Nearly 4 million records detailing the lives of enslaved people across 20 former British colonies have become available online for the first time. These records, digitized and indexed by the genealogy company Ancestry, were created in partnership with the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London. The collection, known as the Former British Colonies Enslavement Registers, provides a vast resource for descendants of enslaved people across the African-Caribbean and wider African diasporas, helping them uncover their family histories. The records span about 300,000 pages and cover the period from 1813 to 1840, documenting enslaved people in former British colonies such as the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, Jamaica, Mauritius, and Trinidad. These registers were created by the British government after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in 1807. Their purpose was to prevent illegal trading and to monitor the enslaved population. The records are detailed, including names, ages, physical descriptions, family ties, and information about births, deaths, and transfers of ownership. Some entries even distinguish whether a person was born in Africa or in the Caribbean. Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional genealogist and senior story producer at Ancestry, emphasized the significance of the collection. Originally created to count enslaved people as property, the records are now being used by their descendants to reconstruct family histories. "When I use these records to unearth my enslaved ancestors, I'm using them for a purpose that was different than what it was initially intended for," she said. The digitization of the records removes practical barriers for those seeking their family histories. Instead of needing to navigate physical archives in London, users can now search by name through Ancestry's platform. Prof. Matthew J. Smith, director of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London, described the registers as "the most systematic set of archival documents we have on enslavement in the British Caribbean and British colonial world." The release of the collection follows the publication of the Register of British Slave Traders, which highlighted the scale of Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Smith noted that the records offer a new perspective on the lives of enslaved people, allowing researchers to trace family histories and uncover stories of survival and resistance. The collection is free to search and accessible to anyone with an Ancestry account, opening new opportunities for descendants to connect with their heritage.