Based on the Wikipedia article "Primary Source". Much of this,
especially "Using Primary Sources" is of direct interest and
relevance for the genealogist, though the article was not
written with them explicitly in mind. (Where in the text you see
the word "historian", substitute "genealogist" and you will
probably see the relevance.) See also Source Value Primary
source is a term used in a number of disciplines. In
historiography, a primary source (also called original source)
is a document, recording, or other source of information, such
as a paper or a picture, that was created at the time being
studied, by an authoritative source, usually one with direct
personal knowledge of the events being described. It serves as
an original source of information about the topic. Primary
sources are distinguished from secondary sources, which often
cite, comment on, or build upon primary sources. Similar (but
not identical) definitions are used in library science, and
other areas of scholarship. A primary source could b