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What DISC and the Slave Movement Site
Can & Cannot Do For You - FAQ
Q. Can I find information on a particular slave?
A. No. The datasets on this site do
not include any slave names at all. Since there are
no slave names, the datasets cannot help
you with genealogy searches for locating ancestors.
Some online sources for genealogical research in general include:
Q. Can I find information on a particular ship or ship's captain?
A. Occasionally the datasets may be useful for finding
information about a particular ship or captain by name. To do this,
one must download the dataset and then open the data file in a word
processing program and look at it "by hand." For example,
an excerpt from the dataset "Slave Trade
to Havana, Cuba, 1790-1820" looks like this when opened in
a word processor:
011804 059121 040015 000000011000000004EFIGENIA COURADA
011904 059120 030075 026018018000000013DOLORES PAGES
012004 069121 040064 058000000005001000GOVERNOR MARTIN
012104 069120 030066 005004027020001009MARIA COBACHICA
012204 069121 070014 006000000004003001MINERBA ROVINSON
The words at the end of each row in this dataset
correspond to ship names and captain's names. To figure out what the
numbers in each column stand for, one must use the Online
Codebook for this dataset. Be aware, though, that many of these
datasets do not spell out any names at all.
Q. Do the DISC Slave Movement Datasets cover the entire Atlantic slave
trade?
A. No. Instead, the datasets offer small numeric
snapshots of the slave trade, between particular countries and between
particular years. The most comprehensive data source that we are aware
of exists on a CD-ROM database called The Transatlantic Slave
Trade, which covers approximately 70% of slave voyages from 1597-1866.
(Check your local college or university
library. We also have a copy at DISC for local visitors to use). Note
that even the CD-ROM does not include slave names.
Q. Can I find a complete history of a given slave ship?
A. No. The site does not contain any narrative histories,
nor does it cover the entire Atlantic slave trade. Occasionally you
may be able to find a dataset that includes slave ship names, using
the approach listed above. However, you will have to look through
the dataset descriptions yourself to discover which ones might meet
your needs.
Q. Do you have diagrams or pictures of slave ships?
A. No. The picture on this page is for illustration
purposes only.
Q. Can you help me with my homework project on slavery?
A. We're not a good source for that! DISC staff
are not experts in the history of the slave trade. Our library contains
data across the spectrum of social sciences, from agriculture to education
to politics. We have no particular resources on the slave trade beyond
the datasets on this site, and the other sites
to which we link. Therefore, our site is usually poorly suited
for helping with homework assignments or family history projects.
Q. I know what a dataset is, but I don't know how to use statistical
software. Can you run an analysis for me, or teach me how?
A. No. The datasets are made available as a service
to social science researchers who are familiar with statistical data
manipulation. DISC is not staffed to provide analysis services.
Q. So what IS the DISC Slave Movement site useful for?
A. Researchers who are familiar with statistical
data manipulation and software will be able to get the most out of
this collection. Such researchers will be able to analyze variables
such as length of voyages, number of slaves, slave deaths en route,
etc. We also link to a variety of useful sites
related to the history of slavery and the slave trade.
Q. Can you help me if I'm having trouble downloading a dataset?
A. Yes, that we can do! Send us a message at disc@mailplus.wisc.edu
and we'll be glad to help.
Thank you for visiting the DISC Archive!
Return to main Slave Movement During the Eighteenth
and Nineteenth Centuries archive page
Email: disc@mailplus.wisc.edu
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