Appalachian Studies (Hamilton): Primary Sources

Definition of Primary Source

Primary Sources are the raw data directly associated with their producer or user and the time period in which they were created. Examples include:

• Public Records -- government documents, , court records, wills, tax records
• Offfical Records -- for the operation of governments, such as laws and legislation
• Personal Documents -- diaries, letters, email, correspondence, oral histories, household managment records
• Artifacts and Relics --the material culture of life; furniture, tools, machines, clothing
• Organizational Records -- all organizations keep some form of financial documents and minutes, among other records; businesses, charities, civic clubs
• Images -- photographs, posters, paintings, engravings, icons,
• Architecture, City Plans, and Maps -- how neighborhoods change, cities develop, landscape changes
• Media -- television news, newspapers, broadsides
• Literary Texts -- text of a novel, essay, poem, play, short story, religious work