Civilian Records relating to Slavery
The records referenced in these pages highlight some of the records pertaining to slavery that are available at the National Archives. Information and records are arranged by government branch and record group. Series, folders, and items are identified with brief descriptions. This page may provide actual documents that have been digitized and are in the National Archives Catalog. Some of the records are microfilmed, and have been noted.
For more information, see Walter B. Hill Jr.'s Prologue article on this topic, and the handout - Federal Records that Help Identify Former Enslaved People and Slave Holders
Return to American Slavery Main Page
Civil Records
- RG 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census
- RG 36: Records of the United States Customs Service, 1745 - 1982
- RG 48: Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior
- RG 55: Records of the Government of the Virgin Islands
- RG 59: General Records of the Department of State
- RG 60: General Records of the Department of Justice
- RG 69: Records of the Work Projects Administration
- RG 76: Records of Boundary and Claims Commissions and Arbitration
- RG 206: Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury
- RG 217: Records of the United States General Accounting
- RG 287: Publications of the U.S. Government, 1790-1979
- RG 366: Records of Civil War Special Agencies of the Treasury Department
RG 29 Records of the Bureau of the Census
Item: Return of the Whole Number of Persons within the Several Districts of the United States, According to “An Act Providing for the Enumeration of the Inhabitants of the United States;” Passed March the First, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-One.” Philadelphia Printed: London Reprinted, and Sold by J. Phillips, George-Yard, Lombard-Street, 1793
A volume of state and county population statistics as determined during the first census of the United States taken in 1790-1791, for Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and the Territory South of the River Ohio.
Publications of Population Schedules (US Census) during the time of Slavery
Links will take you to the National Archives Catalog description. Some Census records are available in the catalog, others may be offered through Partner Websites.
| Title | Microfilm Publication | Description |
| First Census of the United States (1790) | M637 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Second Census of the United States (1800) | M32 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Third Census of the United States (1810) | M252 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Fourth Census of the United States (1820) | M33 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Fifth Census of the United States (1830) | M19 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Sixth Census of the United States (1840) | M704 | Lists free Black Americans by name of head of household. All other members are tallied statistically but unnamed. Enslaved people are listed statistically by the enslaver. |
| Seventh Census of the United States (1850) | M432 | Divided into free schedules and slave schedules. Free schedules name all members of the household. Slave schedules lists enslaved people by enslaver, giving sex and age, occasionally naming the enslaved. |
| Eighth Census of the United States (1860) | M653 | Divided into free schedules and slave schedules. Free schedules name all members of the household. Slave schedules lists enslaved people by enslaver, giving sex and age, occasionally naming the enslaved. |
| Ninth Census of the United States (1870) | M593 | Gives names of all members of the household. |
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RG 36 Records of the United States Customs Service, 1745 - 1982
Congress created the Customs Service on July 31, 1789 and made it a part of the Department of Treasury (September 1789). The service assisted other agencies in the enforcement of the slave trading laws that were passed between 1794 to 1820. In particular, the 1807 law prohibited the transportation of enslaved people after 1808, and section 9 required that all vessels of 40 tons or more carrying enslaved persons in the coastwise trade file duplicate manifests (ports of origin and destination) showing name, age and description of each person, the name and residence of exporter and consignee, and pledge that the enslaved person had not been imported after 1807.
Slave Manifests are manifests (a document listing the cargo, passengers, or crew of a ship) filed with the collector of customs at various ports, of enslaved people transported in coastwise trade during the period 1807-1860. Manifests can be "inward" for vessels arriving to a port, and "outward" for vessels departing a port. Records are usually arranged by type of manifest, and then chronologically.
Port: Annapolis, Maryland
Series: Slave Manifests for the Port of Annapolis, January 15, 1822
An inward coastwise manifest for the sloop Charles of Wareham, Joshua Gibbs, master, recording the importation, into the Port of Annapolis, on January 15, 1822, of an enslaved person named Ephraim. The document also contains the outward coastwise manifest for the Charles, also dated January 15, 1822, indicating that Ephraim was exported to the individual he was consigned to in Charleston.
National Archives at Philadelphia
Port: Baltimore, Maryland
Item: Slave Manifest for Sloop Nancy and Sally
An inward coastwise manifest for the sloop Sally and Nancy, J. Vickens master, recording the importation, into the Port of Baltimore, on June 27, 1817. This document lists the names of the enslaved persons on board, names of the holder of the enslaved persons, and the enslaved person's place of residence.
Slave Manifest for the Sloop Nancy and Sally
Port: Beaufort, South Carolina
Series: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1826-1830; NAID 2767350
Consists of outward slave manifests submitted to the Collector of Customs at the Port of Beaufort, South Carolina by vessels engaged in coastwise travel. Most slave manifests in this series are recorded on standard forms and include the name of the ship and its master, port of departure, port of destination, and a list of the enslaved people on board. For each enslaved person, the manifests provide first name, sex, age, stature, name of shipper or owner, and shipper or enslaver's place of residence. National Archives at Atlanta
Finding Aid: Slave Manifests (by name of the enslaved); Slave Manifests (by name of enslaver)
Port: Charleston, South Carolina
Series: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1820-1858; NAID 2767346
Consists of inward vessel manifests submitted to the Collector of Customs at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina by vessels engaged in coastwise travel. For each enslaved person, the manifests provide first name, sex, age, stature, name of shipper or enslaver, and shipper or enslaver's place of residence. National Archives at Atlanta
Finding Aid: Slave Manifests (by name of the enslaved); Slave Manifests (by name of enslaver)
Port: Mobile, Alabama
Series: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1820-1860; NAID 2554808
Consists of inward and outward slave manifests submitted to the Collector of Customs at the Port of Mobile, Alabama by vessels engaged in coastwise travel. Most manifests in this series are recorded on standard forms and include the name of the ship and its master, port of departure, port of destination, and a list of the enslaved people on board. For each enslaved person, the manifests provide first name, sex, age, stature, name of shipper or enslaver, and shipper or enslaver's place of residence.
Finding Aids: Inward Manifests (by name of enslaver), Inward Manifests (by name of the enslaved); Outward Manifests (by name of the enslaved), Outward Manifests (by name of enslaver)
Port: New Orleans, Louisiana
Series: Slave Manifests, 1817-1861; NAID 5573655
Includes records of “negroes, mulattoes, and people of color” who were transported by ships “for the purpose of being sold or disposed of as slaves.” The manifests are generally printed forms that were submitted by the master of the vessel to the collector of customs. The information given for each ship includes the name, tonnage, rig, name of the master, and port of destination. The information about each person generally includes name (usually just a single name), sex, age, height, and the owner's or shipper's name and place of residence. Each manifest indicates the “class” of each person with notations Black, Mulatto, or Yellow. National Archives at Fort Worth
Port: Newport, Rhode Island
Series: Manifests, 1790-1880; NAID 4492378
Consists of the following subseries: Outward Foreign Manifests, 1790, 1880, and Manifests (all types), 1790-1880. There is only one manifest for each vessel. Manifests are subdivided into coastwise and foreign manifests, and further subdivided by inward and outward manifests. Most of the manifests include shippers' declarations, invoices of merchandise, consular certifications of merchandise laden at foreign ports and clearances from there, permits to land, and reports of inspectors and weighers. Outward foreign manifests are certified lists of the cargos of vessels engaged in foreign trade. They include the name and rig of the vessel and name of master; name of port of embarkation; description of merchandise exported, with shipper's markings; name of consignee and name of consignor; and date of clearance. National Archives at Boston
Port: New York City, New York
Series: Vessel Manifests of Enslaved Persons Transported Through the Port of New York, June 1822–August 1852
Consists of inward manifests of vessels arriving with enslaved persons at the port of New York, New York, as well as four outward manifests of enslaved persons on vessels departing from New York for southern ports. Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, were the primary ports of departure and arrival.
Port: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Series: Slave Manifests for the Port of Philadelphia, August 1800–April 1860; NAID 875814
Consists of documents which contain information about enslaved persons on board ships arriving or departing from the port of Philadelphia. Ports of destination include Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, and Pensacola, Florida. Records before 1820 do not list people's names or other personal information. From 1820-1860, manifests contain the name of the ship, enslaver's name, port of departure, port of destination, and a list of the enslaved on board. The manifests give their names, sex, age, stature, class, name of their shipper or enslaver, and their place of residence. National Archives at Philadelphia
Port: Savannah, Georgia
Series: Coastwise Slave Manifests, 1801-1860; NAID 1151775
Consists of inward and outward slave manifests submitted to the Collector of Customs at the Port of Savannah, Georgia by vessels engaged in coastwise travel. Most manifests in this series are recorded on standard forms and include the name of the ship and its master, port of departure, port of destination, and a list of the enslaved people on board. For each enslaved person, the manifests provide first name, sex, age, stature, name of shipper or enslaver, and shipper or enslaver's place of residence. The few documents in this series dating before 1808 list the number of enslaved people transported but do not provide names or other personal information. National Archives at Atlanta
Finding Aids: Foreign Voyages (by name of the enslaved), Foreign Voyages (by name of enslaver)
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RG 48 Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Records below are available at the National Archives at College Park.
Series: Records Relating to the Suppression of the African Slave Trade and the Colonization of Enslaved and Freed Black People, 1858-1872; NAID 963320, M160
Several laws were passed in the 19th century for the suppression of the African slave trade and for support of the colonization of recaptured and freed Black people. In 1861, the Interior Department assumed responsibility of administering the anti-slave trade laws and those providing for the colonization of recaptured and freed Black people in Liberia and other countries. The series includes letters sent relating to captured vessels illegally trading in enslaved persons; colonization attempts at Ile a Vache, Haiti, Danish West Indies, British Honduras, and Liberia; communications from Presidents, and Executive agencies; Congressional resolutions and correspondence; and correspondence from the American Colonization Society.
Series: Letters Received and Other Records, 1854-1872, NAID 821350, M160
Consists of communications relating to the colonization project at Ile a Vache, Haiti. This project was a failed attempt, led by Bernard Kock, to establish a colony of freed Black people on the Haitian island in order to grow cotton.
Series: Letters Sent Relating to Suppression of the African Slave Trade and the Colonization of Enslaved and Freed Black People, 1858–1872, NAID 963447, M160
Consists of handwritten copies of letters relating to the apprehension and prosecution of enslavers, return of persons taken from slave ships to Africa, Mixed Courts of Justice, colonization of free Black persons, legislation and appropriations, accounts, and other subjects.
Series: Final Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1914, NAID 608958, T529
Gives information about people who were tribal citizens by birth and marriage as well as freedpeople who were formerly enslaved by one of the Five Civilized Tribes, freed after the Civil War, and admitted to tribal citizenship. Arranged by tribe, thereunder by citizens by blood, marriage, and freedpeople.
