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United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions
United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner - FamilySearch Historical Records (view source)
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| RW_URL_06 =[http://www.fivay.org/freedmen.html Early Hernando County History Freedmen's Bureau] | | RW_URL_06 =[http://www.fivay.org/freedmen.html Early Hernando County History Freedmen's Bureau] | ||
| RW_URL_07 =[https://www.floridamemory.com/collections/freedmen/ Jefferson County, Florida Labor Contracts] | | RW_URL_07 =[https://www.floridamemory.com/collections/freedmen/ Jefferson County, Florida Labor Contracts] | ||
|RW_URL_08 =[https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/105.html Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands] | |||
}} | }} | ||
== What is in the Collection? == | == What is in the Collection? == | ||
The collection consists of images of records of the Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s Bureau). The bureau was created in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War to supervise relief efforts including education, health care, food and clothing, refugee camps, legalization of marriages, employment, labor contracts, and securing back pay, bounty payments and pensions. | The collection consists of images of records of the Assistant Commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s Bureau). The bureau was created in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War to supervise relief efforts including education, health care, food and clothing, refugee camps, legalization of marriages, employment, labor contracts, and securing military benefits such as back pay, bounty payments and pensions. | ||
These records include, letters and registers of letters sent and received, reports, endorsements, telegrams, issuances, account books, applications for rations, applications for relief, court records, labor contracts, registers of bounty claimants, registers of complaints, registers of contracts, registers of disbursements, registers of freedmen issued rations, registers of patients, reports, rosters of officers and employees, special and general orders and circulars received, special orders and circulars issued, records relating to claims, court trials, property restoration, and homesteads. | These records include, letters and registers of letters sent and received, reports, endorsements, telegrams, issuances, account books, applications for rations, applications for relief, court records, labor contracts, registers of bounty claimants, registers of complaints, registers of contracts, registers of disbursements, registers of freedmen issued rations, registers of patients, reports, rosters of officers and employees, special and general orders and circulars received, special orders and circulars issued, records relating to claims, court trials, property restoration, and homesteads. | ||
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*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m821.pdf Texas, M821] | *[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m821.pdf Texas, M821] | ||
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1048.pdf Virginia, M1048] | *[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1048.pdf Virginia, M1048] | ||
== General Information About Freedmen's Bureau Records == | |||
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established in the War Department in March of 1865. It was commonly called the Freedman’s Bureau and was responsible for the management and supervision of matters relating to refuges, freedmen, and abandoned lands. The Bureau assisted disenfranchised Americans, primarily African Americans, with temporal, legal and financial matters, with the intent of helping people to become self-sufficient. Matters handled included the distributing of food and clothing; operating temporary medical facilities; acquiring back pay, bounty payments, and pensions; facilitating the creation of schools, including the founding of Howard University; reuniting family members; handling marriages; and providing banking services. Banking services were provided by the establishment of the Freedman’s Saving and Trust Company, or Freedman’s Bank. <br><br> | |||
The Bureau functioned as an agency of the War Department from approximately June 1865 until December 1868. In 1872, the functions of the Bureau were transferred to the Freedmen’s Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office.<br> <br> | |||
The Bureau assisted over one million African Americans, including many of the nearly four million emancipated slaves, which was over 25% of the population of former slaves in America. <br><br> | |||
The records identify those who sought help from the Bureau at the end of the Civil War. Most supplicants were freed slaves, some of which were military veterans. In addition, a few veterans who were not African Americans also sought help from the Bureau. Freedmen’s Bureau records are usually reliable, because the records were supplied through first-person correspondence or the recording of a marriage. | |||
===To Browse This Collection=== | ===To Browse This Collection=== | ||
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|title=North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 | |title=North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 | ||
}} | }} | ||
==What Can this Collection Tell Me?== | |||
The records usually include: | |||
*Name of the freedman | |||
*Name of the freedman’s former owner | |||
*Date of the record | |||
*Birthplace | |||
*Residence | |||
*Age | |||
*Document dates | |||
== Collection Contents == | == Collection Contents == | ||
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* Tallahassee, Roll 15, Records Relating to Court Trials; Register of Freedmen Issued Rations | * Tallahassee, Roll 15, Records Relating to Court Trials; Register of Freedmen Issued Rations | ||
== How Do I Search the Collection? == | == How Do I Search the Collection? == | ||
To begin your search it is helpful to know | You can search the index, view the images or both. Before using this collection, it is helpful to know: | ||
To begin your search, it is helpful to know one or more of the following: | |||
*The name of your ancestor. | *The name of your ancestor. | ||
*The approximate age of your ancestor. | *The approximate age of your ancestor. | ||
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*The name of the former slave owner. | *The name of the former slave owner. | ||
=== Search the Index === | |||
Search by name by visiting the [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1803698 Collection Page]. | |||
#Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have | |||
#Click '''Search''' to show possible matches | |||
'''View images in this collection by visiting the [https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/recapi/sord/collection/1803698/waypoints Browse Page] | === View the Images === | ||
'''View images in this collection by visiting the | |||
[https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/recapi/sord/collection/1803698/waypoints Browse Page] then select the appropriate "NARA Roll Number-Contents". | |||
=== How Do I Analyze the Results? === | |||
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. | |||
For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [[FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks]]. | For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [[FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks]]. | ||
== What Do I Do Next? == | == What Do I Do Next? == | ||
=== I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now? === | === I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now? === | ||
*Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records | *Add any new information to your records | ||
*Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information that could lead you to additional records or family members (Witnesses or bondsmen were usually relatives) | |||
*Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family | *Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section [[#Citing this Collection|Citing this Collection]] for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image | ||
*Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records | |||
*Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family | |||
*[[United States Church Records| Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900. | *[[United States Church Records| Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900. | ||
=== I Can’t Find | === I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now? === | ||
*Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. | *Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. | ||
*Collect entries for every person who has the same surname | *Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name. | ||
* | *Collect entries for every person who has the same surname to help you identify possible relations | ||
* | *Try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search | ||
*Former slaves may have had used multiple names or changed their names until they decided upon one particular name | *Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images | ||
*Remember that sometimes individuals went by [http://usgenweb.org/research/nicknames.shtml nicknames] or alternated between using first and middle names | *Former slaves may have had used multiple names or changed their names until they decided upon one particular name; search all possible names along with variations or spellings of their known names | ||
*Remember that sometimes individuals went by [http://usgenweb.org/research/nicknames.shtml nicknames] or alternated between using first and middle names; try searching for [http://genealogy.about.com/od/first_names/fl/nickname-given-name-equivalents.htm these names] as well. | |||
*Search the indexes and records of [[United States Genealogy]]. | *Search the indexes and records of [[United States Genealogy]]. | ||
*Search in the [[United States Archives and Libraries]]. | *Search in the [[United States Archives and Libraries]]. | ||
{{Tip|More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/2427901 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872]. Click on camera icon to see images.}} | {{Tip|More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/2427901 United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872]. Click on camera icon to see images.}} | ||
== Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles == | == Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles == | ||