1792-1793: The ship Nancy completed at least three voyages between Richmond, Virginia, and the revolutionary ports of Saint-Domingue.

1792-1793: The ship Nancy completed at least three voyages between Richmond, Virginia, and the revolutionary ports of Saint-Domingue. The vessel’s crew included a black cook from Richmond who witnessed the escalating conflict in the French colony firsthand. During a stop at Port-au-Prince and Cayes in late 1793, the ship took on several French passengers, including two blacks and two mulattoes seeking passage to North America. Such merchant voyages served as critical, if informal, conduits for the exchange of revolutionary ideas and people. The Nancy’s frequent travel exemplified the persistent commercial links that defied imperial efforts to isolate the rebellion.