Ned Benton

This grant will extend the ability of the Northeast Slavery Records Index (NESRI) project to find and present missing digital records of enslavement in eight northeastern states. NESRI ( http://nesri.us) now includes more than 64,000 records accessible to all through free online community-focused reports. Records were legally required to document many births, ownership transfers, and manumissions, and their maintenance is legally required today. Many records are missing from the public historical record because custodians may not understand their meaning or location. The grant would train, supervise and support at least 14 research partners to pursue these records and, thus, further the understanding of the extent and conditions that enslaved people endured throughout the region.