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RG 55, Records of the Government of the Virgin Islands
These records were established in the Department of the Navy, effective upon the formal transfer of sovereignty over the Danish West Indies from Denmark to the United States, March 28, 1917, under authority of an act of March 3, 1917 (39 Stat. 1132). The United States purchased the islands from Denmark by treaty signed August 14, 1916, ratified by the Senate, September 7, 1916. The islands had originally been administered by the Danish West India and Guinea Company, 1672-1754, succeeded by the Danish Crown, 1754-1917, except for periods of British occupation in 1801 and 1807-1815. Records are located at the National Archives at College Park.
Records Relating Directly to Slavery and Emancipation
Series: Reports Received from the Governor's Committee Appointed to Sound Out the Planters Concerning the Ceding of a Free Day Off to the Laborers, 1840 NAID 619259
Series: Papers Concerning the Plan for the Organization of the Free Blacks, 1830–1831 NAID 619559
Series: Letters Received from the Planters Concerning Gradual Emancipation, 1840 NAID 619560
Series: General Correspondence and Related Records, 1754–1941 NAID 620186
- Census of the Enslaved and Free Inhabitants (fragments), 1835 NAID 311875087
- Contract of John M. Lytton to take Black People to Tortola, 1788 NAID 311874800
- Correspondence Concerning Laborers, 1884 NAID 311875393
- Emancipation Records, 1820-1826 NAID 311874805
- Free Men of Color in Christiansted Jurisdiction, 1815 NAID 311874814
- Governor's Proclamation Concerning the St. Croix Riots, 1878 NAID 311875925
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Ledger Book for Customs Duties, Trade and Accounts, St. Croix, 1777-81, as well as Census of Whites, Free Blacks and Enslaved People, 1755-81 NAID 311874809
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List of Enslaved People on St. Johns Plantations, 1843 NAID 311874812
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List of Enslaved People on St. Thomas Plantations, 1843 NAID 311874810
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Matters involving Enslaved People, 1840 NAID 311874801
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Name of Plantation and Number of Black People, 1841 NAID 311874797
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Plantation 'Parasol' and an Inventory of its Property and Enslaved People, 1842 NAID 311874818
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Probated Estate of Carolina Colbionsen and Plantation Diamond, including a List of Enslaved People, 1823-1827 NAID 311874823
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Records concerning the Compensation of Enslavers, 1853 NAID 311874836
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Records concerning Enslaved People, 1840-1841 NAID 311874799
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Records concerning the Migration of Plantation Workers, 1852 NAID 311875853
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Records of Plantation "Envy" including a Census of Enslaved People, 1831-1832 NAID 311874824
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Records Concerning Plantation 'Work and Rest,' 1849-1859 NAID 311875380
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Records Concerning Slavery and Emancipation, 1815-1858 NAID 311874806
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Records relating to Enslaved People, St. Croix, 1762-1785 NAID 311874802
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Report concerning Sick Royal Black People, 1842 NAID 311874815
Series: Freedom Charters, 1815-1830 NAID 624724
Series: Register of Free Black Men:
- Christiansteds NAID 625283, St. Thomas NAID 625463; Frederiksteds NAID 625296
Series: Register of Free Black Women:
- Christiansteds NAID 625284; Frederiksteds NAID 625305; St. Thomas NAID 625478
Series: Register of Free Black Children:
Series: Register of Free Black Men, Women, and Children in St. John NAID 625502
Series: Proceedings of the Commission to Investigate the Riots of 1848 NAID 626246
Series: Lists of Names of Enslavers and Freedpeople on St. Croix, 1848-1862 NAID 626284
Series: Register of Black Communicants, 1819-1835 NAID 40429323
Series: Lists of Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials of Black Inhabitants, 1820–1841 NAID 40429324
Series: Record Concerning the Courts Martial Following the Revolt of 1848 NAID 40429077
Series: Annual Reports Concerning the Increase or Decrease in the Number of Royal Black People, 1765–1785 NAID 74617653
Series: Letters and Documents Concerning Loans for Purchasing Enslaved People, 1803–1807 NAID 74617609
Series: General Ledger for Loans for Enslaved People, 1793-1804 NAID 74617611
Series: Ledger of Current Accounts of Loans regarding Enslaved People, 1794-1805 NAID 74617612
Series: Journal of Slave Loans, 1793-1804 NAID 74617613
RG 59, General Records of the Department of State
Records within the Department of State relating to slavery and the international slave trade can largely be found in the Central Files. For more information, see State Department Central Files, 1783-1906. Records of the Department of State are available at the National Archives at College Park.
Records in the Central Files relating to American slavery and the international slave trade
| Series/File Unit | Description | Catalog/Microfilm |
| Territorial Papers for Kansas, 1854-1861 | Records relating to the conflict between pro and antislavery factions in the Territory, covering the time period known as Bleeding Kansas. Includes correspondence with the military regarding troop deployment to subdue violence, letters reporting destruction from the guerilla warfare. | NAID 218518469, M218 |
| Territorial Papers for Orleans, 1764-1823 | Records relating to the importation of enslaved people, freedom seekers (fugitive slaves) seeking refuge in Texas, etc. | T260 |
| Letters from Congressional Cmtes, 1830-1861 | Letters usually requesting information from Congress. Includes censuses of enslaved persons. | NAID 1079643 |
| Proclamations to President Lincoln by Antislavery Societies, 1862-1864 | Includes three proclamations that were enclosures to despatches from the U.S. Minister at London. | NAID 1079681 |
| Address to President Johnson by the British and Foreign Antislavery Society, 1865 | Includes an enclosure to a despatch from the U.S. Minister at London, dated September 19, 1865. | NAID 1079687 |
|
Petitions for the Recognition of Liberia, 1849–1850 |
Consists of petitions of private citizens of eight Northern and four Southern states and the District of Columbia calling for the recognition of Liberia. | NAID 1079679 |
Index to United States Documents Relating to Foreign Affairs 1828-1861
The following entries are from the Index to United States Documents relating to Foreign Affairs, compiled from documents from the Department of State and other parts of the government.
