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Local History Source Evaluation

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Local History Source Evaluation

A community group is preparing a display about a historic event. Read the three sources below, then decide what each can—and cannot—tell you. Use evidence from the sources in your answers.

The three sources

The following short sources are fictional examples created for this activity. They are not historical evidence about a real event. SOURCE A — Diary extract, 1870 “I watched the river rise after two days of rain. Our road to the mill was blocked, so we carried flour by boat. I have written only what I saw from our side of the river.” SOURCE B — Local history website, 2022 “The flood of 1870 damaged several riverside roads. The town council’s minutes record that the mill road was closed for four days. The website names its sources as council minutes and two newspaper reports.” SOURCE C — Social media post, 2023 “Everyone knows the 1870 flood destroyed the whole town. My great-great-grandparent said so. No documents needed—this is the real story!”

Investigate the evidence

1.Which source was written closest to the time of the 1870 flood?

Source A, the diary extract
Source B, the local history website
Source C, the social media post

2.Source A is a primary source. Give one detail that makes it a primary source and one limitation of using it on its own.

3.Which claim is supported by details in both Source A and Source B?

The mill road was affected by the flood.
The whole town was destroyed.
The flood lasted for four days.
Everyone in the town travelled by boat.

4.True or false? Source B is automatically reliable because it appeared on a website in 2022. Explain your choice using one clue from the source.

5.Source C says the whole town was destroyed, but gives no documents or specific evidence. What is the best next step for a researcher?

Repeat the claim because it sounds certain.
Check the claim against independent records, such as newspapers or council minutes.
Ignore every source about the flood.
Treat the family story as proof that the whole town was destroyed.

6.Match each source with the description that best fits it.

Source A
Source B
Source C

A later account that names records readers can check
A firsthand account with a limited viewpoint
A confident claim with no documents provided

7.The diary writer says, “I have written only what I saw from our side of the river.” What does this sentence reveal about the writer’s perspective?

8.You are writing a short museum label about the flood. Which source or sources would you use first, and what extra evidence would you seek before stating that the whole town was destroyed?