Thank you all, including my director of studies, for help on this one. I got
myself confused when John Tosh in The Pursuit of History, broke down oral
history in to disciplines such as oral tradition and oral reminiscence,
although he clearly states oral tradition is a secondary source, he was
unclear on oral reminiscence. I understood somebody making a statement at
the time of the event is primary, but was confused about somebody making a
statement about an event 40 years later.
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Researching the family and history of Alexis Bénoist Soyer (1810-1858) and
Nicolas Soyer (1863-1937). En recharchant l'histoire familiale d'Alexis
Bénoist Soyer (1810-1858) et Nicolas Soyer (1863-1937).
Please web page: www.soyer.co.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Kate Thompson <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: Primary source.
> As an archivist, primary sources to me are original documents but I can
> appreciate than an oral recording could be a primary source. Tricky!
>
> A.E.Milton-Worssell wrote:
>
> > Dear Frank,
> >
> > Great to see you've got on the mailing list! This is not an easy one,
> > because we are dealing with 'oral history'. First, if the person
> > witnessed the event and was part of it the reportage is primary, but
> > of course you would have to take into account memory, embroidery, and
> > probably bias. In oral history terms it is always best to get the
> > event described by lots of different people - to find the things that
> > seem to be common. However, if his reporting is second - hand it has
> > to be a secondary source.
> >
> > Anne Milton-Worssell
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > *From: * From: Local-History list
> > [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]* On Behalf Of* Frank
> > Clement-Lorford
> > *Sent: * 30 January 2005 00:48
> > *To: * [log in to unmask]
> > *Subject: * Primary source.
> >
> > Is a person telling a conference about an event that happened to
> > them forty years ago a primary source or secondary, or both?
> >
> >
> > Frank Lorford
>
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> > "The happiest times of humanity are the blank pages in the book
> > of history." Leopold Von Ranke 1795-1886
> >
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