Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Aim to Preserve Slave Records

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has undertaken a research project entitled “People Not Property.” The goal of the project is to digitize slave deeds in 26 counties across North Carolina. These deeds contain information about the slaves’ names, age, family, and skills.

Project organizers note that some counties have lost their records from before the Civil War due to fires, floods, and other national disasters and they want to digitize remaining records to preserve the history of enslaved Africans.

Richard Cox, a digital technology consultant for University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who is participating in the project, stated that “the more these unnamed people that we actually can give not only names to, but families to, will I think hopefully open up a conversation about slavery and the history of North Carolina more broadly. There’s something about attaching a name to a person that builds up even more humanity for them.”

Cox hopes to expand the effort to other states once the three-year North Carolina project is completed.

Related Articles

2 COMMENTS

  1. My name is Mary Ann Worthington (African-American)-born in Como, NC (Hertford County). My father’s name is David Matthew Worthington. His parents are Charlie, Sr. and Bertha Bynum Worthington. Charlie’s parents are possibly Moriah and Elton Worthington. I am looking for resources other than Ancestry.com to further my research. Any help would be appreciated.

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Black Matriculants Are Down at U.S. Medical Schools

In 2024, the share of Black applicants to U.S. medical schools increased by 2.8 percent from 2023. However, the share of Black medical school matriculants decreased by 11.6 percent. Notably, there has been year-over-year progress in overall Black medical school representation, which has risen to from 7.9 percent in 2017 to 10.3 percent in 2024.

Rick Smith Appointed President of Dallas College Northlake

Dr. Smith has been serving as vice president of institutional advancement and administrative projects at Simmons College of Kentucky, Dr. Smith will assume the presidency of Dallas College's Northlake campus on February 3.

Working With Black Principals and Peers Reduces Turnover for Black NYC Public School Teachers

Black and White teachers in New York City are less likely to quit or transfer to another school if their school has a principal and a higher proportion of teachers of their same race.

American Born and Educated Scholar Is the First Black Woman Professor at University in the U.K.

A psychology faculty member with City St. George's, University of London for over a decade, Jessica Jones Nielsen has been named the institution's first-ever Black woman full professor. She has served as the university's assistant vice president for equality, diversity, and inclusion since 2021.

Featured Jobs