United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

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| FS_URL_01 = [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
| FS_URL_01 = [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
| FS_URL_02 = [[United States Record Finder]]
| FS_URL_02 = [[United States Record Finder]]
| FS_URL_03 = [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
| FS_URL_03 = [[United States Research Tips and Strategies|Research Tips and Strategies]]
| FS_URL_04 = [[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records]]   
| FS_URL_04 = [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2431126?collectionNameFilter=false Records of the Commissioner]
| FS_URL_05 = [[Quick Guide to African American Records]]   
| FS_URL_05 = [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2427894?collectionNameFilter=false Superintendent of Education and the Division of Education Records]
| FS_URL_06 = [[African American Research]]  
| FS_URL_06 = [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417695?collectionNameFilter=true Freedmen’s Bank]
| FS_URL_07 = [[African American Slavery and Bondage]]
| FS_URL_07 = [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/537206?availability=Family%20History%20Library Florida Voter Registrations, 1867-1868]
| FS_URL_08 = 
| FS_URL_08 = [[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records]]   
| FS_URL_09 = 
| FS_URL_09 = [[Quick Guide to African American Records]]   
| FS_URL_10 =
| FS_URL_10 = [[African American Research]]  
| FS_URL_11 =
| FS_URL_11 = [[African American Slavery and Bondage]]
| FS_URL_12 =  
| FS_URL_12 =  
| RW_URL_01 =[http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/summer/freedmens-bureau-records.html NARA Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview]  
| RW_URL_01 =[http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/summer/freedmens-bureau-records.html NARA Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview]  
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| RW_URL_03 =[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]   
| RW_URL_03 =[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]   
| RW_URL_04 =[http://freedmensbureau.com/ The Freedmen's Bureau Online]. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.   
| RW_URL_04 =[http://freedmensbureau.com/ The Freedmen's Bureau Online]. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.   
| RW_URL_05 =Suffolk University, Boston [http://suffolk.libguides.com/content.php?pid=117960&sid=1828859 African American Studies Resource Guide: Freedmen's Bureau and Freedmans Bank Records]
| RW_URL_05 =[http://suffolk.libguides.com/content.php?pid=117960&sid=1828859 Suffolk University, Boston]
| 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]
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|RW_URL_10 =[https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/index/page/1?q=%28freedmen%27s+bureau+OR+tt%3Afreedmen%27s+bureau%5E10%29&query=freedmen%27s+bureau  Florida Labor Contracts Florida Archives]
|RW_URL_10 =[https://www.floridamemory.com/solr-search/results/index/page/1?q=%28freedmen%27s+bureau+OR+tt%3Afreedmen%27s+bureau%5E10%29&query=freedmen%27s+bureau  Florida Labor Contracts Florida Archives]
}}
}}
== What is in This 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) which 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 legal and financial matters including the distributing of food and clothing; operating temporary medical facilities; acquiring  military benefits such as 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.  The intent of the Bureau was to help people to become self-sufficient.


'''Administrative Histories: Office of the Assistant Commissioner - National Archives '''
== Why Should I Look at This Collection? ==
{{col-begin|width=49%}}
The United States Freedmen's Bureau, records of the Office of the Assistant Commissioner identifies African Americans 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.The following link will provide a description of the record types found in this and other Freedmen’s Bureau collections. [[Freedmen's Bureau Record Types]]  
{{col-break}}
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452470 Alabama]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10470645 Arkansas]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10456484 District of Columbia]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10457678 Florida]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10474454 Georgia]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10474301 Kentucky]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452304 Louisiana]
{{col-break}}
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10475117 Maryland]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10472437 Mississippi]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452305 North Carolina]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10471937 South Carolina]  
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452291 Tennessee]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10473639 Texas]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10469399 Virginia]
{{col-end}}


*See also:
'''Administrative Histories'''
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10553759 War Department. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Virginia. Fredericksburg Field Office. Office of the Assistant Superintendent, First Division, 6th Subdistrict. (07/1866 - 12/1868)]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452470 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Alabama]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10554399 War Department. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Virginia. Heathsville Field Office. (1865 - 12/1868)]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10470645 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Arkansas]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10456484 Office of the Assistant Commissioner District of Columbia]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10457678 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Florida]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10474454 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Georgia]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10474301 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Kentucky]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452304 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Louisiana]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10475117 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Maryland]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10472437 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Mississippi]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452305 Office of the Assistant Commissioner North Carolina]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10471937 Office of the Assistant Commissioner South Carolina]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10473639 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Texas]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10469399 Office of the Assistant Commissioner Virginia]


