Free Database of Slave Voyages Launches

Another great resource for individuals researching their African ancestors has launched online. "Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database," the result of a two-year interactive project spearheaded by Emory University, documents the slave trade from Africa to the New World over three centuries, from the 1500s to the 1800s. Included on the free site is searchable information on nearly 35,000 slave trade voyages, covering more than 95 percent of all voyages that left ports from England -- the country with the second-largest slave trade -- and documenting two-thirds of all slave trade voyages between 1514 and 1866. The names of 70,000 human cargo are also documented, although these are the slaves' African names, making locating an ancestor by their Westernized name difficult. But whether or not you can identify a specific ancestor, the Voyages database, which expands on "The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade" CD-ROM published in 1999, is rich in history and context. Search for yourself at www.slavevoyages.com.