Voices from the NHS Archives: Records of Enslaved, Free, and Manumitted People of Color and Enslavers in Newport, Rhode Island

This dataset contains records for over 7,019 people of African and Indigenous descent who were connected to Newport, Rhode Island, and the surrounding area—either through their presence in the town or through their enslavement and transport on voyages funded by Newport merchants—between 1663 and 1865. Data on enslaved, free, and persons of liminal status were drawn from a broad range of archival documents in the collection of the Newport Historical Society. Materials include records from six religious groups, early colony censuses, family papers, merchants’ records, institutional records from Black-led organizations, legal and land evidence documents, and ship logs, among others. For a more detailed description of these sources, a Database Guide has been embedded on the project site under the heading “About This Project” (V4 is accessible online here: https://newporthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Voices-from-the-NHS-Archives-Guide_V4.pdf).

本数据集收录了1663年至1865年间，与罗德岛州纽波特及周边地区存在关联的7019余名非洲裔与原住民后裔的相关记录。这些关联体现为两种形式：一是曾定居该城镇，二是在纽波特商人资助的航次中被奴役并遭转运。涵盖被奴役者、自由民以及处于临界身份人群的相关数据，均来源于纽波特历史学会馆藏的大量档案文献。馆藏资料包括六大宗教团体的档案、早期殖民地人口普查记录、家族文书、商人账簿、黑人主导的机构档案、法律与土地权属凭证文件以及船舶日志等。如需了解这些资料来源的详细说明，可在本项目网站“关于本项目”栏目下查阅内嵌的《数据集指南》（第四版可通过以下链接在线获取：https://newporthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Voices-from-the-NHS-Archives-Guide_V4.pdf）。