== What is in This Collection? ==


'''Related Sources '''
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) which 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 legal and financial matters including the distributing of food and clothing; operating temporary medical facilities; acquiring  military benefits such as 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. The intent of the Bureau was to help people to become self-sufficient.<br><br>
*[https://archive.org/stream/annualreportofas00howa#page/n1/mode/2up Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. ''Annual Report of the Assistant Commissioner. For the District of Columbia and West Virginia. For the Year Ending October 22, 1867.'' (Washington, 1867)]
The Bureau functioned as an agency of the War Department from approximately June 1865 until December 1868, and 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. In 1872, the functions of the Bureau were transferred to the Freedmen’s Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office.<br><br>


'''Assistant Commissioner records National Archive microfilm publications' included in this publication'''
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.
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m809.pdf  Alabama M809]  
 
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m979.pdf  Arkansas M979]
This collection corresponds with the following NARA microfilm publications:
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1055.pdf District of Columbia M1055]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m809.pdf  Alabama, M809]  
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1869.pdf Florida M1869]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m979.pdf  Arkansas, M979]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m798.pdf Georgia M798]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1055.pdf District of Columbia, M1055]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1027.pdf Louisiana M1027]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m798.pdf Georgia, M798]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m826.pdf Mississippi M826]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1027.pdf Louisiana, M1027]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m826.pdf Mississippi, M826]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m843.pdf North Carolina M843]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m843.pdf North Carolina M843]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m869.pdf South Carolina M869]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m869.pdf South Carolina, M869]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m999.pdf Tennessee M999]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m999.pdf Tennessee, M999]
*[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]
*[https://www.archives.gov/files/research/microfilm/m1869.pdf Florida, M1869]


''' Tennessee Assistant Commissioner'''
'''[https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States,_Freedmen%27s_Bureau,_Records_of_the_Assistant_Commissioner,_Inventory_(Florida) Filmed with the Florida Assistant Commissioner Records:''']
*'''Browse Images of the Kentucky Assistant Commissioner records will be located in the {{RecordSearch|2333771|Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}'''
*'''Florida, Field Office Records''' see [[Freedman’s Bureau Florida Field Office Personnel Coverage Table]]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10543199 War Department. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Tennessee. Subdistrict of Memphis. Office of the Rental Agent. (1862 - 1867)]
*Records with Freedmen and Refugee Names:
** Reports: Roll 9, Monthly Reports of Abandoned or Confiscated Lands
**Reports: Roll 10, Unregistered Monthly Reports of Homesteads Located by Bureau Agents
** Other Records, Rolls Records Relating to Restoration of Property
**Other Records, Roll 11, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Acre-Owens
** Other Records, Roll 12, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Page-Young
** Claims Agent, Roll 14, Register of Bounty Claimants
** Jacksonville, Roll 14, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations
** Quincy, Roll 15, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations 
** Tallahassee, Roll 15, Records Relating to Court Trials; Register of Freedmen Issued Rations<br><br>


''' Publication Notes '''
For additional information about the Freedman's Bureau and the microfilm publications included in this collection visit the [https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau] page of the NARA African American Heritage Collection.
*Tennessee: Roll 7, DGS 7677357 Browse Images 907-919 Registers of letters received, H-L, 1865. Images 1-13 is a census of freedmen at Tunnel Hill, dated August 1865. Includes name, age, residence, former masters name. Click [https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TD-P73W?i=906&cc=2427901&cat=362879 this link] to go to the first image of the census.


