LibGuides: HIS 400 (Gimber): Primary Sources Databases

Tips for Using Primary Sources Databases

We have so many great primary source databases for historical research that it can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you navigate them.

First, talk to Professor Gimber about your topic. He can give you guidance about what types of sources you could hope to find. You don't want to waste a lot of looking for sources that just don't exist. Primary source research is best started in the middle of the research process. You need to already know quite a bit about the historical context of your work to have much success.
Keep an eye on the date range of each database-- most of the ones I included don't cover the full range of the class!
Read the short description on the database page to see what sort of materials are in each database. This might eliminate a few.
Go into the ones that look promising and look for the about page within the database-- it will have a much more detailed description of what you can find.
Before you start searching, look for a search tips page within the database. We get these from a bunch of different vendors so they don't all work the same. Knowing how the search is set up in that particular database helps a lot.
Once in a database, always set the smallest date range possible, so you get fewer results that you can go through quickly.
Remember that historical sources often either didn't use people's first names or might abbreviate them. You are better off searching for last names only (unless it is something really common like Smith).
Be patient! Looking for primary sources is usually harder than searching for secondary sources, but it can be very rewarding to find a great source.

Take a look at this page where you can get a feel for the types of materials and subject areas that primary sources can cover!

Databases covering 1790-1859

America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922 This link opens in a new window Full-text newspapers chronicling American culture and daily life from all 50 U.S. States from 1690 to the recent past. Search by era (historical, Presidential, or a date range), article type, place of publication and/or keyword. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
American Periodicals Series Online 1740-1900 This link opens in a new window Full-text of historical general magazines, literary and professional journals, and children's and women's magazines. The full page images preserve original typography and graphic elements, including drawings.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collections, Series 1-5 This link opens in a new window Digitized collection of American periodicals published 1684-1912.

Chronicling America (Library of Congress) A free database of historical newspapers from the Library of congress.

America's Historical Imprints This link opens in a new window More than 150,000 early American books, pamphlets, broadsides, and rare printed material covering centuries of American history, literature, culture, and daily life. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
Sabin Americana, 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window Works about the Americas published throughout the world from 1500 to the early 1900's. Included are books, pamphlets, serials and other documents that provide original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and much more.

American State Papers, 1789-1838 This link opens in a new window
House and Senate Journals, Series I, 1789-1817 This link opens in a new window Journals of the first 14 Congresses of the United States. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
Senate Executive Journals, 1789-1980 This link opens in a new window Search full-text senate proceedings from 1789-1980. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
U.S. Congressional Serial Sets I and II, 1817-1994 This link opens in a new window Documents, journals, and reports of the Senate and House of Representatives. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
U.S. Serial Set Maps (1799-1999) This link opens in a new window Browse or search by date, locations, issuing body, personal names (such as Jeremiah Dixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Ulysses Grant), or subjects (such as Israel-Arab War (1948-1949), Bull Run, Military vehicles, etc.). Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.

Afro-Americana Imprints, 1535-1922 This link opens in a new window Primary resources on African American history, literature and culture from The Library Company's Afro-Americana Collection. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window Manuscripts, maps, atlases, photographs, and drawings and paintings that cover American Indian history, archaeology, voyages, exploration and accounts of early America, the development of cartography, Philippine, Hawaiian, Central, and South American history.
Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection, 1799-1971 This link opens in a new window This collection features newspapers from the former Balch Institute of Ethnic Studies and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Also available as part of the larger database, America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window Full-text for more than 300 United States newspapers in Spanish or English. This collection is also available as part of the larger database, America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.

Other Databases
We do have several other databases of African American newspapers. I didn't include them here because they have very minimal overlap with the time period covered by this class.

American Slavery Collection, 1820-1922 This link opens in a new window Digitized books, pamphlets, graphic materials and ephemera held by the American Antiquarian Society exploring the history of slavery and abolition. Cross-search this & other Readex historical collections with Readex AllSearch.
Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice This link opens in a new window Primary and secondary source materials on the topics of slavery, abolition and social justice from 1490-2007. Includes including an interactive map, scholarly essays, tutorials, a visual sources gallery, chronology and bibliography.
Liberator, The This link opens in a new window William Lloyd Garrison's weekly abolitionist newspaper, from 1831 - 1865.
National Anti-Slavery Standard This link opens in a new window The official weekly newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Search or browse full-text issues from 1840-1870.

Lily, The This link opens in a new window The first U.S. women's newspaper, 1849-1853.
Godey's Lady's Book This link opens in a new window Magazine specifically for American women with fashion plates, biographical sketches, articles about dance, health and hygiene, recipes, book reviews and literary works, as well as sheet music for the pianoforte from 1830-1898.

Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1815 This link opens in a new window Search or browse full text of this historical newspaper.
American County Histories to 1900 - Pennsylvania This link opens in a new window Full-text of publications from Pennsylvania counties from 1870 - 1900 that cover local history, geology, geography, weather, transportation, war veterans, government, medical & legal professions, churches & ministers, industry & manufacturing, banking & insurance, schools & teachers, noted celebrations, fire departments & associations, cemeteries, family history, health & vital statistics, roads & bridges, public officials & legislators, and many other topics.
Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue: Chester County, 1809-1870 This link opens in a new window Genealogy primary source material, primarily from the Village Record, published in West Chester.
Pennsylvania Newspaper Record This link opens in a new window Full-text transcriptions from 1819-1870 of articles, advertisements, and vital statistics, providing insight into technology, business activity, and material culture in a down-river milling and manufacturing community at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

ARTstor on JSTOR This link opens in a new window Comprehensive database of art images to view, analyze, download, or save for use in presentations. To save images you must set up a personal account with JSTOR.