The University Libraries at UNC-Greensboro have recently launched a new website called the Digital Library on American Slavery. This massive project has compiled data over 18 years from petitions to southern legislatures and country courts filed between 1775 and 1867. The petitions cover all sorts of subjects such as the hiring value of slaves, prenuptial agreements, interracial relationships, women owning property, abolition, the impact of the Civil War, and slave execution. The website also draws on wills, deeds, bills of sale, and other documents. The data comes from all fifteen slaveholding states in the United States and the District of Columbia. You can search by keyword, name of the individual, state, and by subject. All-in-all, the website contains information on around 150,000 individuals.
This is an extremely useful tool for genealogists, researchers, and people interested in slavery—according to the website, “no other online database connects slaves with their owners in such a manner.” Check it out!