=== Florida Field Office Records ===
===To Browse This Collection===
Florida Field Office records were filmed with the records of the Florida Assistant Commissioner Records. See [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner (Florida)]] for details.
{{Collection_Browse_Link
|CID=CID2427901
|title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872
}}


'''Records with Freedmen and Refugee Names'''
{{Collection_Browse_Link
* Reports: Roll 9, Monthly Reports of Abandoned or Confiscated Lands
|CID=CID1803698
*Reports: Roll 10, Unregistered Monthly Reports of Homesteads Located by Bureau Agents
|title=North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870
*Other Records, Rolls Records Relating to Restoration of Property
}}
*Other Records, Roll 11, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Acre-Owens
*Other Records, Roll 12, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Page-Young
*Claims Agent, Roll 14, Register of Bounty Claimants
*Jacksonville, Roll 14, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations
*Quincy, Roll 15, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations 
*Tallahassee, Roll 15, Records Relating to Court Trials; Register of Freedmen Issued Rations
'''Subordinate Field Offices'''
{| class="wikitable"
! Field Office Location !! Name !! Position !! Dates Served
|-
| Barancas || L. L. Zalousky || Subassistant Commissioner || January - August 1866
|-
| Fernandina || Thomas Leddy || Subassistant Commissioner || January - August 1866
|-
| Fernandina || A. A. Cole || Subassistant Commissioner || August 1866 - July 1867
|-
| Fernandina || D. A. Hammond  || (Subassistant Commissioner <br>and Post Commander) || July 1867 - December 1868
|-
| Jacksonville ||  || Subassistant Commissioner and Agent ||
|-
| Key West || J. B. Rawles || Subassistant Commissioner || December 1867 - January 1869
|-
| Monticello || A. B. Grumwell || Subassistant Commissioner || May 1866 - May 1868
|-
| Ocala || J. A. Remley || Subassistant Commissioner || June 1866 - November 1868
|-
| Pensacola || F. M. Cole || Subassistant Commissioner || February - August 1866
|-
| Pensacola || J. R. Brinckle || Subassistant Commissioner || October 1866 - January 1867
|-
| Quincy ||  || Subassistant Commissioner ||
|-
| Tallahassee ||  || Subassistant Commissioner ||
|}
''' Related Collections'''
*[https://www.floridamemory.com/collections/election1867/ Voter Registration Rolls, 1867-68. Florida Memory. State Library & Archives of Florida]
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10452640 Third Military District. 3.11.1867-7.28.1868] Jurisdictions: Alabama, Florida, Georgia]


''' FamilySearch Catalog '''
==What Can These Records Tell Me?==
*{{FSC|537206|item|disp=Florida Secretary of State, Voter registration rolls, 1867-1905}}
*''"Census" Department for the South, November 1864, for Jacksonville, Fernandina and St. Augustine, Florida : ordered by the Department of the South, Hilton Head, South Carolina.'' Florida State Genealogical Society. {{FSC|1046870|item|disp=FS Library 975.91 X2f}}
*Delbra D. McGriff, comp. ''The Black experience : a guide to Afro-American resources in the Florida State Archives'' Tallahassee, Florida : Florida Department of State Division of Library and Information Services, 1991 {{FSC|618437|item|disp=FS Library 975.9 A1 no. 122}}


''' FamilySearch Historical Records '''
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/3326846 Florida, County Voter Registration Records, 1867-1905]
=== General Information about Freedmen's Bureau Records ===
The United States Freedmen's Bureau, records of the Office of the Assistant Commissioner identifies African Americans 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. The following link will provide a description of the record types found in this and other Freedmen’s Bureau collections. [[Freedmen's Bureau Record Types]]
The Bureau functioned as an agency of the War Department from approximately June 1865 until December 1868, and 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. In 1872, the functions of the Bureau were transferred to the Freedmen’s Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office.<br><br>
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.
=== National Museum of African American History & Culture ===
The museum is working with the Smithsonian Transcription Center and volunteers to transcribe the records of the Bureau.
*[https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/freedmens-bureau-records Freedmen's Bureau Transcription Project.]
*[https://nmaahc.si.edu/about-freedmens-bureau-database-records About The Freedmen's Bureau Database Records]
*[https://transcription.si.edu/node/92 FREEDMEN'S BUREAU ABBREVIATIONS, STAFF ROSTERS, AND STYLE SHEETS]
*[https://transcription.si.edu/browse?filter=owner%3A16 Freedmen's Bureau - Browse Projects]
For additional information about the Freedman's Bureau and the microfilm publications included in this collection visit the [https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau] page of the NARA African American Heritage Collection.
{{HR Add}}
=== Index and Image Visibility ===
{{Image Visibility}}
=== To Browse This Collection ===
{{Collection_Browse_Link |CID=CID2427901 |title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 }}
{{Collection_Browse_Link |CID=CID1803698 |title=North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 }}
== What Can These Records Tell Me? ==
The records usually include:  
The records usually include:  
{{columns-list|2|
*Name of the freedman  
*Name of the freedman  
*Name of the freedman’s former owner  
*Name of the freedman’s former owner  
Line 193: Line 131:
*Age  
*Age  
*Document dates
*Document dates
}}
 
== Collection Contents  ==
== Collection Contents  ==
=== Sample Images ===
=== Sample Images ===
<gallery widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="3">
 
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Will (page 1) DGS 7677396_410.jpg|1865 Will (page 1)
<gallery caption="United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner" widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="3">
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Will (page 2) DGS 7677396_411.jpg|1865 Will (page 2)
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Will (page 1) DGS 7677396_410.jpg|Will (page 1)
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Oath of Amnesty DGS 7677396_839.jpg|1865 Oath of Amnesty
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Will (page 2) DGS 7677396_411.jpg|Will (page 2)
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Stores (Supplies) Received DGS 7677396_762.jpg|1865 Stores (Supplies) Received
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Oath of Amnesty DGS 7677396_839.jpg|Oath of Amnesty
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Letter DGS 7677396_64.jpg|1865 Letter
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Stores (Supplies) Received DGS 7677396_762.jpg|Stores (Supplies) Received
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Letter DGS 7677396_64.jpg|Letter
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Account Statement DGS 7677396_573.jpg|Account Statement
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Assistant Commissioner (14-1398) Account Statement DGS 7677396_573.jpg|Account Statement
</gallery>
</gallery>
=== Inventory ===
For a list of all the titles included in this Historical Records publication see [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner - Inventory]]
=== Record Types ===
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s Bureau)  created many different record types necessary 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. These records include letters and endorsements sent and received, 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.
*The following link will provide a description of the record types found in this and other Freedmen's Bureau collections.[[Freedmen's Bureau Record Types]]
''' Officers Manual'''<br>
The War Department published an Officer's Manual  to assist bureau personnel in the records that were required to be keep in bureau offices.
*[https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/110406-officers-manual-bureau-of-refugees-freedmen-and-abandoned-lands?offset=1 ''Officer's Manual. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.'' Washington. 1866. Digital Images]
The following Wiki articles are transcriptions of portions of the manual
*[[US, NARA, Freedmen's Bureau, Officer's Manual - I, Book Keeping and Official Correspondence]]
*[[US, NARA, Freedmen's Bureau, Officer's Manual - VI, Miscellaneous Provisions]] - Includes Reports from Assistant Commissioners


== How Do I Search This Collection?  ==
== How Do I Search This Collection?  ==
Before searching this collection, 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
*The place where your ancestor lived
*The place where your ancestor lived
*The name of the former slave owner
*The name of the former slave owner
*Locate your ancestor in the 1870 Census.  Most local Bureau activities ended (except from claims and education) in December 1868.
=== United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 ===
*Check the records of the local field office in the area(s) where you believe your ancestor lived between June 1865 and December 1868.
==== View the Images ====  
*Determine, if possible, the name of the former owner. The 1860 Slave Schedule may be helpful. Also consider searching the 1860 and 1870 Agriculture Schedules.
View images in this collection by visiting the '''{{RecordSearch|2427901|Browse Page|access=browse}}''':
*The Bureau created many different types of records. Review the record types in the Collection Content section in this article.
# Select '''Freedmen's Bureau Office of Location (state)'''
*While searching Bureau records remember to search other records of the local government, including marriage and court records and especially the 1867 or later voter registrations.
# Select '''NARA Roll Number - Contents''' to view the images.<br><br>
*Consider ancestors who may have been employed as a civilian agent or served as local agent while still in the military.  Look for statewide rosters of bureau personnel in the records of Assistant Commissioners and the Field Office Personnel table for the state.  Others may have worked with aid associations or taught school supported by aid associations in the north.
{{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]. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.}}
*Freedmen would have determined what their name would be and may have changed it multiple times.
=== North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 ===
 
