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{{FamilySearch_Collection
'''[[United States Genealogy|United States]]'''
|CID=CID2515868
{{US NARA HR Infobox
|title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
| CID=CID2515868
|location=United States
| title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
|scheduled=}}<br>
| location=United States
| LOC_01 =
| LOC_02 =  
| LOC_03 =
| record_type = Freedmen and Refugee Records
| record_group_nr = 105
| record_group_title = [http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/105.html Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872]
| start_year = 1865
| end_year = 1872
| alt_flag = Flag_of_the_United_State_(1863-1865).png
| alt_flag_desc = US Flag 1863-1865 (35 stars)
| micro_pub_nr =
| micro_pub_title =
| micro_pub_rolls =
| micro_pub_nr_02 =
| micro_pub_title_02 =
| micro_pub_rolls_02 =
| micro_pub_nr_03 =
| micro_pub_title_03 =
| micro_pub_rolls_03 =
| micro_pub_nr_04 =
| micro_pub_title_04 =
| micro_pub_rolls_04 =
| coll_series =
| arrangement =
| NAID =[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/434 434]
| language =
| FS_URL_01 = [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
| FS_URL_02 = [[United States Record Finder]]
| FS_URL_03 = [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
| FS_URL_04 = [[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records]] 
| FS_URL_05 = [[African American Research]] 
| FS_URL_06 = [[Quick Guide to African American Records]]
| FS_URL_07 = [[Getting Started With African American Research]]
| FS_URL_08 = [[Researching African American Genealogy]] 
| FS_URL_09 = [[African American Introduction]] 
| FS_URL_10 = [[African American Slavery and Bondage]]
| FS_URL_11 = [[African American Migration]]
| FS_URL_12 = [[African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records]]
| RW_URL_01 =[http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/ Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau]
| RW_URL_02 =[http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/summer/freedmens-bureau-records.html  NARA Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview]
| RW_URL_03 =[http://www.archives.gov/atlanta/finding-aids/freedmens-bureau.pdf NARA  Genealogical Finding Aid]
| RW_URL_04 =[http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau/ NARA The Freedmen's Bureau]
| RW_URL_05 =[http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau/resources.html NARA Freedmen's Bureau Resources]
| RW_URL_06 =[http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/#african-american-genealogy NARA African American Records]
| RW_URL_07 =[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]
| RW_URL_08 =[http://freedmensbureau.com/ The Freedmen's Bureau Online]. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.
| RW_URL_09 =[http://suffolk.libguides.com/content.php?pid=117960&sid=1828859 Suffolk University]
}}
== What is in This Collection?  ==
This collection consists of index and images of field office monthly reports of articles and persons hired by the Bureau's field office for the years 1865 to 1872. The principal name in the index is either of the person employed or the person who owned the article.


== Record Description ==
"The Receiving and Disbursing Officer of each District will make a consolidated Monthly Report [Form 2] of all employees of this Bureau in their respective Districts, giving the name of each officer employing the persons whose services are reported. These names will be entered in the column headed "By whom owned," the words "or employed" being entered in said heading. The several officers under whose direction employees are hired will make their Reports (Form 2) to the Assistant Commissioners of their respective Districts as heretofore . These reports when approved by the Assistant Commissioners, will be by them referred to the Receiving and Disbursing Office reporting to them respectively, for consolidation."  Source: Officers' Manual, p. 28.
This collection includes records for the years 1865-1872.
Index and images of monthly reports of articles and persons hired by the Bureau's field office. The principal name in the index is either of the person employed or the person who owned the article. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s 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.


{{Collection_Browse_Link
To locate additional information on the indexed collections in this publication see the [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List]].
|CID=CID2515868
|title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
|location=United States
|scheduled=}}