The three volumes of the index are published online. Consult the full text to see the context of the index entries and where the documents may be found.
Entries can include despatch numbers when applicable, dates of documents, a short description, and citation.
Letter from Frederick Douglass to Secretary of State James G. Blain,
June 25, 1889
NAID 119652164
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RG 60 General Records of the Department of Justice
Records are available at the National Archives at College Park.
Series: Supreme Court Case Papers, 1809-1870 NAID 4971833
Consists of papers relating to cases before the Supreme Court in which the United States was a party or had an interest. Includes transcripts of record of cases in the lower courts, briefs, memoranda, opinions, and other papers. Relevant folders are listed below:
|
U.S. v. Africans of the Antelope |
Bill of Complaint of Lewis Cruger, In Chancery |
The Brig Mary Anne v. U.S, 1818 |
|
U.S. v. Brig Mary Ann |
U.S. v. the cargo of the Brig Diana, 1814 |
U.S. v. Mulvey (Africans of the Ramirez), 1825 |
|
U.S. v. Brig Emily, February, 1824 |
U.S. v. Schooner Fenix, September 1831 |
U.S. v. brig Nancy |
|
U.S. v. Brig Caroline, February, 1824 |
U.S. v. Ship Gavoune, 1836 |
U.S. v. The Panther, 1845 |
|
U.S. v. Schooner Catherine, December, 1839 |
U.S. v. John Gooding, 1826 |
U.S. v. Schooner St. Jago de Cuba, 1820 |
|
U.S. v. Schooner Elmira Cornelius, December 1865 |
U.S. v. Antonio Huertas, 1834 |
U.S. v. Brig Josepa Segunde, 1807 |
|
U.S. v. Schooners Merino, Constitution, Louisa, and Enslaved Africans, 1818 |
U.S. v. Bark Kate, 1864 |
U.S. v. Francis Sorrell (Antelope and Ramirez), 1822 |
|
U.S. v. Cornelius Coolidge, 1816 |
U.S. v. Schooner L'Epine, 1816 |
U.S. v. The Barque Weathergage, 1860 |
|
Lewis Cruger, Administrator of Charles Murray, v. Wm. C. Daniel, Bill of Complaint |
The Life and Fire Insurance Company of New York v. The Heirs of Nicholas Wilson, in the State of Louisiana, 1834 |
Series: Opinion Books, 1817-1870; NAID 4946239
Fair copies of opinions on legal questions given by the Attorney General to the President and heads of executive departments. Partly available on microfilm publication T412. Opinions from 1845-1853 are found in Opinions on Legal Questions, 1790-1882; NAID 4942935
| Subject | Date |
| Introduction of Black people into the U.S.; seizure under the laws of the U.S. and Georgia (No. 26) | 31 Mar, 1818 |
| When vessels having Black people on board may be lawfully seized under act of 2nd March 1807 (No. 29) | 16 Apr, 1819 |
| Run-away slaves [freedom seekers], conveyance of, one State to another by captain of a vessel (No. 53) | 29 Aug, 1819 |
| Introduction of enslaved people into States in violation of act of 20 April 1818 (No. 57) | 8 Sept, 1819 |
| Bond from foreign vessels clearing out of US for Africa under Act of 22 March 1794 (No. 64) | 8 Oct, 1819 |
| Laws of enslaved people of the USA, King's Case (No. 68) | |
| Officer's share of a forfeiture under the Slave Laws of the US, Archibald Clark's case (No. 70) | 16 Dec, 1819 |
| Manner of disposing of Black people unlawfully brought into the United States prior to the act of March 3, 1819 (No. 76) | 2 Feb, 1820 |
| Right of Officers to monies of forfeiture under the slave laws - Act 1807, Case of the Carmelita (No. 77) | 5 Feb, 1820 |
| Seizure of a vessel suspected of being equipped for the slave trade, Case of the Camelion (No. 105) | 19 May, 1820 |
| Examination of the charges against General Mitchell of having unlawfully introduced enslaved individuals into the USA (No. 146) | 20 Jan, 1821 |
| Joseph F. Smith's application for pardon for breech of Slave laws (No. 166) | 25 Apr, 1821 |
| Enslaved people introduced into USA by Passengers of Brig Cannon (No. 183) | 16 Aug, 1821 |
| Case of William J. Rogers. Transportation of Black people Coastwise (No. 192) | 11 Oct, 1821 |
| Enslaved servants taken from US by Persons going to travel in foreign countries not within the Act of 1818 (No. 198) | 5 Nov, 1821 |
| Case of the La Jeune Eugenie (captured slaver) (No. 200) | 7 Nov, 1821 |
| Case of the Schooner Farmer's Fancy (No. 201) | 7 Nov, 1821 |
| Case of Joseph F. Smith convicted of violations of the Slave Laws (No. 203) | 7 Nov, 1821 |
| Cases of the St. Stephens and the Susan (carrying enslaved people coastwise) (No. 204) | 7 Nov, 1821 |
| Are Free Persons of Color in Virginia, citizens of the United States within the meaning of the acts of Congress regulating the trade of the USA, (can free Black people command vessels) (No. 205)r | 7 Nov, 1821 |
| Application by French Minister of France for restoration of a French vessel having Africans on board, Case of La Pensee | 22 Jan, 1822 |
| Georgia claims, questions of Interest (see also No. 240) | 11 Jun, 1822 |
| An enslaved person, the property of a Danish subject, brought to the port of New York from St. Croix by Thomas Disney, Master of the American Ship, Elias Burger. Have we the power or are we under any obligation to restore said enslaved person on the demand of the Danish Government? (No. 245) | 27 Sept, 1822 |