==== Search the Index ====
=== Search the Index ===
{{Search Collection Link
'''United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872'''
| CID=CID1803698
{{HR No IDX}}
'''North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870'''
{{Search Collection Link | CID=CID1803698 }}
=== View the Images ===
'''United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872'''
{{View_Images_Link
| CID = 2427901
| browse_1 = Freedmen's Bureau Office of Location (state)
| browse_2 = NARA Roll Number - Contents
| browse_3 =
| browse_4 =
| browse_5 =
| browse_6 =
}}
{{HR Tip|More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at {{FSC|2427901|item|disp=United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872}}. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.}}
'''North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870'''
{{View_Images_Link
| CID = 1803698
| browse_1 = NARA Roll Number-Contents
| browse_2 =  
| browse_3 =  
| browse_4 =  
| browse_5 =
| browse_6 =  
}}
}}
==== View the Images ====
View images in this collection by visiting the '''{{RecordSearch|1803698|Browse Page|access=browse}}''':
# Select '''NARA Roll Number-Contents''' to view the images.<br><br>
=== How Do I Analyze the Results? ===  
=== 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. Keep track of your research in a [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log |research log]].
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. Keep track of your research in a [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log | research log]].
 
== What Do I Do Next? ==
== What Do I Do Next? ==
=== I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? ===
=== I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? ===
*Add any new information to your 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)
*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)
*Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference
*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
*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
*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 the Person I’m Looking For, What Now? ===   
=== 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  
Line 280: Line 189:
*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]]
=== Research Helps ===
=== Research Helps ===
The following articles will help you research your family in [[United States Genealogy|the United States]].
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in [[United States Genealogy|the United States]].
* [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
* [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
* [[United States Record Finder]]
* [[United States Record Finder]]
* [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
* [[United States Research Tips and Strategies|Research Tips and Strategies]]
* [[Beginning Research in United States Military Records]]
* [[Beginning Research in United States Military Records]]
* [[US Military Basic Search Strategies]]
* [[US Military Basic Search Strategies]]
== Other FamilySearch Collections ==
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.
=== FamilySearch Catalog ===
*Dee Parmer Woodtor,''Finding a place called home : a guide to African-American genealogy and historical identity'' New York, New York : Random House, c1999 {{FSC|829837|item|disp=FS Library 973 F2wd}} See chapter 8
*Paula K. Byers, ed. ''African American genealogical sourcebook'' New York, New York : Gale Research, c1995 {{FSC|722504|item|disp=FS Library 973 F27afg}} See pages 68-98 The Freedmen's Bureau
*George R. Bentley, 'A history of the Freedmen's Bureau'' Reprint. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania, 2016. {{FSC|4440734|item|disp=FS Library 973.714 F875b}}
*{{FSC|537206|item|disp=Florida Voter Registrations, 1867-1868}}


=== FamilySearch Historical Records  ===
== Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles ==
'''Field Offices'''
*{{RecordSearch|2333770|Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2328125|Arkansas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1864-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2333782|District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2331267|Georgia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2333771|Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2333781|Louisiana Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|1989156|Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2333768|Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2442776|Mississippi, Freedmen's Department (Pre-Bureau Records), 1863-1866}}
*{{RecordSearch|2143119|North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2127881|South Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|2333777|Tennessee, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}
*{{RecordSearch|1989155|Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870}}
*{{RecordSearch|1596147|Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}


=== FamilySearch Digital Library ===
*[[Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*{{FSC|702586|item|disp= Elaine Everly, Willna Pacheli, comp. ''Preliminary inventory of the records of the field offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands : record group 105.''Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1973.}}
*[[Arkansas, Field Offices Records of the Freedmen's Bureau - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*''Officers' manual : Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.'' (Washington, 1866) {{FSDL|110406}}
*[[District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Georgia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Louisiana, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Missouri, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[North Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[South Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Tennessee, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[United States Freedmen’s Branch Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Commissioner - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[[United States, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
 
==Citing This Collection==


== Citing This Collection ==
=== United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 ===
=== United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 ===
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
{{Collection citation}}
 
{{Collection_Published}}
{{Image_Citation}}
{{Image_Citation}}
=== North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 ===
=== North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 ===
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
{{Collection citation}}
{{Collection_Published}}
{{Record_Citation}}
{{Record_Citation}}
{{Image_Citation}}
{{Image_Citation}}
[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau Records]]
[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau Records]]
[[pt:Estados Unidos, Agência de Libertos, Registros do Comissário Assistente (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)]]
 
== How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki? ==
 
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Revision as of 10:43, 21 August 2019

United States

Access the Records
United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 and North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870
CID2427901
CID1803698
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.

