Project FAQs

If you don't see an answer to your question below, please feel free to contact us, and we'll get back to you as soon as we are able. Thank you for your patience.

Are all North Carolina counties included? Are all included counties complete?

Unfortunately not. A complete list of available counties may be found here, as well as our progress in completing them.

Do you have definitions of the names, terms, and attributes you apply to the data elements that are being used or captured in the database?

Yes. Our data dictionary is a collection of elements, definitions, and attributes about data elements that are being used or captured in the project. It describes the meanings and purposes of data elements within the context of the project, and provides guidance on interpretation, accepted meanings and representation. The metadata included in the Data Dictionary can assist in defining the scope and characteristics of data elements, as well the rules for their usage and application. In the interest of interoperability and shareability, it is important that the same elements, attributes, and values are used consistently. We have an extensive data dictionary available here.

May I use your images or data elsewhere or in my personal research?

Absolutely. You may view more details on associated copyright holders and rights here, and location and specific contributor information can be found on each document page.

We do ask that you credit us as your source.

Do you have a statement of ethics?

People Not Property is a part of the larger Digital Library on American Slavery, which operates under this statement of ethics.

Are you still accepting project volunteers?

We are! Different counties are at different stages of the location, metadata, or digitization process, which means there are different needs in each county. There are several things volunteers can do to contribute to the People Not Property project, and most of them can be done from any computer with an internet connection. When you sign up as a volunteer, you have the option of locating and labeling deeds, applying metadata to documents, image editing, or full-text transcription. Please contact the DLAS project team for more information.

Our volunteer handbook provides a lot more information, and is available here.

I've found an error in your data collection. How do I let you know?

Firstly, we appreciate your caring enough about this work to want to make it better. As there are many different hands involved in this project, some inaccuracies are unfortunately inevitable. Please contact us directly and let us know as much detail as you can.

I don't see any images for your Washington DC records?

Unfortunately, we do not have access to any images of the documents originating in Washington DC at this time.