== Record Content ==
The records and roll numbers are from the field office records of the following states:
Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired may include the following information:
*{{RecordSearch|2333770|Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Quartermaster and disbursing officer, roll 7
*{{RecordSearch|2328125|Arkansas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1864-1872}} Batesville, roll 6; Devall's Bluff, roll 8; Pine Bluff, Arkansas River District, roll 19
*{{RecordSearch|2333782|District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872}} Washington and Georgetown, roll 17
*{{RecordSearch|2331267|Georgia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Chief quartermaster and disbursing officer, rolls 21-24; Isabella, roll 65; Woodville, roll 90
*{{RecordSearch|2333771|Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Bowling Green, roll 91; Lexington, rolls 110-111; Louisville, roll 119; Maysville, roll 124; Paducah, roll 131
*{{RecordSearch|2333781|Louisiana Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Chief medical officer, roll 15; Abbeville, roll 52; Alexandria, roll 54; Amite City, roll 58;  Abbeville, roll 60;  Bayou Sara, roll 66;  Clinton, roll 69; Columbia, roll 71; Franklin, roll 77; Houma rolls 80, 82; Lake Providence, roll 82; Milliken Bend, roll 87; Natchitoches, roll 92; New Iberia, roll 95; New Roads, roll 97; St. Joseph, roll 99
*{{RecordSearch|1989156|Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} roll 6
*{{RecordSearch|2333768|Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Macon, roll 29; Vicksburg, roll 44 and 64
*{{RecordSearch|2143119|North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872}} Beaufort, roll 6; Charlotte, roll 8; Greensboro, roll 20; Oxford, roll 48
*{{RecordSearch|2127881|South Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}} Medical officer, roll 13;  Abbeville Courthouse, roll 33;  Aiken, roll 37; Beaufort, roll 57; Columbia, roll 70; Darlington, roll 72;  Georgetown, roll 75;  Kingstree, roll 85; Marion, roll 87
*{{RecordSearch|1989155|Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1870}} Quartermaster and disbursing officer rolls 7-9; Boston roll 13


*Full name
=== General Information about the Freedmen's Bureau ===
*Complaint description
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s 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.
*Summary of the case
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.


== How to Use the Record ==
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. 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. 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 begin your search it is helpful to know:
=== National Museum of African American History & Culture ===
*Your ancestor’s name.
The museum is working with the Smithsonian Transcription Center and volunteers to transcribe the records of the Bureau.
*Other identifying information such as residence, birthdate or age, names of other family members and family relationships.
*[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]


=== Search the Collection ===
{{HR Add}}
'''To search the collection by name:'''
=== Index and Image Visibility ===
Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:
{{Image Visibility}}
*There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
*You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
*Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
*If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
*Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.


For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article [[FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks]].
==What Can This Collection Tell Me?==
 
The following information may be found in this collection:
'''To search the collection by image''':<br>
{{columns-list|2|
⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page <br>
*Full name
⇒Select the appropriate "…" <br>
*Residence
⇒Select the appropriate "…" <br>
*Document dates
⇒Select the appropriate “…" which takes you to the images<br>
*Age
 
*Occupation
Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:  
*Names of family members
*There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
*Relationships
*You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
}}
*Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
== Collection Content  ==
 
=== Sample Images ===
=== Using the Information ===
<gallery widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="4">
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:  
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Bill of Lading DGS 5681789_343.jpg|1867 Bill of Lading
 
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Employment Record  (sample 1) DGS 7630103_210.jpg|1866 Employment Record (sample 1)
*Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Employment Record (sample 2) DGS 7630103_439.jpg|1867 Employment Record (sample 2)
*Use the property location to find family in census, church, and land records.  
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Labor Contract (page 1) DGS 7492071_301.jpg|1866 Labor Contract (page 1)
 
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Labor Contract (page 2) DGS 7492071_302.jpg|1866 Labor Contract (page 2)
=== Tips to Keep in Mind ===
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Labor Contract (page 3) DGS 7492071_303.jpg|1866 Labor Contract (page 3)
 
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Labor Contract (page 4) DGS 7492071_304.jpg|1866 Labor Contract (page 4)
*When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.  
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Record of Leins on Crops DGS 7492081_485.jpg|1868 Record of Liens on Crops
*Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
Image:United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired (15-0061) Register of Sick and Wounded DGS 7492071_174.jpg|1866 Register of Sick and Wounded
*Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
</gallery>
 
=== Digital Folder Number List ===
=== Unable to Find Your Ancestor? ===  
{{DFNL_List | page = [[United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List]] }}
*Check for variant spellings of the names.
== How Do I Search This Collection? ==
*Look for an index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
*Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.).
*The name of your ancestor
*Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
*The approximate age of your ancestor
 
