Primary resources are records that provide first-hand testimony or evidence of an event, action, topic, or time period. Primary resources are usually created by individuals that directly experience an event or topic, and record their experience through photographs, videos, memoirs, correspondence, oral histories, autobiographies, or official organizational records.
Varieties of Primary Sources:
- Vital Records (birth and death certificates, marriage records)
- Newspapers
- Maps
- Architectural records
- Oral histories
- Photographs
- Video and audio recordings
- religious records (e.g. baptismal, administrative, etc.)
- Government records (reports, minutes, etc.)
- Court records (civil, criminal, and probate)
- City directories
- Military service records
- Memoirs/Journals/Travelogues
- audio and video recordings
- Emails
- Websites
- and the list goes on!