Meekins Archival and Manuscript Digital Collections

This page provides several ways to access primary source materials:
Direct links to materials digitized from Meekins' own collections:

• Manuscripts
• Photographs
• Williamsburg (Massachusetts) High School Yearbooks
• Williamsburg Library Association and Meekins Library Accession Record Books
• Williamsburg (Massachusetts) Annual Reports of the Town Officers​

 
Access through freely available web resources such as:

• Library of Congress Digital Archive
• The American Memory project of the Library of Congress.
• Archive Grid
• Digital Commonwealth - Massachusetts Collections Online
• Digital Public Library of America
• Internet Archive - Did you know the Archive hosts a vast collection of resources related to Genealogy and cultural preservation for the use and enjoyment of patrons like you? 
  • Genealogy Collection: Resources include: books on surname origins, vital statistics, parish records, census records, passenger lists of vessels, and other historical and biographical documents from various libraries, cultural centers and archives. 
  • Family Genealogy Collection: A collection of almost 4000 books on the genealogy of various families, background in surnames and generational history— dating all the way back to the 1700’s
  • Yearbooks:  Peruse the various preserved yearbooks, featuring the student bodies of high schools, universities, academic institutions, and academies—giving us a modern glimpse into history and possibly cultural connection to the past. 
• Massachusetts State Library's Electronic Repository
• National Archives
  • History Hub - History Hub is the National Archives’ crowdsourced history research platform. On History Hub you can connect with National Archives staff, other agencies, and a community of citizen experts.

• Open Vault - WGBH Media Library and Archives digital library

According to the Society of American Archivists (SAA), one definition for archives is: "Materials created or received by a person, family, or organization, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in the information they contain or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order, and collective control; permanent records."
These may be Primary or Secondary sources.
Primary Sources are materials that contain firsthand accounts of events and that were created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness. These include letters, diaries, ledger books, and photographs.
Secondary Sources are works that are not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated with the subject, but instead rely on sources of information.
See the ALA Using Primary Sources on the Web guide for information on identifying and using sites.
Please credit the Meekins Library, Williamsburg, Mass., Town Clerk, Williamsburg, Mass. or the Williamsburg (Mass.) Historical Society, as noted, as the original source of the item for all use.
We welcome any additional information or questions you might have about an item in our collection. Please contact us.

You can reach the Meekins archivist and librarians with questions about Meekins collections at: meekins@cwmars.org or 413-268-7472.