| Construction of several acts of Congress, as to the intention of Congress, to incorporate Black people and other people of color within the army of the United States (No. 265) | 27 Mar, 1823 |
| Claims of the Marshall of the state of Georgia for the support of Black people constituting the cargo of the Spanish vessel, Ramirez (No. 285) | 30 Dec, 1820 |
| Free people and persons of color - Construction of the Legislative Acts of South Carolina, Dec 20, 1820 - touching their seizure, and confinement when brought in said State (No. 299) | 8 May, 1824 |
| Georgia Claims, Creek Nation treaty with USA, enslaved people involved | 28 Jul, 1828 |
John Macpherson Berrien (1829-1831)
| Free Negroes carried into South Carolina | 25 Mar, 1829 |
| Black people claimed under Spanish Treaty, D. Nagles Case | 31 Mar, 1829 |
| Pardon Petition for enslaved person Donnelly | 1 Mar, 1832 |
Benjamin Franklin Butler (1833-1838)
| Enslaved persons murder of white men, in Indian country, not triable in an Indian court, but must be tried in United States court | 26 Dec, 1834 |
| Ms. Thornton case, for pardon of her enslaved person accused of attempted murder | 25 Feb, 1836 |
| The President has no Constitutional authority to direct apprehension of enslaved persons in the American Indian country | 30 Aug, 1838 |
| Case of the Amistad and the Africans | Nov 1839 |
| Case of the Amistad | 11 Apr, 1840 |
| Enslaved people killed by American Indians | 15 Apr, 1840 |
| Transportation of enslaved people on the coastlines | 16 Apr, 1840 |
| Transportation of enslaved people on the coastline | 29 Jul, 1840 |
| Case of the Amistad | 14 Dec, 1840 |
| Case of the Amistad | 6 Apr, 1842 |
| Colonization Society and reception of transported Africans | 24 Dec, 1842 |
| Free people of color entitled to benefit of preemption Act of 1841 | 15 Mar, 1843 |
| Case of Jenkins, a Black man, distinction between enslaved and freed person | 25 Aug, 1843 |
| Slave Trade Acts: Exposition of terms, and of the rights and responsibilities of ship owners selling vessels deliverable on the Coast of Africa | 29 Aug, 1843 |
| Complaint of Portuguese Minister over the abduction of an enslaved person by American vessel from the Cape Verde islands | 2 Nov, 1843 |
Series: Registers of Letters Received, 1809-1863, NAID 4954963
Register (or numbered index) to the series Letters Received, 1809-1870 NAID 4739294. Volumes are arranged by source of the letter received: state, executive departments (Department of State, War Department, Navy Department, etc.), the President, and the Attorney General. Entries show date of letter, surname of writer, date received, action taken, number of letter, subject, and remarks. Also includes other documents found among the Attorney General's papers. Note: There is a good chance that much of the correspondence discussing matters with American Indian nations would have also concerned enslaved people.
Volume A
Department of State
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 208 | Enslaved person from Barbados | 27 Oct, 1817 |
| 405 | Slave trade prosecution | 16 May, 1826 |
| 705 | African captives commandeered British slaver | 23 Nov, 1831 |
| 731 | Execution of Donelly, an enslaved man from Mobile, Alabama | 7 Jun, 1832 |
| 741 | South Carolina laws regulating freed people | 19 May, 1832 |
| 1568 | Construction slave trade acts | 22 Jul, 1833 |
| 1594 | Captive person taken from Verde Island | 25 Oct, 1833 |
| 2335 | Freedom seekers [fugitive slaves], case of the Crafts | 22 Nov, 1850 |
| 2469 | Questions regarding the slave trade | Nov 1851 |
| 4228 | Foreign ships flying American flag (practice of slavers) | 13 Jun, 1859 |
War Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 393 | Indian Spring Treaty and Black people | 22 Jul, 1825 |
| 1002 | Enslaved people fleeing to American Indian country | 11 Feb, 1836 |
Department of the Treasury
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 110 | Black people concerned with Mitchell case | 21 Mar, 1818 |
| 463 | Indemnification for enslaved people relative to the Treaty of Ghent | 6 Dec, 1827 |
| 1208 | Manifest of enslaved people transported coastwise | 15 Apr, 1840 |
| 1263 | Transportation of enslaved persons between Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA | 28 Jul, 1840 |
| 1303 | Opinion asked relative to purchase of Spanish schooner Amistad | 8 Dec, 1840 |
| 1498 |
Opinion asked relative to free people and the Preemption Act of 1841 |
14 Dec, 1842 |
| 3576 | As to violation of the Act of Congress for suppression of slave trade | 22 Dec, 1857 |
| 3479 | As to whether application has been received for pardon of Andie and of David, and enslaved person Brown | 23 Dec, 1857 |
| 3921 | As to whether under the Act of March 2, 1857, enslaved people can be lawfully be paid for services in the War of 1812 | 27 Aug, 1858 |
| 4113 | Relative to Wanderer and two Black people | 5 Mar, 1859 |
| 4644 | Barge William condemned as a slaver | 26 Sept, 1860 |
| 4726 | Relative to D.H. Steward arresting and transporting Africans as marshal of Georgia | 2 Jan, 1861 |
| 6224 | Ask an opinion regarding freed people | 24 Sept, 1862 |
Navy Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 117 | Orders to cruisers against the introduction of enslaved people | 15 Apr, 1818 |
