My final project is the creation of a web database of the Alexandria Free Negro Registers, 1797 to 1861. In 1793, Virginia passed a law stating that every free African American was required to register with the county in which they lived, and for twenty-five cents they received a copy of their registration as proof of freedom. Freedom in Alexandria will include a fully searchable database of the register entries, including such information as name, age, skills, physical description, and previous owner. Historians who research slavery in early America will benefit from access to qualitative and quantitative data on populations of free African Americans. In addition, the database will be a rich archive for genealogists. African-American genealogy has suffered from a lack of comprehensive record keeping prior to the Civil War. A searchable database of free African Americans in Alexandria with information beyond name and location can offer myriad opportunities for further research—the discovery of relatives, previous owners, and occupations can uncover previously unknown connections. Although useful to genealogists in their own work, historians and scholars thus also benefit greatly from such discoveries.
Freedom in Alexandria will also place the digitized records it presents in historical and geographical context. The website that houses the database will include historical maps of Alexandria with descriptions of its fluctuating borders; census numbers to place the free African Americans within general population statistics; a brief history of slavery in Alexandria that links to a comprehensive list of Virginia laws regarding slavery and free African Americans; and a bibliography of works on slavery, emancipation, and free African Americans in the early American republic.Â
Looks great. Will you continue with this same project next semester?
Thanks! I would love to – if it fits into the class (like with your project). Either way, this is something that I want to see done in my lifetime!