Finley, Anthony, A New General Altas, Comprising a Complete Set of Maps, representing the Grand Divisions of the Globe, Together with the several Empires, Kingdoms and States in the World; Compiled from the Best Authorities, and corrected by the Most Recent Discoveries, Philadelphia, 1827, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We are excited to share that we have published a new database, Louisiana: Slave Manifests of Coastwise Vessels Filed at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1807-1860. This database adds 115,507 records and 114,426 names to the 10 Million Names Project.
The import of slaves to the United States was outlawed by Congress in 1807, effective, January 1, 1808. However, this law did not affect the right to buy and sell existing enslaved people or to transport them from one location to another. The law also required the captain or master of vessels in coastwise trade to provide a manifest of slave cargo to the collector of customs at the port of departure and at the port of arrival, or to the surveyor if there was no collector of customs at the port. The recorded information includes the captain or master’s name, and a description of each enslaved person on the vessel, including name, age, sex, height, name of owner or shipper, and race/color.
This collection of slave manifest documents was originally microfilmed by The National Archives and Records Administration. The microfilm rolls were then digitized and indexed by Family Search and shared with American Ancestors as part of the 10 Million Names Project.
Please note: This database is available to all American Ancestors members, including Guest Members, at no cost. Consider membership.