The Northeast Slavery Record Index (NESRI) is an absolutely invaluable resource for researchers of slavery in New Jersey. It is a searchable database of digitized slavery records of various kinds including "census records, slave trade transactions, cemetery records, birth certifications, manumissions, ship inventories, newspaper accounts, private narratives, legal documents and many other sources." You can search by date, place name, enslaver name, or name of the enslaved. The database is a collaborative project with many sponsors and contributors, but is hosted by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The website hosts a very helpful article by Ned Benton and Judy Lynne-Peters about "How Religious Institutions Can Study and Redress Historical Enslavement." The documentation of slavery is obviously not exhaustive, but it is an excellent starting point for churches looking to investigate the ties to slavery of former members or leaders of their congregation.
Jolyon G. R. Pruszinski, Ph.D.
Reparations Commission Research Historian
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
