A database of fugitives from American Slavery
With the advent of newspapers in the American colonies, enslavers posted “runaway ads” to try to locate fugitives. Additionally, jailers posted ads describing people they had apprehended in search of the enslavers who claimed the fugitives as property.
Created to control the movement of enslaved people, the ads ultimately preserved the details of individual lives--their personality, appearance, and life story. Taken collectively, the ads constitute a detailed, concise, and rare source of information about the experiences of enslaved people.
After initial curation, the ads become available for crowdsourcing. The crowdsourcing process populates a full-text transcription and additional searchable metadata within the database.
Freedom on the Move will serve as a research aid, a pedagogical tool, and a resource for genealogists. Scholars, students, and citizen historians will be able to use the data produced from the ads in new and creative ways.
Use our advanced search to navigate the database & find the data you need. Then export the results to JSON / CSV and use with your tool of choice.
Establish a deeper connection to the period through the lens of those seeking freedom. The history contained within the advertisements is living.
Explore the stories captured in the advertisements. Contribute your time to help transcribe. Search the database to see if any blanks can be filled in your ancestry.
Professor
Department of History
Cornell University
Director
CISER
Cornell University
Assistant Professor
Department of History
University of Kentucky
Associate Professor
Department of History
The Ohio State University
Ethel & Herman L. Midlo Endowed Professor of History
Director, Midlo Center for New Orleans Studies
University of New Orleans
Professor
Department of History
University of Alabama
Project Manager
CISER
Cornell University
PhD Student
Program of Geography
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Senior Data Librarian
CISER
Cornell University
Software Engineer
CISER
Cornell University
Education Lead
Director
The Hard History Project
CISER
Cornell University
CISER
Cornell University
Cornell University Library
Cornell University
Department of History
University of New Orleans
Cornell University Library
Cornell University
Cornell University Library
Cornell University
Cornell University Library
Cornell University
Cornell University Library
Cornell University
CISER
Cornell University
University Libraries et al.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro