United States, Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

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{{US NARA HR Infobox
{{US NARA HR Infobox
| CID=CID1989156
| CID=CID1989156
| title=Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
| title= United States, Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
| location= Maryland  
| location= Maryland  
| LOC_01 = Maryland and Delaware
| LOC_01 = Maryland and Delaware
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| arrangement =   
| arrangement =   
| NAID = [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/434 434]
| NAID = [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/434 434]
| FS_URL_01 =[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2431126?collectionNameFilter=false Records of the Commissioner]
| FS_URL_01 = Guided Research: [[GuidedResearch:Maryland|Maryland]] {{!}} [[GuidedResearch:Delaware|Delaware]]
| FS_URL_02 =[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2427901?collectionNameFilter=false Records of the Assistant Commissioner]  
| FS_URL_02 = Record Finder: [[Maryland Research Tips and Strategies#Maryland Record Finder|Maryland]] {{!}} [[Delaware Research Tips and Strategies#Delaware Record Finder|Delaware]]
| FS_URL_03 =[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2427894?collectionNameFilter=false Superintendent of Education and the Division of Education Records]  
| FS_URL_03 = Research Tips and Strategies: [[Maryland Research Tips and Strategies|Maryland]] {{!}} [[Delaware Research Tips and Strategies|Delaware]]
| FS_URL_04 =[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1417695?collectionNameFilter=true Freedmen’s Bank]  
| FS_URL_04 = Step-by-Step Research: [[Step-by-Step Maryland Research, 1880-Present|Maryland]] {{!}} [[Step-by-Step Delaware Research, 1880-Present|Delaware]]
| FS_URL_05 =[https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1438024?collectionNameFilter=false 1870 Census] 
| FS_URL_05 = [[African American Genealogy]]
| FS_URL_06 =[[Maryland Research Tips and Strategies]]  
| FS_URL_06 = [[Quick Guide to African American Records]]
| FS_URL_07 =[[Delaware Research Tips and Strategies]]  
| FS_URL_07 = [[Getting Started With African American Research]]
| FS_URL_08 =[[Step-by-Step Maryland Research, 1880-Present]]  
| FS_URL_08 = [[Researching African American Genealogy]]
| FS_URL_09 =  
| FS_URL_09 = [[African American Introduction]]
| FS_URL_10 =  
| FS_URL_10 = [[African American Slavery and Bondage]]
| RW_URL_01 =[http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/ Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau]  
| FS_URL_11 = [[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records]]
| RW_URL_02 =[http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/summer/freedmens-bureau-records.html  NARA Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview]  
| FS_URL_12 = [[African American Migration]]
| RW_URL_03 =[http://www.archives.gov/atlanta/finding-aids/freedmens-bureau.pdf NARA A Genealogical Finding Aid]
| FS_URL_13 = [[African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records]]
| RW_URL_04 =[http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/combined.aspx?action=viewSeriesList&category=(Slave%20Statistics)&orderBy=ContainerName Maryland State Archives Commissioner of Slave Statistics, 1864]
| FS_URL_14 = [[African American Resources for Maryland]]
| RW_URL_05 =[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]
| FS_URL_15 = [[African American Resources for Delaware]]
| RW_URL_06 =[http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/html/casestudies/mscscountycs.html Maryland  Colonization Society]  
| Coverage =
| RW_URL_07 =[http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/stagser/s1400/s1411/html/index38.html  Index to Freedmen Records of Prince George's County, 1808-1869]
| Inventory =
| RW_URL_08 =[http://aomol.msa.maryland.gov/html/commission.html Slavery Commission Archives of Maryland Online]
| DFNL =  
| RW_URL_09 =[http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/ Legacy of Slavery in Maryland]
| RW_URL_01 = [http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/ Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau]  
| RW_URL_10 =[http://archives.delaware.gov/aahm/genealogy/enslavedancestors.shtml Enslaved Ancestors Delaware Public Archives]  
| 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 A Genealogical Finding Aid]
| RW_URL_04 = [http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/combined.aspx?action=viewSeriesList&category=(Slave%20Statistics)&orderBy=ContainerName Maryland State Archives Commissioner of Slave Statistics, 1864]
| RW_URL_05 = [http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/fssppubs.htm Publications of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project]
| RW_URL_06 = [http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/html/casestudies/mscscountycs.html Maryland  Colonization Society]  
| RW_URL_07 = [http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/stagser/s1400/s1411/html/index38.html  Index to Freedmen Records of Prince George's County, 1808-1869]
| RW_URL_08 = [http://aomol.msa.maryland.gov/html/commission.html Slavery Commission Archives of Maryland Online]
| RW_URL_09 = [http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/ Legacy of Slavery in Maryland]
| RW_URL_10 = [http://archives.delaware.gov/aahm/genealogy/enslavedancestors.shtml Enslaved Ancestors Delaware Public Archives]  
| RW_URL_11 =
| RW_URL_12 =
| RW_URL_13 =
| RW_URL_14 =
| RW_URL_15 =
| region =
}}
}}


