Massachusetts Slave Trade Documents.
These documents, including a Ship Manifest, letters, and diary entries, chronicle an incident in the history of the Massachusetts slave trade. They are presented as a record linkage excercise.

Tax Assessment Records for the City of Boston 1850. Boston City Archives.
These records from the Boston City Archives show residents labeled "colored" from Wards 2, 4, 5 and 6 from the year 1850. The records have been digitized (by Ryan Morse '04) and transcribed into a database by Thomas Scully.

"Free Negroes and Mulattoes." Massachusetts House of Representatives Committee report, January 16, 1822.
In 1822 members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives formed a committee to debate whether limiting immigration and residency of people of color should be enforced. Their report, dated January 16, 1822, includes a history of slavery and the immigration of Africans to Massachusetts. Not only did the report find that these people of color did not pose problems to society, but greatly benefited the state.

1852 Map of Boston. (Slatter & Callan)
The Slatter & Callan map was one of only two produced during the time period of our research that attempted to represent every structure in the city. This is particularly useful to our research as we are trying to recreate neighborhoods where African-Americans lived.

"People of Color." The Boston Directory: Containing the City Record, General Directory of the Citizens, Special Directory of Trades, Professions, &c. Almanac from July 1848 to July 1849; pp. 230-232.
These pages list 'people of color' separately from the rest of the Boston City Directory of 1848-49. This was the last city directory that segregated the list. Also transcribed are the names of residents living in Wards 2, 4, 5, and 6.