Enslaved_Person _ID_LK

Each enslaved person in Louisiana Kindred is assigned a six-digit unique ID. This is a necessity because many names appear more than once in the data.

Enslaved_Person _ID_OOK

If an enslaved person in Louisiana Kindred also appears in Oceans of Kinfolk, their Oceans of Kinfolk unique ID appears in this column of Louisiana Kindred.

Notarial_Record_Doc_ID

Every notarial record is assigned a unique six-digit ID.

Enslaved_Name

This is the name of the enslaved person(s) conveyed or otherwise mentioned in the notarial act. Enslaved people are rarely identified by first and last names in notarial records, although many certainly had both first and last names.

Enslaved_Alt_Name

Some enslaved people are identified by two names, with the second typically referred to as an “alias.”

Enslaved_Sex

This refers to the sex or gender of the enslaved person(s) conveyed or otherwise mentioned in the notarial act. If sex is not indicated this field is left blank.

Enslaved_Min_YOB & Enslaved_Max_YOB

These are estimates of the enslaved person’s year of birth based upon their age and the date of the notarial record. Minimums and maximums are given because some enslaved people’s ages are described in ranges, for example, “between 20 and 22 years old.”

Enslaved_Min_Age_Years & Enslaved_Max_Age_Years

These refer to the age of the enslaved person(s) conveyed or otherwise mentioned in a notarial record. Minimums and maximums are given because some enslaved people’s ages are described in ranges, for example, “between 20 and 22 years old.”

Enslaved_Min_Age_Months & Enslaved_Max_Age_Months

These variables are used for infants whose ages are given in months instead of years.

Enslaved_Claimed_Orphan

Due to a Louisiana law prohibiting the trafficking of children under 10 without their mothers incentivized traders to claim that young children were “orphans.” A “yes” appears in this field when a notarial record identifies an enslaved child as an orphan.

Enslaved_Racial_Descriptor

While we acknowledge many of the terms listed in this field are offensive and harmful, all were imputed verbatim in order to avoid adding another layer of subjectivity (that of the individual encoding the data) to the construction of race. Judging by their variety and lack of uniformity from manifest to manifest, racial descriptors were subjective, ad-hoc assessments that collectively testify to the constructed and contingent nature of race in the nineteenth century. In addition, such descriptors often provide clues to genealogical researchers attempting to confirm ancestor’ identities based upon their descriptions on other sources.

Enslaved_Health_Info

Some notarial records include information about enslaved people’s health or physical condition.

Enslaved_Guarantee_Info

Most notarized sales of enslaved people specify whether an enslaved person was legally “guaranteed.” We include this information because it sometimes provides insights into enslaved people’s health or backgrounds.

Enslaved_Skills_Info

Some notarial records describe enslaved people as possessing particular skillsets or expertises.

Enslaved_Person_Commoditization

This refers to the price or economic valuation associated with each enslaved person. It is left blank when a price referred to multiple enslaved persons—usually mothers and infants—and no individual valuations were given.

Enslaved_Kin_Relation_1_Type

This variable is only used when a notarial record specifies that two or more enslaved people are related to each other. (Note: this does not mean the enslaved person did not have other relatives. The variable is only used for relatives identified on this particular notarial record. We will develop additional variables to hold space for relatives not included on notarial records in the future.)

Enslaved_Kin_Relation_1_Person_ID

This variable is only used when a notarial record specifies that two or more enslaved people are related to each other. It provides the Enslaved_Person_ID_LK (see above) of the person to whom the enslaved person is related. (Note: this does not mean the enslaved person did not have other relatives. The variable is only used for relatives identified on this particular notarial record. We will develop additional variables to hold space for relatives not included on notarial records in the future.)

Previous_Enslaver

Some notarial records provide the name(s) of an enslaved person’s previous enslaver(s). This usually reads as “the present seller acquired the said [enslaved person] from [name] in an act before [notary name] on [date].”

Previous_Enslaver_Race

This is left blank unless the previous enslaver’s race is specified.

Previous_Sale_Notary

This information is only provided in cases in which an enslaver acquired an enslaved person through a prior act notarized within Orleans Parish.

Previous_Sale_Location

This information is provided when an act specifies that an enslaver purchased an enslaved person in a particular place.