*The place where your ancestor lived
=== Additional Information About These Records ===
*The name of the former slave owner
 
*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 Coverage Table for this state. Others may have worked with aid associations or taught school supported by aid associations in the north.
The Freedmen’s Bureau records are a major source of genealogical information about post-Civil War African Americans. They are also a good source to quickly identify a family group and residence. Use the place of residence, age, and other information for each person to search for the individuals in census records and other types of records.
=== Search the Index ===
 
{{Search Collection Link | CID=CID2515868 }}
The [[African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records|Freedmen’s Bank Records]] are the most commonly known records created by the Freedmen’s Bureau and have also been described separately.  
=== View the Images ===
 
{{DFNL View
The original records are preserved at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Copies of the original records are available at the National Archives Building in Washington D.C. and the regional archives located in Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington State. The records were microfilmed in 2001 the microfilms are available at the Family History Library.
|page = [https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,_Freedmen%27s_Bureau_Records_of_Persons_and_Articles_Hired_Digital_Folder_Number_List#List_Contents United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List]
 
|CID = 2691890}}
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 Savings and Trust Company, or Freedman’s Bank.
=== 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]].
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.
== What Do I Do Next?==
 
=== I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now? ===
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.
*Add any new information to your records
 
*Use the information found to search for the family in census records, in church records, in land and probate records, in additional state and county records
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.  
=== I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now? ===
 
*There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
Freedmen’s Bureau records are usually reliable, because the records were supplied through first-person correspondence or the recording of a marriage.
*Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 
*Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
== Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles ==
*Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 
*Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor
*[[Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  
*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
*[[Arkansas, Field Offices Records of the Freedmen's Bureau (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  
=== Research Helps ===
*[[District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  
The following articles will help you research your family in [[United States Genealogy|the United States]].
*[[Georgia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
* [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
*[[Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  
* [[United States Record Finder]]
*[[Louisiana, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
* [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
*[[Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
== Other FamilySearch Collections ==
*[[Missouri, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.
*[[North Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  
=== FamilySearch Catalog ===
*[[South Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/829837 Dee Parmer Woodtor, ''Finding a place called home : a guide to African-American genealogy and historical identity'' New York, New York : Random House, c1999 FS Library 973 F2wd] See chapter 8
*[[Tennessee, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/722504 Paula K Byers, ed. ''African American genealogical sourcebook'' New York, New York : Gale Research, c1995 FS Library 973 F27afg] See pages 68-98 The Freedmen's Bureau
*[[Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/4440734 George R. Bentley, ''A history of the Freedmen's Bureau.'' Reprint. Philadelphia, PA : University of Pennsylvania, 1955. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania, 2016 FS Library Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania, 2016. FS Library 973.714 F875b]
*[[Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/3416545 edited by Richard Zuczek, ''Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era.'' 2 volumes. Westport, Connecticut : Greenwood Press, ©2006 FS Library 973 N26z ]
*[[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
=== FamilySearch Historical Records ===
*[[United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Commissioner (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*{{RecordSearch|2431126|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Commissioner, 1865-1872}}
*[[United States, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*{{RecordSearch|2427901|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872}}
 
*{{RecordSearch|2427894|United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872}}
== Related Websites ==
*{{RecordSearch|1417695|United States, Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874}}
 
*{{RecordSearch|1438024|United States Census, 1870}}
*[http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html National Archives Resources for Genealogists]  
*[[Alabama, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]  
*[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]
*[[Arkansas, Field Offices Records of the Freedmen's Bureau - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[http://freedmensbureau.com/ The Freedmen's Bureau Online]. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.
*[[District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]  
*[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]
*[[Georgia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
*[http://suffolk.libguides.com/content.php?pid=117960&sid=1828859 Suffolk University]
*[[Kentucky, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
 
*[[Louisiana, Freedmen's Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
== Related Wiki Articles ==
*[[Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
 
*[[Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]  
*[[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records]]  
*[[North Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]  
*[[Quick Guide to African American Records]]  
*[[South Carolina, Freedmen Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]  
*[[African American Research]]
*[[Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records]]
 
=== FamilySearch Digital Library ===
== How You Can Contribute ==
*[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/702586 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.'' 3 volumes. Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1973]
{{Contributor_invite}}
== Citing This Collection ==
 
