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).