U. S. National Archives
- National Archives of the United StatesThe National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.
Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you
Census Records
The Bethlehem Public Library makes available a database called HERITAGE QUEST. This product provides a searchable database for the images of the Census Enumerator records from 1790 through 1930.This allows you to search over 25,000 family and local histories. Users must have a Bethlehem library card account. Lehigh students are eligible for public library cards.
Other PA libraries may also make this source available. Check your local library.
- Genealogy Research at BAPLOnline resources for genealogy research from the Bethlehem Area Public Library
Haithi Trust
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
A great source to use if you are looking for books published before 1924 is HathiTrust. Over a million books (also some magazines and Parliamentary Papers) free of copyright are available full-text and can be downloaded as pdfs. Plus you can search through the entire text to find the information you seek.
The Advanced Catalog Search provides options to search for specific titles, authors and keywords and to limit your search by fulltext availability (full view only) and publication date.
Hathi Trust's collection includes books published in Britain, the United States and other countries.
Primary Sources Databases
- Finding Primary Sources in the popular literature of the day: You may be able to find articles, speeches, and personal accounts that qualify as primary sources in the magazines, newspapers and popular literature of the day. Lehigh's library also makes available a significant number of online sources that provide the searchable full text of historic materials and publications. These resources are for use by the Lehigh Community only. Be sure to look at the Newspaper tab in this guide for other resources.
- American Periodicals Series This link opens in a new windowFull text of over 1,100 periodicals published between 1740 and 1900.
- African American Periodicals: 1825-1995 This link opens in a new windowFull text of more than 170 African American Periodicals published between 1825 and 1995.
- Primary Source Collections provided by A.M. Explorer This link opens in a new windowEnables cross searching of 88 primary source collections covering a wide range of humanities and social science subjects.
- Early American Imprints: 1639-1800 This link opens in a new windowProvides access to primary sources covering nearly every aspect of early American history, literature, philosophy, religion, politics and every day life. Coverage from 1639 to 1800.
- Early American Imprints: 1801-1819 This link opens in a new windowIn addition to its books, pamphlets and broadsides, this collection features many state papers and government materials, including published reports; presidential letters and messages; congressional, state and territorial resolutions. Coverage from 1801 to 1819.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowContains images of nearly every work printed in the British Isles and North America from 1470-1700, as well as works in English printed elsewhere. Includes transcriptions of about 50% of texts.
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new windowDigital access to nearly 150,000 items including books, broadsides, Bibles, tract books and sermons and printed ephemera and includes works by many well-known and lesser-known authors published between 1701 and 1800.
- Harper's Weekly: The Civil War Era 1857-1865 This link opens in a new windowProvides Harper's Weekly online for the years 1857 to 1865.
- Readers Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new windowComprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States. Reflects the history of 20th century America.
- Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new windowCollection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912, provided by the American Antiquarian Society (AAS).
- Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new windowA searchable archive of leading women’s interest magazines, dating from the 19th century through 2005. Includes Better Homes & Gardens, Cosmopolitan, Essence, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Seventeen, and more.
U.S. Government Reports as Primary Sources
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new windowThe U.S. Congressional Serial Set is an incomparably rich, and until this digitization, a largely untapped collection of primary source material detailing all aspects of American history. Lehigh's Federal Depository collection has had many of these materials in print form, however the indexing was limited and discovery was difficult and time consuming. With this online database one can easily research U.S. political, social, cultural, military and ethnic history, as well as international relations, exploration expeditions across the country and throughout the world, genealogy, commerce, industrial development and much more. Its contents come not only from the U.S. Congress, but also include key Executive Department publications and publication series. Lehigh's official subscription to this product contains the 19th and 20th Century documents beginning with Volume 1 in the first session of the 15th Congress (1817) and extending to 1980.
Archives and Manuscript Collections
- ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new windowProvides a search interface for primary source material held in archives, special collections, and manuscript collections around the world.
- National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections This link opens in a new windowAccess to records drawn from the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) and the OCLC bibliographic database that describe archival and manuscript collections in research, college, university and public and special libraries, archives, museums and historical societies in North America and worldwide.
- Lehigh Digital Libraryexplore the primary sources in our Special Collections department which have been digitized to allow easy access.
Featured Resources
- American Memory
provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music .It is a digital record of American history. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America - Making of America - Univ. of Michigana digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The collection currently contains approximately 10,000 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.
Primary Sources on the Web
Libraries, Archives, Museums and other institutions are digitizing enormous amounts of primary source materials from their collections and making them freely available on the internet. It is always useful to conduct a web search, using Google or other search tools to locate primary sources.
- American Memoryprovides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music .It is a digital record of American history. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America
- Avalon ProjectA collection of historical, diplomatic and legal texts from Yale Law School
- Documenting the American South19th century American South materials from the University of North Carolina
- Valley of the ShadowDetails life in Augusta County, Va. and Franklin County, Pa. during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Contains letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches, census records and church records.
- War Department Papers, 1784 - 1800"After a traumatic and devastating fire in 1800, many historians thought that the early files of the United States War Department were essentially lost forever. Thankfully, the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University recently completed a decade long project to locate all of these records and place them online here. The collection is a very important one, because during this time period the War Department was responsible for Indian affairs, veteran affairs, and naval affairs." Holly Hill, Archives and Archivists listserve.