| 172 | Seizure of vessels with enslaved people trading under another flag | 24 Mar, 1819 |
| 204 | Case stated in a letter from President of colonization society | 21 Sept, 1819 |
| 418 | Black people of the Ramerez | 29 Dec, 1826 |
| 460 | Capture of the Antelope and Ramerez - claim of Captain Jackson for bounty | 9 Nov, 1827 |
| 490 | Case of the Antelope and Ramerez slave ships | 10 Apr, 1828 |
| 578 | Purchase of arms for defense of colony in Liberia | 19 Sept, 1829 |
| 617 | Transporting Africans on the Washington barge | 21 May, 1830 |
|
634 |
Capture of slave ship Phoenix by the Grampus | 16 Aug, 1830 |
| 768 | Case of Africans illegally introduced | 10 Jul, 1832 |
| 1202 | Expenses of Black people taken on board Amistad | 27 Mar, 1840 |
| 1207 | Black people's evidence before Court Martial | 11 Apr, 1840 |
| 1212 | Court martial of G. Mason, an enslaved person from Florida | 20 Apr, 1840 |
| 1358 | Salvage money of the Amistad | 13 Jan, 1842 |
| 2100 | American vessel suspected of being in the slave trade | 14 Apr, 1849 |
Department of Interior
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 35 | Sends copy of his paper containing evidence of the late fugitive slave case | 30 Apr, 1860 |
Attorney General
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 80 | Opinion case hazard and half of the Nancy | 6 July, 1816 |
| 193 | Affidavit relative to enslaved female brought from Savannah, Georgia | 20 Aug, 1819 |
| 125 | Case of James Barry a fugitive slave/freedom seeker belonging to a Danish subject | 3 Aug, 1822 |
| 268 | Africans found aboard La Pense | 22 Jan, 1822 |
| 353 | Supreme Court mandate relative to the Emily, and Caroline (slave ships) | 12 June, 1824 |
| 2334 | Case of the fugitive slaves/freedom seekers, W. & E. Craft from Georgia against C. Devens, Jr. U.S. Atty., Massachusetts | 18 Nov, 1850 |
President
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 205 | Colonization of enslaved Africans | 13 Oct, 1819 |
| 2315 | Opinion asked relative to fugitive slave bill | 18 Sept, 1850 |
Correspondence Arranged by State. Register identifies the state.
Volume B
Attorney General
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 2788 | Relative to the Amelia | 22 July, 1856 |
| 3103 | That the Sec. of State has determined to apply to Congress for appropriations to pay the expenses incurred in securing the cargo of the Bark, Amelia | 8 Aug, 1856 |
| 3194 | Relative to the African "slave trade" | 31 Jan, 1859 |
| 3209 | Relating to the Echo case | 31 Mar, 1859 |
| 3224 | Relative to suppressing slave trade | 31 Mar, 1859 |
| 3237 | As to violation of "fugitive slave law" in case of Add White | 7 June, 1857 |
| 3415 | Relative to the Deputy Marshal's account in the fugitive slave law, Boston | 24 July, 1857 |
| 4062 | Relative tot he case of the Wanderer | 10 Jan, 1859 |
| 4077 | Relative to the importation of Africans by the Wanderer | 31 Jan, 1859 |
| 4078 | Relative to the importation of Africans by the Wanderer | 1 Feb, 1859 |
| 4166 | Relative to an account of $1500 in favor of J.W. Mayne for services in the prosecution of the crew of the Brig, Echo | 13 Apr, 1959 |
State Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 4228 | Foreign ships flying American flag (practice of slavers) | 13 June, 1859 |
Treasury Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 3576 | As to violation of the Act of Congress for suppression of slave trade | 22 Dec, 1857 |
| 3479 | As to whether application has been received for pardon of Andie and of David, the enslaved man of one Brown | 23 Dec, 1857 |
| 4644 | Bargue William condemned as slaver | 26 Sept, 1860 |
| 4113 | Relative to "Wanderer" and two Black people | 5 Mar, 1859 |
| 3921 | As to whether under the Act of March 2, 1857, enslaved people can be lawfully paid for services in the War of 1812 | 27 Aug, 1858 |
Interior Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 3477 | Can enslaver obtain patent invented by enslaved | 7 Sept, 1857 |
| 3583 | Is enslaver entitled to patent invented by enslaved | 27 Dec, 1857 |
| 4115 | U.S. Marshal, South Carolina, seeks compensation for expenses incurred while detaining Africans from the brig Echo | 11 Mar, 1859 |
| 4449 | Relative to account for services of A.R. Allen in taking Captain Farnham of the Wanderer to Savannah | 4 Jan, 1860 |
Alphabetical Listing of Sender: Correspondence Arranged by State
Volume C
Treasury Department
| No. | Subject | Date |
| 4726 | Rel. to D.H. Steward arresting and transporting Africans as marshal of Georgia | 2 Jan 1861 |
| 6224 | Ask an opinion regarding freed citizens | 24 Sept 1862 |
Alphabetical Listing of Sender: Correspondence Arranged by State
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RG 69 Records of the Work Projects Administration
The Works Projects Administration (WPA), established May 6, 1935, was responsible for the Government's work relief program. It succeeded both the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration, which were established in 1933. The WPA was officially abolished June 30, 1943. See Researcher News for information about the availability of these records.
