Research Guides: HIST 490: Migration in Modern Europe: Primary Source Databases

Introduction

The primary source databases listed below are just a small number of those available at W&M Libraries, but are good starting points for research on immigration, migration and refugees during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. When searching primary sources remember to consider the language that would have been used during that time.

Worldwide Coverage

Border and Migration Studies Online
Border and Migration Studies Online is a collection that explores and provides historical background on more than thirty key worldwide border areas, including: U.S. and Mexico; the European Union; Afghanistan; Israel; Turkey; The Congo; Argentina; China; Thailand; and others.
19th Century Collections Online
Politics, society, literature, diplomacy, theater, music, high & popular culture, etc. Books, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, and statistics. Coverage: 1800-1899.
Making of the Modern World
Economic and business activity in the West, including agriculture, commerce, finance, social conditions, politics, trade, and transportation. Coverage: 1450-1945.
Center for Research Libraries (CRL)
Catalog of newspapers, journals, dissertations, archives, government publications, and other traditional and digital resources for research and teaching; special strength in publications and archives from developing nations. Coverage: Varies by title. Note: For digital collections go to "Electronic Resources" > "Digital Collections". Interlibrary loan available for non-digitized collections.

Regional Focuses

India, Raj & Empire
From the manuscript collections of the National Library of Scotland, this database includes facsimiles of diaries and journals, official and private papers, letters, sketches, paintings and original Indian documents containing histories and literary works. The collection documents the relationship between Britain and India in an empire where the Scots played a central role as traders, generals, missionaries, viceroys, governor-generals and East India Company officials. The dates of the documents range from 1710 to 1937.
African Diaspora, 1860-Present
Search African Diaspora to locate information on the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent. Focuses on communities in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France.
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees: The West's Response to Jewish Emigration
Resettlement of refugees from Europe during the Nazi era. Memoranda, records, government documents, correspondence, and other files from the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees. Coverage: 1938-1948.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries includes the immediate experiences of approximately 500 women, as revealed in over 100,000 pages of diaries and letters. The collection also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography of the sources in the database. Coverage: 1500-1950