Primary Source Objects
Shards of Spanish Majolica Ceramic located in the Victoria Regional History Center
Finding Primary Sources
Primary sources are found in a variety of places but you have to know where to search for them. Because primary sources can be both published and not published, they can be tricky to find.
Often materials that are not published can be rare items that don't have many copies; things like diaries and letters. However, sometimes you can find primary sources that are published, like collections of letters or a person's diary published after the fact.
When searching for primary materials online, ask yourself: Who would care to maintain, display, and provide access to this material?
Some common answers to this question are:
- Museums
- Historical societies
- National Parks/Historical Sites
- Universities
Places to Look
The UHV Library owns a variety of primary sources. You can search the catalog and include words like "diary," "manuscript," or "correspondence" in your search.
There is a filter in Onesearch that will limit your results to primary sources available in databases. While helpful in limiting your results relevance, primary sources are often found outside databases so utilize the sources below for more complete information.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsThe Library of Congress has an extensive online collection of primary source material. Their online collection includes prints, photographs, historic newspapers, maps, sound recordings, oral histories, diaries, letters, family papers of prominent Americans, manuscripts, and more.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThe DPLA offers a single point of access to millions of items—photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more—from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Users can browse and search the DPLA’s collections by timeline, map, format, and topic; save items to customized lists; and share their lists with others. Users can also explore digital exhibitions curated by the DPLA’s content partners and staff.
- Archives and Special CollectionsMakes available to students, faculty and the public archival records of enduring value that document the histories of the institutions on the Victoria College/ University of Houston-Victoria campus as well as those records that preserve the social, political, economic, and cultural history of Texas, particularly the region of Texas that includes Victoria and surrounding counties.
Databases
- Fold3 Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Distributed by ProQuest, Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. This continually-growing collection contains millions of records from world-class archives. Proquest
- American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collections This link opens in a new windowDocuments the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, providing digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
- Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture and Law This link opens in a new window
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery. Hein
Note: Remote access is restricted to UHV users. - Hein Online This link opens in a new windowHeinOnline is a premier online database containing more than 155 million pages and 200,000 titles of legal history and government documents in a fully searchable, image-based format. HeinOnline bridges the gap in historical research by providing comprehensive coverage from inception of more than 2,500 law-related periodicals. In addition to its vast collection of law journals, HeinOnline contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more.
- Catalog of U.S. Government Publications This link opens in a new window
Covers all types of U.S. government documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments (Defense, State, Labor, Office of the President, etc.). Provides direct links to the full text when available. U.S. Government Printing Office
- Digital Sanborn Maps This link opens in a new window
Produced for over a century, more than 660,000 Sanborn maps chart the growth and development of more than 12,000 American towns and cities. Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town, drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property. The maps list street blocks and building numbers including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers. Proquest
- Google Patents This link opens in a new windowSearch and read the full text of patents from around the world. Google
- Play Index This link opens in a new window
Index to over 31,000 classic and historical plays dating from 1949, including one-act plays, pageants, plays in verse, radio and television plays, classic drama and monologues from famous playwrights. EBSCO/H.W. Wilson
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on more than 600 industries. In addition to tables and charts, Statista also provides infographics and studies on selected industries and topics. Statista
Note: Remote access is restricted to UHV users.
Newspapers
- El Paso Herald/El Paso Times, 1881-present This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Proquest
- New York Times This link opens in a new window****REQUIRES INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION. Registration must be renewed every 12 months****
The New York Times is a daily newspaper published continuously since 1851 in New York City, and owned by the New York Times Company. It publishes "All the news that's fit to print." New York Times - New York Times Historical (1851-4 years ago) This link opens in a new windowThis historical database of the New York Times provides the full image of articles published in the NYT from its first issue in 1851. It is searchable by keyword, author, article title, and first paragraph. It includes illustrations and advertisements. Proquest
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
Access to 500 newspaper titles from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life, among other subjects. Gale
- Victoria Advocate This link opens in a new window
Digitized version of the Victoria Advocate newspaper. The Victoria Advocate has been in publication since 1848 and covers local events of Victoria and the surrounding counties. This database is currently only available to on-campus users. Other users can contact askalibrarian@uhv.edu for assistance.
Digital version covers 1848-current (1 year delay) and provides keyword search function.
Microfilm version is housed in the NW Campus storage facility and covers 1848-current (1 year delay).