A primary source is a first-hand record of an event or topic created by a participant in or a witness to that event or topic. Primary sources can be a document, letter, eye-witness account, diary, article, book, recording, statistical data, manuscript, or art object. Primary sources vary by discipline and provide an original source of information about an era or event. Although primary sources can include first-hand accounts that were documented later, such as memoirs or oral histories, primary sources created or written closest to the time of the actual event are considered to be the most useful sources for research purposes (Library of Congress, 2020, FAQ, para. 2)
Eighteenth Century Collections Online provides access to facsimile page images and full text of works published in the British Isles (plus some from North America) during the 18th century. The collection includes books, pamphlets, and broadsides. Users can search within texts keyword and download them as PDFs.
Readex AllSearch allows users to cross search primary sources: books, pamphlets, newspapers, government documents, and more.
The Slavery in Jamaica collection contains records detailing the Goulburn family’s ownership of Amity Hall plantation and associated properties in Jamaica during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the papers concern the properties when they were administered by Conservative MP Henry Goulburn between 1805 and 1856.