With these skills in mind, we walk through a list of sources that you can use for your local history research including:
We focus on sources that are available digitally.
The lesson begins by introducing two important skills that you need to think about sources:
Close reading is the skill of evaluating sources and analyzing the language and rhetoric they use:
via SHEG
These questions help you consider about whether you can trust the author’s claims or rely on the same evidence they use. Thinking about language helps you to read between the lines and explain what the implicit meaning of the source may be.
Sourcing asks students to consider who wrote a document as well as the circumstances of its creation. Who authored a given document? When? For what purpose? This poster reminds students before reading a document to ask:
via SHEG
Different resources are available to help you evaluate different types of sources. For example, many scholarly histories (a secondary source) are reviewed after publication — can you find a review of the book you are reading? Reviews might point out errors, omissions or other issues that you should consider.
If you’re starting a new local history research project, secondary sources such as books and articles about the history of Baltimore (many of which can be found through or Google Books) or reference materials (sometime known as tertiary sources) (like Wikipedia) are often a great place to begin.
Google Books covers a wide range of primary and secondary sources and you never know what you might turn up.
Sometimes another scholar or researcher has already written about your area of interested or a related area. Browse through these secondary sources to find more information or use the bibliographies to find even more.
Library of Congress HABS/HAER
Physical v. digital Limits of digital archives
Historic newspapers are another great place to start but require more experience to use most effectively. Anyone with a library card from the Enoch Pratt Free Library can access the a database of historic newspapers
Immigration, Enlistment, and other Public Records If you have a name of a resident, a property owner, or a business, you can find more information using historic directories or the range of public records, including immigration records, enlistment and veterans records, and census records, available through a commercial services like Ancestry.com.
Census County and state level census data can also provide a broader perspective on the demographics of our region. Find digitized directories, census materials in our digital sources directory.
Deed You can often find the names of prior owners and resident of your house by finding the prior deeds and tracing a chain of title. Learn more in our guide to deed research.
Maps are often helpful for identifying when buildings and landscape features are built and when they disappear. They often also include place names, names of property owners, as well as information on transportation and infrastructure.
Historic photographs can help you identify how a place has changed over time. Pictures are also a great way of getting anyone interested in learning more about local history.