Africans Burials and Residences in Rio de Janeiro, 1874-1899

This dataset contains a structured selection of 4,636 entries, extracted from the nominal registries of deceased Africans interred in the Cemitério de São Francisco Xavier (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) between 1874 and 1889. The dataset draws from a set of burial registers maintained by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the principal charity hospital of the capital of the Brazilian empire. These registry books, maintained for both free and enslaved city residents, are organized by year. In this sampled dataset, only the burial records of Africans (enslaved, free, or Free African) are indexed. Each numbered entry includes information on the decedent's date of burial, age, last residence, juridical status, and cause of death. Supplemental information for some entries includes the decedent's ethnonym or color, marital status, named surviving partner, occupation, location of death, and the name of an associated slave master. Some make note of special circumstances about the registered interee. Many entries are incomplete, especially about residence, age, and place of birth.