Series: Special Research Materials related to the "Living Newspaper," 1936-1939, NAID 2108426
Selected Files:
- Negro Living Newspaper Play. Entry 965
- Leonard E. Strong, Negroes in Wars. Brief account of African-Americans in Revolutionary War, Civil War, and WWI
- (4 copies). Oct. 1936.
- Robert Whittington, Negro Troops in Civil War. List of battles in which African-Americans fought with a listing of Negro soldiers who received medals for their actions in the Civil War. Oct. 1938.
- Robert Whittington, Negro Troops in the Civil War List of battles in which African-Americans fought with date of battle accompanied by the number of troops used and killed. Oct. 1938.
- H. Radin, Benjamin Franklin and Slavery. Cop of November 9, 1978 "An Address to the Public from the Pennslvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, and the Relief of Free Negroes, Unlawfully Held in Bondage" by Benjamin Franklin. Oct 1938.
- Arthur Ambrose, Negro Soldiers in the Civil War - Their Bravery and Skill - Pertinent Quotes. Excerpts from The Negro in the War of the Rebellion and History of the Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 by George Washington Williams. Oct. 1938.
- Arthur Ambrose, Negro Soldiery and Valor in Civil War. Instances of Negro valor found in History of Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 by George W. Williams. Oct. 1938.
- H. Radin, Benjamin Franklin and Slavery. Benjamin Franklin's plans for improving the condition of free African- Americans. Oct. 1938.
- Charles Mulligan, Reactions to Assassination of Lincoln. Quotes from Myths After Lincoln by Lloyd Lewis concerning feelings about the severity of Reconstruction. Oct. 1938.
- Charles Mulligan, Lincoln Assassination V. Union Labor Reaction. Excerpts from Social History of America by Herman Schluter concerning addresses sent to America by the International Workingmen's Association. Oct. 1938.
- Charles L. Mulligan, Lincoln Assassination I: The South. Excerpts from various books concerning reactions to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Oct 1938.
- Charles L. Mulligan, Lincoln's Assassination II: The Case Against Jeff Davis. Excerpts and summaries of sections from Why Was Lincoln Murdered? By Louis Eisenschiml. Oct. 1938.
- Chas. L. Mulligan, Lincoln Assassination III: The Case Against Andrew Johnson. Excerpts and summaries of sections from Why Was Lincoln Murdered? By Louis Eisenschiml. Oct. 1938.
- Chas. L. Mulligan, Lincoln Assassination IV: Stanton. Excerpts and summaries of sections from Why Was Lincoln Murdered? by Louis Eisenschiml concerning the possible involvement of Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Oct. 1938.
- Robert Whittington, Ku Klux Klan Testimony. Testimony by Joint Select Committee into affairs in the late insurrectionary states concerning the testimony of a Mr. Samuel White forced by the Klan to renounce his political faith in the Republican party. May 1938.
- Catherine A. Durkin, Newspaper Comments During Reconstruction. Description of a plot in Canada by a man from Mississippi to infect Union occupying forces through clothes. Oct. 1938.
- Catherine A. Durkin, Newspaper Comments During Reconstruction. Newspaper articles concerning Negro suffrage, remembrances of Lincoln, and President Johnson's terms of pardon for the rebels. Oct. 1938.
- Mathieu Smith, Character Sketch of Thaddeus Stevens. July 1938.
- Cooper, No Title. Discussion of effect of slavery on economic prosperity based on Notes on Political Economy by N. Ware. N.d.
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RG 76 Records of Boundary and Claims Commissions and Arbitration
Following arbitration by the Emperor of Russia in 1822, a mixed claims commission was provided for in a convention signed to settle U.S. claims against Great Britain concerning enslaved people and property lost during the War of 1812. Because of difficulties faced by the commission, a new convention was signed in 1826 in which Great Britain agreed to pay a sum in satisfaction of all claims awarded under the arbitration of the Emperor. A domestic claims commission was established by an act in 1827 to handle the disbursement of awards. In 1853, another mixed claims commission was established to settle claims presented to either government since December 24, 1814.
