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UNDERSTANDING THE DATABASE
Guide
Methodology
Introduction
Coverage of the Slave Trade
Nature of Sources
Cases and Variables
Data Variables
Age Categories
Dates
Names
Imputed Variables
Geographic Data
Imputed Voyage Dates
Classification as a Trans-Atlantic Slaving Voyage
Voyage Outcomes
Inferring Places of Trade
Imputing Numbers of Slaves
Regions of Embarkation and Disembarkation
Age and Gender Ratios
National Carriers
Tonnage
Resistance and Price of Slaves
Appendix
Notes
Variable List
Sources
Documentary Sources
Newspapers
Published Sources
Unpublished Secondary Sources
Private Notes and Collections

Construction of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database: Sources and Methods

David Eltis (Emory University), 2010

Appendix

Derivation of Estimated number of Captives Carried on Vessels in the Voyages Database for which such Information cannot be obtained from the Sources

Voyage groupings for estimating imputed slaves Average number of captives embarked number Sd Average number of captives disembarked number sd
Spanish, America, pre-1626 202.31 197 90.270 166.04 554 83.834
Spanish, America, 1626-41 294.00 6 148.592 151.59 148 89.002
Steamer 897.3 6 259.8 1004.5 17 399.9
pre1716 French 337.73 77 166.615 243.42 102 133.234
Sumaca, pre-1751 211.5 14 68.1 229.6 25 170.4
Sumaca, 1751-76 290.2 73 82.4 223.8 60 89.7
Sumaca, 1776-1800 348.47 32 132.867 257.53 92 133.389
Sumaca, 1800-25 224.90 51 99.849 215.80 76 95.231
Sumaca,1826-66 317.4 10 102.2 241.5 13 107.4
pre-1650 Dutch 294.60 93 173.351 230.04 24 144.972
1650-73 Dutch 369.8 14 325.5 273.8 22 95.1
1674-1730Dutch 506.49 45 150.906 449.11 141 148.869
post1730Dutch 427.83 24 180.471 284.18 443 105.572
pre-1801 Bahia 488.9 10 280 469.4 9 268.7
1801-25 Bahia 246 4 187.1 245.3 13 165.7
post-1825 Bahia 367.3 35 162.6 330.1 47 156.1
Balandra 223.25 4 124.623 127.00 37 89.299
Barque, pre-1826 109.00 7 65.465 163.00 7 50.127
Barque, 1826-50 614.3 8 371.3 638.3 63 237.1
Barque, 1851-75 821.9 9 300.8 655.5 23 212.5
Barqua 572.4 16 143.7 516.5 20 127
B. of Benin, pre-1700 418.5 86 153.1 308.3 131 137.3
B. of Benin, 1700-1800 356.3 513 130.7 313.1 533 129.1
B. of Benin, post-1800 344.5 10 165 439 9 183.9
Bergantine pre-1776 246.8 19 97.6 193.7 39 137.7
Bergantine, 1776-1800 308.64 47 160.872 245.03 94 135.516
Bergantine,1801-25 416.05 566 147.940 349.66 795 137.344
Bergantine, 1826-75 454.9 134 129.1 419.6 147 132.2
B. of Biafra, pre-1700 229.4 44 90.4 175 109 68.6
B. of Biafra, 1700-1800 264.50 140 122.542 208.58 327 102.100
B. of Biafra, post-1800 311.50 52 166.587 261.17 30 139.853
Brig, pre-1751 158.00 2 11.314 151.68 50 53.620
Brig, 1751-75 141.58 26 74.330 150.12 112 64.340
Brig, 1776-1800 200.05 88 75.051 197.70 245 75.812
Brig,1801-25 332.89 140 139.831 264.35 294 139.074
Brig, 1826-50 455.52 263 169.065 441.45 539 161.244
Brig, post-1850 489.1 7 210.2 461.6 36 140.3
Brigantine, pre-1776 143.00 45 66.852 131.28 307 58.214
Brigantine, 1776-1800 111 1 . 216.6 11 65.9
Brigantine,1801-25 206.1 7 83.6 255.9 121 118.4
Brigantine, 1825-50 372 79 182.7 361.1 159 163.5
Brigantine, post-1850 471.3 7 286.5 480.1 28 199.8
Buque, pre-1726 406.2 6 102.1 319.7 30 122.5
Buque, 1726-1825 409 1 . 228.5 11 113
Chalupa 235 4 72.4 152.9 13 78.4
Charrua 329 5 131.1 319.3 7 133
Curveta, pre-1751 335.5 75 83.5 272.2 50 95
Curveta, 1751-75 348.9 217 106.7 277.3 199 112.1
Curveta, 1776-1800 371.7 210 162.9 323.5 343 145.8
Curveta, post-1800 496.7 172 125.9 435.7 195 120.9
Danish, pre-1794 228.9 8 73.7   0 0
Danish, 1794-1806 248.75 4 134.624 103.37 35 64.620
Felucca 246.8 5 207.2 340.2 26 148.3
Fluit 440.3 19 139 391 29 145.1
Fregata, pre-1726 349.8 34 134.3 299 56 155.2
Fregata, 1726-75 348.5 88 103.6 310.4 123 126.4
Fregata, 1776-1800 293.83 24 186.580 250.01 70 109.670
Fregata, 1801-75 278.50 40 170.848 260.85 113 144.831
Galera 1751-76 400.7 69 190.1 285.6 90 183.5
Galera 1776-1800 371.7 67 205 335.7 79 194.4
Galera 1801-25 548.22 206 149.986 471.80 225 148.001
