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Primary Sources

Guide to finding sources for research in historical primary sources such as newspapers, archives, historic photographs, oral histories, and other sources.

Genealogical & Census Records

Genealogical records are one of the most powerful tools historians have for research. They are especially useful for American history topics between the 1800s-1940s. You can use them to research genealogical details of specific people; learn about who was living in a particular community, what property they owned and how they made a living; or you can use aggregated census data to find demographical statistics. 

U.S. Genealogical Records, 1700s-1940 (includes Federal, State, and Tribal Census Records)
  • Ancestry.com (paid database)
    How to get access for free if you are a Pacific U. student or area resident:
    1. Get a Multnomah County Library (MCL) card number online. This is free for residents/students in Portland metro area; use your campus address.
    2. Sign into your MCL account; go to their Research Tools page and select Ancestry Library Edition
    Ancestry provides excellent search functionality for all the federal census records through 1940 (except 1890 because the original records were destroyed). It also gives very good access to state and tribal census records. An enormous quantity of other biographical/genealogical records are also included in their database, such as birth/death/marriage records, phone book and business directories, immigration records, and more. For an added fee, you can access similar sources from Europe and Canada. The 1880 & 1940 censuses are provided free.
    Tips for searching Ancestry: 
  • FamilySearch
    ​    This is a free genealogical research database maintained by the LDS Church. It has excellent data, but the search functions do not work as well as Ancestry.com. 
  • Find-A-Grave
    This very useful free database indexes (and often also includes photographs of) a large percentage of the graveyards in the United States. Often includes birth/death dates and the names of immediate family, plus obituaries when they are available. 
Current U.S. Census Data
  • Census.gov
    This free site maintained by the federal government allows you to find aggregated data about current populations in the United States. You can find out data on the national, state, county, or census tract level about all sort of topics: population count, socio-economic status, race, etc. You cannot find information about individual people due to privacy laws. 
Non-U.S. and Other Genealogical Sources

Published Autobiographies, Memoirs and Biographies

To find autobiographies, memoirs or biographies, it helps immensely if you already know the name of the person. ​If all you have is an historical topic, there are still techniques you can use, however. 

Plan A: Searching for Biographies (etc.) of a Known Person

  1. Go to WorldCat Advanced Search: this is an international catalog that includes records of nearly all books ever published
  2. In the "Subject" field, enter the person's name, then search.*
    This will often succeed in finding any/all published biographies, autobiographies, etc. on that person. 
    *To find AUTO-biographies specifically: In addition to the "Subject" field, also search for their name in the "Author" field
  3. If this does not work, some alternative methods are: 
    • Search by Keyword = Name, Subject = Biography
    • Search by Keyword = Name, Subject = Personal Narratives
    • If nothing is working, try the techniques under "Plan B" below. 
  4. Once you find a book title, you need to get access to the text: 
    • If the original text might have been published pre-1923, search for the book title in HathiTrust Advanced Catalog Search and/or Google Books.
    • If it is not available digitally, search for it in the Pacific University Libraries' Boxer Search. You may need to request the physical book through Summit or Interlibrary Loan; see more directions here. 
       

Plan B: Searching for Biographies (etc.) of a Known Person who does not have much written about them

Note: These techniques work best when researching people who lived between about 1800-1940. It is particularly effective for researching people who worked for, or had other bureaucratic contact with the U.S. Government. It works less well when researching women, as their names often did not appear in print. For research on women, you may need to look for the names of their husbands/fathers/etc. 

  1. Go to HathiTrust Advanced Full-Text Search
    This will search within the full text of books and magazines published before 1923, with some results from later books. 
  2. Search for: 
    • Full Text + This exact phrase + Person's Name in the form and order it usually appears, e.g.: C.E.S. Wood
    • If the name is common/generic, e.g. "John Smith," add a keyword search for a term that is likely to appear near this person's name, for example: Forest Grove, or Oregon, or Army, or Indian (etc.)
  3. Optionally, you can repeat the search in Google Books .
    This is a bigger database with more books, but the indexing/searching can be inconsistent compared to HathiTrust.
  4. Still not finding anything? You may need to expand your search to looking within Archives, Newspapers/Magazines, or Census Records


Plan C: Searching for Biographies (etc.) when you only have a topic, and no specific personal names

  1. Go to WorldCat Advanced Search: this is an international catalog that includes records of nearly all books ever published
  2. Fill out these search fields: 
    • In "Keyword," enter a word related to your topic, e.g.: Yakima, Civil War, Forest Grove, etc. 
    • In the "Subject" field, enter one of the following terms: Biography / Personal Narratives 
  3. Follow the directions under "Plan A" to get access to the actual book text. 
  4. If none of these techniques work, you may need to dig deeper into your topic in order to find specific names to research.