There are several series that pertain to the business of the mixed claims commissions and the domestic claims commission. These records are located at Archives II in College Park, Maryland
Creator: Records of the Mixed Claims Commission (established by convention of 1822)
- Series: Minutes of the Mixed Commission. Aug 25, 1823-Mar 26, 1827, NAID 1170324
- Series: Docket of 1822 Commission. Ca. 1825-1826, NAID 1170329
- Series: Index to General Records, NAID 1170331
- Series: General Records. Ca. 1814-28, NAID 1170335
- Series: Records Relating to Detained American Vessels. Ca. 1812-19, NAID 1171986
Creator: Records of the Domestic Claims Commission
- Series: Minutes of the Domestic Claims Commission. July 10, 1827-Aug. 31, 1828, NAID 1172859
- Series: Docket of Claims Prepared for the Domestic Claims Commission. 1826, NAID 1173798
- Series: Index to Claimants. NAID 1174159
- Series: Case Files. Ca. 1814-28, NAID 1174160
- Series: List of Awards. Ca. 1827-28, NAID 1174161
- Series: Definitive List of Slaves and Property. NAID 1174162
- Series: Slave Lists. NAID 1174163
Creator: Records of the Mixed Claims Commission (established by convention of 1853)
- Series: Minutes of the Commission. Sept. 15, 1853-Jan. 15, 1855, NAID 1174165
- Series: Index to Case Files of American and British Claims. NAID 1174166
Creator: Miscellaneous Claims, ca. 1797-1863
- Series: Index to General Claims. NAID 1174170
- Series: General Claims. Ca. 1797-1853, NAID 1174171
- Series: The Case of the Vessel Jehossee, Ca. 1860, NAID 1174199
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RG 206 Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury
The Office of the Solicitor of the Treasury (1830-1934) was created in the Department of the Treasury to supervise all legal proceedings involving the collection of debts due the United States. This record group includes letters relative to suits for the forfeiture of vessels involved in the slave trade. These records are located at Archives II in College Park, Maryland.
Series: Index to Letters Received, September 1, 1865 - January 9, 1911, NAID 6409498
Contains indexes to incoming letters for several series among the records of the Solicitor of the Treasury. The following information is usually given for each letter: date received, date written, name of writer, title of writer if he was a Government official, where written, brief summary of contents, and disposition of letter. Entries dated after 1895 also give the case file number of the letter.
Volume 1
Volume 2
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RG 217 Records of the United States General Accounting
Established within the Department of Treasury by an act of 1817 that authorized four additional auditors and an comptroller. The 1789 Act that established the Treasury provided for a comptroller to superintend the adjustment and preservation of the public accounts and auditor to supervise disbursements.
There are several series that account for the Department of Treasury involvement with the African slave trade. These records are located at Archives l in Washington, D.C.
Settled Accounts of Claimants and Disbursing Officers of the First Auditor, 1790-1894.
Claims case files include: African shipping; the bounty on Blacks illegally imported; the support of captured Africans illegally entering the United States; bounty for the capture of illegal slave ships; expenditures of the American Colonization Society in support of persons of African descent.
Series: Abstract of Bounty Claims for the Capture of Slave Ships, 1859-1871, NAID 2524503
Gives name of the claimant, name of captured and capturing ships, and name of the payee. There is a list of vessels captured for engaging in the slave trade, 1857-60, date of seizure, names of vessels making seizure, the squadron, and the locality of the capture.
Microfilm: Records of the Board of Commissioners for the Emancipation of Slaves in the District of Columbia, 1862-63 within NAID 302045
An act of April 12, 1862 (12 Stat.376) abolished slavery in the District of Columbia. The President was authorized to appoint a board of commissioners to examine petitions for compensation from former owners of freed slaves in the District. Petitions disclosed name of petitioner, slaves, and value of slaves claimed in the petition. Bound volumes also show summary of action taken, number of the petition, amount awarded, and signature of the claimant. These records are microfilmed under Microfilm Number 520. There are 6 rolls.
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RG 287 Publications of the U.S. Government, 1790-1979
This record group is a collection of selected publications of U.S. Government agencies, arranged according to a classification system (SuDoc System) devised by the Office of the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office (GPO). The core collection is a library that was maintained by GPO's Public Documents Division during the period 1895-1972, and whose contents were arranged according to the SuDoc System. The library began in 1895 following the establishment of GPO of the position of Superintendent of Documents by an act of January 12, 1895 (28 Stat. 601), with responsibility for the cataloging, sale, and distribution of Federal Government publications. By 1972, when the National Archives acquired the library, it included official publications dating from the early years of the government.
Annual Reports
Annual Reports of the Secretary of the Navy
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RG 366 Records of Civil War Special Agencies of the Treasury Department
An Act of July 13, 1862, (12 Stat. 257) prohibited commercial intercourse between people residing in the seceded states and citizens of the United States and provided that merchandise transported for commercial purposes from or to the Confederacy would be forfeited to the United States. The Treasury Department received control over commercial intercourse, and Special Agents under the Special Agency system were given authority to supervise trade and commerce in areas of the Confederacy occupied by Union forces. Under Treasury Department regulations of July 29, 1864, it established "freedmen's home colonies" to provide employment and welfare to assistance to freed slaves. Nine Special Agencies were ultimately established in the Confederate States, each responsible for a prescribed geographical boundary. Records are located at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Records are arranged by Special Agency, thereunder by districts and activity.
- Records of the First Special Agency, Mississippi Valley (includes St. Louis, south-east portions of Illinois, Kentucky, western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama); entries 1 - 115.
- Records of the Second Special Agency, (includes parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana), entries 116 - 411.
- Records of the Third Special Agency, (includes parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida), entries 412 - 555.
- Records of the Fourth Special Agency, (Texas), entries 558 - 570.
- Records of the Fifth Special Agency, (includes parts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida), entries 571 - 620.
- Records of the Sixth Special Agency, (North Carolina), entries 622-653.
- Records of the Seventh Special Agency, (includes Virginia and North Carolina), entries 655-739.
- Records of the Eighth Special Agency, (includes parts of South Carolina and Georgia); amended Treasury Department's general regulation, April 25, 1865, entries 740-748.
- Records of the Ninth Special Agency, (Florida and Alabama); amended Treasury Department's general regulation, April 24, 1865, entries 749-774