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 for This Collection ==
{{Collection citation}}
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.
{{Record_Citation}}
 
{{Image_Citation}}
'''Collection citation''':<br>
[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau Records]][[Category:Collections with a Digital Browse]]
{{Collection citation | text= "United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired." Index and Images. <i>FamilySearch</i>. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2013. Citing archive name, archive location in local language (archive name, archive location in English).}}<br>
[[pt:Estados Unidos, Registros da Agência de Liberados de Pessoas e Artigos Contratados (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)]]
<br>
'''Record citation''' (or citation for the index entry):<br>
{{Record Citation Link
|CID=CID2515868
|title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
|scheduled=}}
 
'''Image citation''':<br>
{{Image Citation Link
|CID=CID2515868
|title=United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
|scheduled=}}

Latest revision as of 18:15, 8 January 2024

United States

Access the Records
United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
CID2515868
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.

United States
United States flag.png
Flag of the United States of America
Flag of the United State (1863-1865).png
US Flag 1863-1865 (35 stars)
NARA logo circular black on white.jpg
National Archives and Records Administration Logo
Record Description
Record Type Freedmen and Refugee Records
Record Group RG 105: Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872
Collection years 1865-1872
National Archives Identifier 434
FamilySearch Resources
Related Websites
Archive
National Archives and Records Administration


What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of index and images of field office monthly reports of articles and persons hired by the Bureau's field office for the years 1865 to 1872. The principal name in the index is either of the person employed or the person who owned the article.

"The Receiving and Disbursing Officer of each District will make a consolidated Monthly Report [Form 2] of all employees of this Bureau in their respective Districts, giving the name of each officer employing the persons whose services are reported. These names will be entered in the column headed "By whom owned," the words "or employed" being entered in said heading. The several officers under whose direction employees are hired will make their Reports (Form 2) to the Assistant Commissioners of their respective Districts as heretofore . These reports when approved by the Assistant Commissioners, will be by them referred to the Receiving and Disbursing Office reporting to them respectively, for consolidation." Source: Officers' Manual, p. 28.

To locate additional information on the indexed collections in this publication see the United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List.

The records and roll numbers are from the field office records of the following states:

General Information about the Freedmen's Bureau

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (often called the Freedmen’s 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 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.

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. 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. 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.

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.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Index and Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?

The following information may be found in this collection:

  • Full name
  • Residence
  • Document dates
  • Age
  • Occupation
  • Names of family members
  • Relationships

Collection Content

Sample Images

  • 1867 Bill of Lading

    1867 Bill of Lading

  • 1866 Employment Record (sample 1)

    1866 Employment Record (sample 1)

  • 1867 Employment Record (sample 2)

    1867 Employment Record (sample 2)

  • 1866 Labor Contract (page 1)

    1866 Labor Contract (page 1)

  • 1866 Labor Contract (page 2)

    1866 Labor Contract (page 2)

  • 1866 Labor Contract (page 3)

    1866 Labor Contract (page 3)

  • 1866 Labor Contract (page 4)

    1866 Labor Contract (page 4)

  • 1868 Record of Liens on Crops

    1868 Record of Liens on Crops

  • 1866 Register of Sick and Wounded

    1866 Register of Sick and Wounded

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List.

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

  • The name of your ancestor
  • The approximate age of your ancestor
  • The place where your ancestor lived
  • The name of the former slave owner
  • 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 Coverage Table for this state. Others may have worked with aid associations or taught school supported by aid associations in the north.

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.
  1. Fill in the search boxes in the Search Collection section with the information you know
  2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

To view images in this collection:
  1. Look at the United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired Digital Folder Number List article to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
  2. Go to the Browse Page
  3. Select the Film number to view the images

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 research log.

What Do I Do Next?

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

  • Add any new information to your records
  • Use the information found to search for the family in census records, in church records, in land and probate records, in additional state and county records

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

  • There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
  • Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
  • Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
  • Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
  • Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor
  • 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

Research Helps

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

Other FamilySearch Collections

These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

FamilySearch Historical Records

FamilySearch Digital Library

Citing This Collection

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 Cite 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.
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