Galera 1851-76 600.5 62 164.2 536.8 70 150.5
Galera pre-1751 444 114 129.6 403.3 157 141.5
Galeta1826-50 321.5 11 160.4 267.8 27 145.3
Galeta1851-75 423.5 2 470.2 345.3 7 273
Galeta pre-1826 135.00 8 94.132 207.46 253 99.857
Gold Coast 1700 262.40 276 127.768 236.09 401 100.969
Gold Coast pre-1700 316.9 36 208.1 242.2 52 141.5
Iate1826-75 421.6 7 155.2 282 48 138.8
Iatepre1826 296.5 57 136.4 245.4 52 147.7
Navio mercante 452.81 81 130.878 416.40 43 135.734
No rig1651-75 306 5 135.1 261.3 32 194.4
No rig1676-1700 394.14 9 227.381 197.13 134 126.711
No rig1701-25 259.80 15 159.055 191.23 452 96.613
No rig1726-50 252.75 32 142.072 219.80 207 102.928
No rig1751-75 303.95 38 162.826 209.63 141 122.447
No rig1776-1800 327.34 35 139.387 261.99 135 136.246
No rig1801-25 287.88 16 137.678 196.95 38 126.512
No rig1826-50 387 6 421.7 444.3 109 236.2
No rig1851-75 658.25 4 192.697 493.52 83 195.890
North American pre-1851 151.24 51 107.774 128.82 100 120.562
Paquete 302 4 86.4 211 7 118
Patacho 306.37 63 100.737 328.20 169 111.944
Penque 359.50 12 112.237 262.22 9 104.588
Pilot boat 273.5 2 37.5 270.8 13 133.8
Polacca 738.7 3 300 428.9 27 231.8
Schooner 1776-1800 115.38 34 89.828 107.08 106 63.277
Schooner, 1801-1825 205.81 108 145.115 167.76 221 111.227
Schooner 1826-1850 264.2 249 117.9 278.7 488 137.5
Schooner 1851-1875 327.7 13 243 322.2 26 171.1
Schooner brig 322 35 97.4 335.8 86 111.3
Schooner pre-1776 67.9 10 34.8 100.6 50 85.9
Southeast Africa 1700-1800 425.1 14 210.9 266.6 72 121.6
Southeast Africa post-1800 454.27 26 193.133 404.07 27 182.214
Southeast Africa pre-1700 129.5 4 57 192.3 18 77.3
Senegambia 1700-1800 183.28 160 133.347 149.41 263 103.003
Senegambia post-1800 123.6 13 99.9 159 16 94.2
Senegambia pre1700 218.5 43 129.7 155.3 43 70.4
Ship 1726-1750 345.88 17 121.370 297.95 291 126.344
Ship 1751-1775 352.81 162 126.256 287.25 661 105.576
Ship 1776-1800 354.74 504 123.855 329.04 1368 118.698
Ship 1801-1825 359.42 38 185.171 278.02 651 79.868
Ship 1826-1850 597 21 263 532.7 29 199.8
Ship 1851-75 915.3 3 257.1 768.7 9 154.9
Ship pre-1726 282.39 41 150.718 212.61 135 107.084
Sierra Leone 1700-1800 204.9 59 156 205.7 115 136.9
Sierra Leone post-1800 246.7 23 163 245.5 16 180.2
Sloop 1751-76 86.46 24 35.101 67.76 72 37.266
Sloop 1776-1800 94.4 8 80.5 92.9 36 41.5
Sloop 1801-76 128 4 59.2 101.4 10 54.9
Sloop pre1751 123.4 15 69.4 108.2 92 38.8
Sierra Leone pre-1700 126.9 12 26.2 92.5 13 39.5
Smack 314 7 128.3 257.3 57 112.3
Small craft 111.7 12 68.2 99.6 35 55.6
Snow 1726-50 195.9 9 26.7 194.8 185 70.2
Snow 1751-75 217.99 105 93.297 201.24 560 71.436
Snow 1776-1800 258.3 28 78.5 210.7 59 85.3
Snow 1801-76 192 2 18.4 167.6 13 47.2
Snow pre-1726 165.7 3 51.1 119.8 30 45.2
Spanish 1642-1662 314.6 9 321.6 250.9 17 219
US barque 1826-75 743 13 215 569.7 28 177.7
US brig 1776-1800 108 55 26.6 107.4 44 55.9
US brig 1801-25 127.87 79 46.116 130.16 99 55.770
US brigantine 1776-1825 83.33 3 33.292 127.60 25 46.718
US brigantine post1825 420.3 4 136.8 436.5 12 158.1
US brigantine pre-1776 99.11 9 51.238 100.09 22 40.641
US brig post-1825 595.55 11 130.565 557.60 30 145.358
US brig pre-1776 127.33 54 46.345 102.63 71 44.573
US schooner, 1776-1800 80.56 48 38.606 76.16 44 36.740
US schooner, 1801-1825 89.18 28 17.938 88.28 81 28.786
US schooner, 1826-75 405.4 7 201.2 398.2 13 169.3
US schooner, pre-1776 75.28 18 35.009 73.96 23 36.548
US ship1776-1800 172.22 32 87.656 166.27 30 93.367
US ship1801-1825 213.73 48 89.537 190.14 57 97.380
US ship post-1825 1126.8 6 210.1 1003 10 331.4
US ship pre-1776 188.3 22 82.4 155.2 36 72.7
US sloop 79.92 144 31.352 70.38 144 31.610
US snow 115.9 53 38.7 119.8 41 66.7
W Central Africa 1700-1800 382.74 479 149.334 351.87 859 139.851
W Central Africa post-1800 419.1 63 162.9 372 76 161.7
W Central Africa pre-1700 369.21 19 175.169 331.00 54 135.556
Windward C. 1700-1800 219.5 23 112.5 177.8 51 102.2

Resistance and Price of Slaves Notes
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