United States
Flag of the United States of America
Flag of the United States of America
US Flag 1863-1865 (35 stars)
US Flag 1863-1865 (35 stars)
National Archives and Records Administration Logo
National Archives and Records Administration Logo
Location of the United States of America
Location of the United States of America
Record Description
Record Type Freedmen and Refugee Records
Record Group RG 105: Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands
Collection years 1865-1872
National Archives Identifier 434
FamilySearch Resources
Related Websites
Archive
National Archives and Records Administration


Why Should I Look at This Collection?[edit | edit source]

The United States Freedmen's Bureau, records of the Office of the Assistant Commissioner identifies African Americans 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.The following link will provide a description of the record types found in this and other Freedmen’s Bureau collections. Freedmen's Bureau Record Types

Administrative Histories

What is in This Collection?[edit | edit source]

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) which 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 legal and financial matters including the distributing of food and clothing; operating temporary medical facilities; acquiring military benefits such as 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. The intent of the Bureau was to help people to become self-sufficient.

The Bureau functioned as an agency of the War Department from approximately June 1865 until December 1868, and 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. In 1872, the functions of the Bureau were transferred to the Freedmen’s Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office.

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.

This collection corresponds with the following NARA microfilm publications:

Filmed with the Florida Assistant Commissioner Records:

  • Florida, Field Office Records see Freedman’s Bureau Florida Field Office Personnel Coverage Table
  • Records with Freedmen and Refugee Names:
    • Reports: Roll 9, Monthly Reports of Abandoned or Confiscated Lands
    • Reports: Roll 10, Unregistered Monthly Reports of Homesteads Located by Bureau Agents
    • Other Records, Rolls Records Relating to Restoration of Property
    • Other Records, Roll 11, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Acre-Owens
    • Other Records, Roll 12, Applications of Freedmen for Rations, Page-Young
    • Claims Agent, Roll 14, Register of Bounty Claimants
    • Jacksonville, Roll 14, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations
    • Quincy, Roll 15, Register of Freedmen Issued Rations
    • Tallahassee, Roll 15, Records Relating to Court Trials; Register of Freedmen Issued Rations

For additional information about the Freedman's Bureau and the microfilm publications included in this collection visit the African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau page of the NARA African American Heritage Collection.

To Browse This Collection[edit | edit source]

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872.
You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870.

What Can These Records Tell Me?[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Sample Images[edit | edit source]

How Do I Search This Collection?[edit | edit source]

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 approximate age of your ancestor
  • The place where your ancestor lived
  • The name of the former slave owner

United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872[edit | edit source]

View the Images[edit | edit source]

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:

  1. Select Freedmen's Bureau Office of Location (state)
  2. Select NARA Roll Number - Contents to view the images.

North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870[edit | edit source]

Search the Index[edit | edit source]

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.
  1. Enter the information in the fields in the Search Collection section or click More Options to see additional fields
  2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images[edit | edit source]

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:

  1. Select NARA Roll Number-Contents to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?[edit | edit source]

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?[edit | edit source]

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?[edit | edit source]

  • 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)
  • Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section 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
  • 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 the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?[edit | edit source]

  • Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc
  • 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
  • Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
  • 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 nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names; try searching for these names as well
  • Search the indexes and records of United States Genealogy
  • Search in the United States Archives and Libraries

Research Helps[edit | edit source]

The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles[edit | edit source]

Citing This Collection[edit | edit source]

United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872[edit | edit source]

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:
The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection.
Image Citation:
When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870[edit | edit source]

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:
The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Citing this Collection.
Record Citation:
When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.
Image Citation:
When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?[edit | edit source]

Template:Contributor invite