== What is in This Collection? ==
== What is in This Collection? ==
This collection consists of scanned images of records from National Archives microfilm publication [http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1906.pdf M1906] Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands which is part of Record Group 105 Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.The images are generally arranged in the order the records were microfilmed with the records of the Assistant Commissioner who oversaw Bureau operations in the state and state level staff officers; Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Claim Division, Complaint Division, first then the local field office records are arranged alphabetically by location and by NARA roll number.   
This collection consists of scanned images of records from National Archives microfilm publication [http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1906.pdf M1906] Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands which is part of Record Group 105 Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.The images are generally arranged in the order the records were microfilmed with the records of the Assistant Commissioner who oversaw Bureau operations in the state and state level staff officers; Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Claim Division, Complaint Division, first then the local field office records are arranged alphabetically by location and by NARA roll number.   
=== Record Types ===
* 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]]
* [https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE931610 Officer's Manual. Washington, 1866]
=== Collection Inventory Table ===
The inventory will include for each individual collection the National Archives Identifier Number (NAID) and preliminary inventory entry number.   
[https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maryland_and_Delaware,_Freedmen%27s_Bureau_Field_Office_Records,_Inventory Inventory]
===To Browse This Collection===           
{{Collection_Browse_Link
|CID=CID1989156
|title=Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
|}}
==What Can These Records Tell Me?==
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. 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 important genealogical information is often found in Bureau records:
*Name of the freedman
*Name of the freedman’s former owner
*Date of the record
*Birthplace
*Residence
*Age
*Bride
*Groom
*Marriage date
*Marriage place
== Collection Content ==
[http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau/highlights.html NARA Select Images from Freedmen's Bureau Records]


'''Records with Freedmen and Refugee Name'''
'''Records with Freedmen and Refugee Name'''
Line 118: Line 98:
*Rockville, Roll 42, Register of Complaints
*Rockville, Roll 42, Register of Complaints
*Wilmington, Delaware, Roll 42, Register of Claimants for Bounties, Register of Claims for Pensions, Register of Payments
*Wilmington, Delaware, Roll 42, Register of Claimants for Bounties, Register of Claims for Pensions, Register of Payments
''' Related National Archives Collections '''
*[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6267233 Maryland Slave Claims Commission Correspondence, 1864–1865, RG 94, NAID 6267233]
=== General Information about Freedmen's Bureau Records ===
[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10495783 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.
''' Related Articles '''
*Dr. Shelly Viola Murphy, ''Let Freedom Ring'' Family Tree Magazine 23 # 3 (May-June 2022): 50-56. FS Library 973 D25ft V23. Issue 3
*Sharon Batiste Gillins.''A Window into the lives of black and white ancestors: Freedmen's Bureau field office records.'' NGS Magazine 39 #1 (January-March 2013): 34-38.
*Sharon Batiste Gillins. ''Navigating Freedmen's Bureau Records for Research Success'' NGS Magazine 47 #2  (April-June 2021): 27- 35.
=== 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]
{{HR Add}}
=== Index and Image Visibility ===
{{Image Visibility}}
=== To Browse This Collection ===           
{{Collection_Browse_Link |CID=CID1989156 |title=Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 |}}
== Collection Content ==
*[http://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau/highlights.html NARA Select Images from Freedmen's Bureau Records]
''' 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]]
''' Officer's Manual'''
The War Department published an Officer's Manual  to assist bureau personnel in the records that were required to be keep in bureau offices.
*[[United States, National Archives, Freedmen's Bureau, Officer's Manual]]
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 - IV, Medical Department]]
*[[US, NARA, Freedmen's Bureau, Officer's Manual - V, Subsistence]]
*[[US, NARA, Freedmen's Bureau, Officer's Manual - VI, Miscellaneous Provisions]] - Includes Reports from Assistant Commissioners
''' Inventory '''
Collection descriptions for the browse images may be located in either the published National Archives preliminary inventory with the "Entry No." or the National Archives Catalog  Online Public Access Catalog "OPA." with the National Archives Identifier "NAID" number.   
*[https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Maryland_and_Delaware,_Freedmen%27s_Bureau_Field_Office_Records,_Inventory Inventory]


== How Do I Search This Collection? ==
== How Do I Search This Collection? ==
Line 124: Line 154:
*The age of the person
*The age of the person
*The residence or former slave owner
*The residence or former slave owner
 
*Locate your ancestor in the 1870 Census.  Most local Bureau activities ended (except from claims and education) in December 1868.
 
