Find full-text primary source records and images from thousands of genealogical collections and databases. This resource includes access to historical census, immigration, military, court, land, tax, probate, and vital records, as well as directories.
An example of the content available on Ancestry is Alden Partridge’s birth certificate:
An example of the content available on Archives Unbound is are documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Library:
An example of the content available on History Commons is a collection of 19th century African American Newspapers:
What is considered a primary source and/or "archival" material can vary greatly on the research project being performed (see Primary Source Overview). Therefore, virtually any database available to you may contain helpful materials, but here are a few that feature original materials:
Fully searchable archive of The Economist's international political, social, and economic analysis, published weekly since 1843.
Personal narratives and memoirs Political pamphlets and speeches, sermons and poems, legislative journals and popular magazines documenting the American Revolution from the earliest protests in 1765 through the peace treaty of 1783. Part of Archives Unbound.
Personal narratives and memoirs, pamphlets and political speeches, sermons and songs, regimental histories and photograph albums, legal treatises and children's books documenting the Civil War. Part of Archives Unbound.
