A system and a method are provided for an online address directory that may be updated by the address owner in real time, via the Internet, the telephone, wireless web, or otherwise. The address entry may contain an address for the address owner, together with beginning and ending effective dates for the address to ensure that the address information is current for any given date. The address owner may select a level of security for the address entry, to permit open or restricted access to the address entry, and may specify those persons who may view the entry. A person seeking address information for the address owner may obtain that information by entering an identifier correlating to the address owner, the dates of interest, and if required, a key, into a query in the directory, thereby obtaining accurate address information for the date of interest.