Particularly interested in primary resources in 16th-18th century Britain, Europe and Colonial America. I want to create versions of these brews with primitive equipment, fashioned after those of the period i.e. Oak tuns and barrel fermentation. Other historical periods welcome, the more info the merrier. thanks y'all!
You probably want to hit up the library at http://beerhistory.com which has some of the resources you're looking for. I would caveat, however, that pre-modern brews differ substantially even from many craft beers today - without refrigeration or pasteurization they were often very seasonal products, and only lasted a short while before going bad; although the addition of hops (as a preservative as much as for flavor) and lagering (cool fermentation) could possibly help. The product is also going to be a lot more variable - conditions were a lot less sterile in Colonial days, wild yeasts and bacteria could get into the mash and wort - and cloudy, if you don't filter it.
the Dayton historical society recently built a 19th century brewery/restaurant a few years ago. http://www.carillonbrewingco.org/the-experience/the-brewing-process/ this slightly later than the time range you are looking for, but could be a good reference for types of equipment in the americas
Look up for the Albany Ale Project and the book Beers of the Hudson Valley that have a lot of well-researched resources on the topic.
Sarah Hand Meacham's Every Home a Distillery has a great overview of colonial alcohol and contains an appendix with recipes. It's a pretty straightforward read, I would highly recommend it.