Research Guides: HIST 100: Children’s History and the History of Children (Fall 2024): Primary Source Databases

Tips!

Language has changed over the centuries, and it is often difficult to speak like - and think like - our 17th century ancestors.

Words like college, race, "Indian," meant different things, and concepts like gender or nationalism didn't even exist.

As an example, a search for "gender" in Colonial America only yields 2 results, and only then relating to grammar rules.
Most primary source databases will have "thematic" filters to get you started. Before keyword searching, start there. See what curated documents come up. From those documents, see what terminology is being used by contemporaries.
Begin with basic searches and do not be too complicated. DO NOT USE TOO MANY TERMS AT ONCE
Be sure to use period-specific language.
Do NOT search a bunch of terms. This will give more, not less, false its.
Pick keywords carefully -- remember that words and their meaning change over time
- Example. If you're interested in depictions of Gender, the word "gender" won't work -- it meant something else. Try masculinity or femininity. Similarly, the Civil War was not called the Civil War, the same way the "Seven Years War" wasn't called that as it was happening.
Use the database limiting tools (publication date, place of publication, etc) to limit results. Do this instead of adding more search terms.
Use boolean (and or not) to make the best searches.

Childrens Literature and Culture This link opens in a new window
Explore a stunning collection of rare books, games, ephemera, and artwork from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that reveals the socio-cultural history of these times. Coverage: 1820s to 1920s
Children's Magazine Archive, 1866-2020 This link opens in a new window
The backfiles of a variety of 20th-century serials covering many aspects of children's lives and interests. These include titles focusing on education, entertainment / literature, news, and religion / moral development. As well as shedding light on the history of childhood and family life during this period, these titles provide alternative perspectives in the study of 20th-century advertising/marketing, popular culture, education, media, and print culture.
Bray Schools in Canada, America and the Bahamas, 1645-1900 This link opens in a new window
The Associates of Dr. Bray was a group comprised of English clergymen and philanthropists who created and funded schools for Black, and to a lesser extent, Indigenous North American, children in the American Colonies between 1758 and 1776. Their aim was not only to educate, but also to Christianise their pupils.
This collection contains correspondence files, minute books, and financial reports compiled by the Associates during the period 1724-1900. It also includes some relevant documents that pre-date the organisation itself.

Scanned collections of school books for children: UMizzo, CRL, Harvard, Stanford, Ball State, and UPitt

ArtStor (JSTOR Images) This link opens in a new window
Digital images from around the world (including photography, architecture, decorative arts, graphic design, painting, and sculpture) in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. Coverage: all time periods. To download or save images create a free user account with your W&M email.

Mass Observation Online This link opens in a new window
This resource offers revolutionary access to one of the most important archives for the study of Social History in the modern era. Explore original manuscript and typescript papers created and collected by the Mass Observation organisation, as well as printed publications, photographs and interactive features.