| PRIMARY SOURCES |
| Newspapers Technically, newspapers are not primary sources because articles written for the paper are usually interpretations of first-hand accounts. However, events are typically reported at approximately the time they took place, so newspapers are often the closest thing to a primary sources you have. Make sure to look beyond the articles, because you will find a whole host of valuable information in images, editorials, and advertisements that can certainly fall into primary source status. Newspapers are fascinating compilations of community life. Beginning in colonial America with the 24 April 1704 edition of the Boston News-Letter, newspapers have continued to record local, national, and world events; post daily happenings; list ports and ships with passenger arrivals and departures; provide weather information; list society notices and entertainment events; announce births, marriages, and deaths; include play-by-play sports reviews and scores; list classified ads for items and jobs; local business advertisements and sales; and often humor columns or comics. Depending on the time period you are researching the papers can be a single, two-sided broadside, a four-page tabloid, or a large, multi-section paper with inserts. Many towns had more than one newspaper at any given time, both daily and weekly editions, so ask about your local newspaper history at your library. You can often find papers for different ethnic and religious groups in larger cities. These can be invaluable resource to learn about your town’s cultural past and ethnic make-up. If possible, research several different newspapers for the same story. While it is typical to find the same information, different owners or editors might spin an event to their political or social preference. What a community deems important can also provide slightly different viewpoints on a particular topic. You Might Learn About: • Important political events • How your community reacted to a controversial event • How local businesses advertised their goods • Social events and activities of some of the people in town • Sporting news and events • A local point of view on a national topic • How many cultural groups lived in your town • The flavor of humor during a particular era • The birth, marriages, and deaths of a community • Local opinions on social concerns such as civil rights, voting rights, immigration issues, alcohol, prostitution, or violence.
Where to Find These Sources • Local and state libraries • University libraries and archive • Historical societies • See Newspaper Links for online sources For more information, check out: Analyzing a Colonial Newspaper by Barbara Clark Smith at History Matters Using Newspapers Effectively by Shelia Benedict at Board for Certification for Genealogists |
Harper's Weekly masthead.
Classified ads from 1874.
