall. Old tax records (expect to pay them to research that). 3. Newspaper archives. Look for advertisements and news articles. Depending on who has them (newspaper, library, historical society) there may be a charge for research or copies and they may be searchable/viewable on-line. 4. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. Library of Congress online. May show a sketch of the lot and/or buildings. Good luck. Post a picture of the tag you have and results of any research.

05-13-2024, 01:43 PM	#3
rockfla Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Jacksonville FL Posts: 4,014	Re: defunct car dealers Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) My Mercury book at home "might" list them as they could have been a Lincoln/Mercury dealer, it lists ALL (or the "original" Mercury dealers form the start in 1939) Dealers through like 1972 (??) I will try and look when I get home.