Previous_Sale_Date

This information is provided when an act specifies that an enslaver purchased an enslaved person on a particular date.

Enslaved_Person_Notes

This is for information not included elsewhere.

Date_Notarial_Act

This is the date of the notarial act.

Notary_Name

This is the name of the individual notarizing the act.

Notary_Volume

This is the notarial volume containing the act.

Notary_Act_No

This is the number of the notarial act.

Auction

A “yes” in this column indicates that the sale being notarized took place at an auction.

Auction_Name

This information is included when the name of the auction house at which an enslaved person was sold is specified in the notarial act.

Auction_Date

This is the date of the auction.

Auction_Location

This is the address or physical location of the auction.

Seller_1_Name

This is the name of the enslaver selling an enslaved person or persons.

Seller_1_Honorific

Terms like “doctor” or “mistress” appear here. All honorifics were included except “Mr.”

Seller_1_Suffix

Terms like “Senior” or “Junior” appear here.

Seller_1_Sex

This refers to the sex of the seller. It is left blank when the “seller” is a firm.

Seller_1_Race

This is left blank unless the race of the seller is explicitly provided. “FMC” and “FWC” are abbreviations of the designations “free man/woman of color.”

Seller_1_Location

This is the broad location or residence of the seller.

Seller_1_Location_Detail

This the specific address of the seller, usually only provided for sellers who lived within the city of New Orleans.

Seller_1_Alternate_Location

This variable is used if multiple locations are given for the seller.

Seller_1_Alternate_Location_Detail

This variable is used if multiple locations are given for the seller.

Seller_1_Spouse

This variable is used if the spouse of the seller is identified in the record.

Seller_1_Widow

A “yes” indicates that the seller is identified as a widow.

Seller_1_Rep

This is the name of the individual representing the seller. If it is blank the seller represented him or herself.

Seller_1_Rep_Detail

This specifies the relationship between the seller and his/her representative.

Seller_1_Rep_2 , Seller_1_Rep_2_Location & Seller_Rep_2_Detail

These are used if more than one representative is identified for the seller.

Seller_2_Name, Seller_2_Location & Seller_2_Detailed_Location

These are used if two sellers are named.

Sellers_Firm

This is used if the sellers are part of a firm.

Sellers_Firm_Location

This is the broad location of the sellers’ firm.

Sellers_Firm_Location_Detail

This is the address or specific location of the seller’s firm.

Sellers_Firm_Rep

This is the name of the representative of the seller’s firm. If it is blank then the firm represented itself in the sale.

Sellers_Firm_Rep_Detail

This is the relationship of the representative of the firm to the firm. If it is blank then the firm represented itself in the sale.

Buyer_1_Name

This is the name of the buyer.

Buyer_1_Honorific

Terms like “doctor” or “mistress” appear here. All honorifics were included except “Mr.”

Buyer_1_Suffix

Terms like “Senior” or “Junior” appear here.

Buyer_1_Sex

This refers to the sex of the buyer.

Buyer_1_Race

This refers to the race of the buyer if race is explicitly stated. “FMC” and “FWC” are abbreviations of the designations “free man/woman of color.”

Buyer_1_Location

This is the broad residence or location of the buyer.

Buyer_1_Location_Detail

This is the specific residence or location of the buyer.

Buyer_1_Spouse

This variable is used if the spouse of the buyer is identified in the record.

Buyer_1_Widow

A “yes” indicates that the buyer is identified as a widow.

Buyer_1_Rep

This is the name of the individual representing the buyer. If it is blank the buyer represented him or herself.

Buyer_1_Rep_Location

This is the location of the individual representing the buyer. If it is blank the buyer represented him or herself.

Buyer_1_Rep_Detail

This specifies the relationship between the buyer and his/her representative.

Buyer_2_Name — Buyer_2_Rep_Detail

These variables are used if there are two buyers.

Buyers_Firm

This variable is used if the “buyer” is a firm.

Transaction_Commoditization

This is the total amount conveyed in the transaction for all enslaved persons.

Cash_Credit

This specifies whether the buyer purchased the enslaved person(s) with cash or on credit, or both.

No_Enslaved_Persons

This is the total number of enslaved people conveyed in the notarial act.

Transaction_Notes

This is for information about the transaction not included elsewhere.