African Origins

African Origins contains information about the migration histories of Africans forcibly carried on slave ships into the Atlantic. Using the personal details of 91,491 Africans liberated by International Courts of Mixed Commission and British Vice Admiralty Courts, this resource makes possible new geographic, ethnic, and linguistic data on peoples captured in Africa and pulled into the slave trade. Through contributions to this website by Africans, members of the African Diaspora, and others, we hope to set in motion the rediscovery of the backgrounds of the millions of Africans captured and sold into slavery during suppression of transatlantic slave trading in the 19th century.

To begin searching these records of liberated Africans, try the Guided Search below. Enter an African name that you know (such as Quarko, Kwesi, or Fatima) and select a country (or countries), then click Explore. Checking either the male or female box will filter your search.

Enter a name: Africans with the same or similar name will be found.
Select one or more countries Check the box next to a country name in the list below. This will narrow the search to corresponding African ports from which the Africans embarked. Angola Benin Cameroon Congo Congo (Democratic Republic of the) Equatorial Guinea Gabon Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Liberia Mozambique Nigeria Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone The Gambia
Select gender (optional) Male Female By selecting gender, you will narrow the search to show only male or female Africans.

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