CNN News:弗吉尼亚史学学会成功开创家谱网站

A historical society in Virginia is running a unique genealogy project. It`s using information from millions of old letters, books and diaries to identify more than a thousand slaves whose names have been lost.

在弗吉尼亚州一个史学学会正在研究一项特别的家谱项目。这个项目主要查询翻阅大量古老信件，书籍和日记来重新找回那些曾作为奴隶而被更改掉的名字。

The historians running the project hope it`ll help Americans, both black and white, learn about their ancestors. Athena Jones has the details.

历史学家称研发这一项目的目的是帮助美国人，无论是黑人还是白人，了解更多本家族先祖信息。下面是Athena Jones发回的详细报道。

African slaves first arrived in Virginia in 1619. Now in fading ink and yellowed paper, more of their stories are being told.

第一批从非洲运过来的奴隶在1619年到达弗吉尼亚。现在根据泛黄的古书及古老的文字，他们的故事也将详细展开。

This is just the beginning.

这只是此次研究项目的开始。

A new online database allows users to track down information about their ancestors in this state, whether they were slaves, free blacks or slave owners, says Dr. Lauranett Lee.

Lauranett Lee教授说，在网上我们设立了一个新的数据库，可以方便人们查找自己家族的信息，无论是奴隶，或者自由黑人亦或是奴隶主都可以查到相关家族信息。

You can see all of the enslaved people that were listed in this broadside.

在这里你可以看到所有被奴役的人名单。

More than 80 people came to the Virginia Historical Society`s first workshop to learn how to navigate their site, including a history teacher, who flew in from Indiana --

已经有80多人来到弗吉尼亚史学学会第一个工作室来询问这个网站的使用方法，其中还有一位从印第安纳州飞过来的历史老师。

I think it is just innately human to want to know our origins.

我只是觉得想要了解自己的来源是人的本性。

-- an amateur genealogist, Robert Payne --

还有一位家谱爱好者Robert Payne

Researching black folk is difficult. So, anytime you can find a new resource, it is always good to investigate.

Robert Payne说研究黑人历史非常困难，所以每次碰到新资源的时候都会去咨询了解一下。

The Unknown No Longer project and workshops, made possible with $125,000 in grants from the energy company, Dominion, is aimed at helping people fill in the gaps in their own family history, and, in the process, the nations.

“知道”项目和工作室可能有125,000美元来自能源公司Dominion的拨款，这样做的目的是为了帮助人们弥补自己家族历史上缺少的时光，同样也填补一下国家的历史。

We`re not only looking at African-American history, we`re looking at American history, from a Virginia perspective.

我们没有只顾找寻非裔美国人历史，我们也在寻找美国历史。一个弗吉尼亚人说。

The society has amassed more than 8 million documents, donated mostly by well-to-do Virginia families.

学会已经累积了800万份文件，这些文件大都是来自弗吉尼亚富裕家庭的捐赠。

More slaves lived in Virginia than in any other state. And this city, Richmond, was at the heart of the U.S. slave trade. Many black men, women and children were brought here to be sold to other states.

居住在弗吉尼亚的奴隶数量要远远高于其他地区。而弗吉尼亚首府里士满则是美国奴隶交易的中心。大量的黑人被带到这里卖到其他地区，无论是男人，女人或者孩子。

Some 3,200 names of slaves, free blacks and slaveholders have been entered into the database so far, and the site is updated weekly.

目前为止已经有3200种奴隶，自由黑人和奴隶主的名字被输入到了这个网站上，并保持每周更新。

For so long people did not know who their ancestors were, did not know where to even go to look for it. And it`s important for people to know who they are, because having that sense of identity enables people to have a sense of dignity, a sense of knowing who they are within this American landscape.

人们已经有很长一段时间不知道自己的先祖是谁了，甚至不知道到哪里去找。了解自己的家族史是非常重要的，因为归属感可以给予人们尊严，在美国这片广阔的土地上认识自己。

The documents, deeds and wills, papers granting slaves their freedom, and even passes that allowed slaves from one plantation to visit another, are now searchable for free with the click of a button. Assistant archivist Paige Newman walked me through a search of a slave inventory list.

文件，契约和意愿，宣告奴隶自由的文件，还有允许奴隶拜访参观其他农场的通行证，这些都可以鼠标轻轻一点就可以实现。档案管理助手Paige Newman带我参观了一个奴隶详细目录清单。

So, you`ve got the names, the ages, their occupation.

所以你们已经掌握了姓名，年龄和他们的职业。

And values.

和价值。

The Virginia Historical Society is helping to fill in the details of America`s slave history, uncovering pieces of the past, name by name -- Athena Jones, CNN, Richmond, Virginia.

弗吉尼亚史学学会正在努力填补美国奴隶历史缺失的信息，一个名字接一个名字的查找翻阅。CNN记者Athena Jones在里士满为您报道。