Manumission & Freedom • 739 Records • Uploaded August 2, 2023 • Data Website: slavery2.msa.maryland.gov
This source includes manumission records for Dorchester, Caroline, and Talbot Counties in Maryland. A manumission is the legal document freeing an enslaved person and can be found in land, probate, and chattel records. This source includes only records from Eastern Shore counties; for records from all other Maryland counties, please visit the Legacy of Slavery website. The Maryland State Archives’ Legacy of Slavery in Maryland includes a database of transcribed records found in the Archives—Beneath the Underground—that relate to slavery and the underground Railroad, especially between 1830 and 1880. The Beneath the Underground website is an ongoing research effort to identify, utilize and make accessible all records which pertain to slavery in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Maryland. The extensive website also includes case studies highlighting individuals, interactive maps, and resources for studying the history of slavery in Maryland; the website can be found at the link provided.v
The list below shows the data fields included in this source. If a field is marked as Indexed, it is searchable.