*Check the records of the local field office in the area(s) where you believe your ancestor lived between June 1865 and December 1868.
{{Tip | More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1989156 Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872]. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see 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.
 
*The Bureau created many different types of records. Review the record types in the Collection Content section in this article.
*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.
*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 this state.  Others may have worked with aid associations or taught school supported by aid associations in the north.
*Freedmen would have determined what their name would be and may have changed it multiple times.
=== Search the Index ===
{{HR No IDX}}
=== View the Images ===
{{View_Images_Link | CID = 1989156 | browse_1 = Freedmen's Bureau Office or Subordinate Field Office Location | browse_2 = NARA Roll Number - Contents | browse_3 =  | browse_4 =  | browse_5 =  | browse_6 =  }}
{{HR Tip|More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog {{FSC|1989156|item|disp=Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872}}. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.}}
=== 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? ===
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.
*Add any new information to your records
===I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?===
*Search the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules
*Search the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules
*Determine if there are plantation records where the slave may have lived
*Determine if there are plantation records where the slave may have lived
Line 144: Line 181:
*Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
*Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
*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
*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 ===
=== Research Helps ===
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the states of [[Maryland, United States Genealogy|Maryland]] and [[Delaware, United States Genealogy|Delaware]].
{{HR Helps US|where=MD}}
* [[GuidedResearch:Maryland|Maryland Guided Research]]
{{HR Helps US|where=DE}}
* [[GuidedResearch:Delaware|Delaware Guided Research]]
== Other FamilySearch Collections ==
* [[Maryland Research Tips and Strategies]]
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.
* [[Delaware Research Tips and Strategies]]
=== FamilySearch Catalog ===
* [[Step-by-Step Maryland Research, 1880-Present]]
*{{FSC|722504|item|disp=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
* [[Step-by-Step Delaware Research, 1880-Present]]
*{{FSC|3416545|item|disp=Richard Zuczek, ed. ''Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era'' 2 volumes. Westport, Connecticut : Greenwood Press, ©2006 FS Library 973 N26z 2nd Floor Reference Area}}
 
*{{FSC|4440734|item|disp=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}}
== General Information About Freedmen's Bureau Records  ==
*{{FSC|1193866|item|disp=Records of the field offices for the states of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872: M1906}}]
 
*{{FSC|566385|item|disp=general editor, Kenneth M. Stampp ; associate editor, Randolph Boehm ; guide compiled by Martin Schipper, ''A guide to records of ante-bellum Southern plantations from the Revolution through the Civil War : Series D, Selections from the Maryland Historical Society'' Frederick, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1985 FS Library 975 H2sm ser. D}}
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.  
*{{FSC|767103|item|disp=Jerry M. Hynson. ''Maryland freedom papers.'' Westminster, Maryland : Family Line, 1996-c2001.Contents: vol. 1. Anne Arundel County -- v. 2. Kent County -- v. 3. Maryland Colonization Society manumission book 1832-1860.}}
 
*{{FSC|1106806|item|disp=Trish Surles, comp., '' Kent County, Maryland commission of slave statistics, 1864 : includes civil war enlistments'' 1 volume. Gambrills, Maryland : T. Surles, c2002. FS Library 975.234 U3s}}
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>
*{{FSC|597597|item|disp=Dorothy S. Provine, abstracted and edited, ''Registrations of free Negroes, 1806-1863, Prince George's County, Maryland'' Washington, D.C. : Columbian Harmony Society, c1990 FS Library 975.251 H68p}}
 
*{{FSC|1865746|item|disp=Cathy Downes, compiled and abstracted, ''Queen Anne's County, Maryland : certificates of freedom 1807-1848'' Centreville, Maryland : Queen Anne's County Historical Society, 200-? FS Library 975.234 H6d}}
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.  
*{{FSC|106039|item|disp=Agnes Kane Callum, comp., ''Slave statistics of Saint Mary's County, Maryland, 1864'' Baltimore, Maryland : Mullac Publishers, c1993 FS Library 975.241 H6c}}
 
*{{FSC|265395|item|disp=Mortality schedules, 1850, Maryland}}
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.  
 
== Related Wiki Articles  ==
 
*[[Maryland, United States Genealogy|Maryland]]
*[[Delaware, United States Genealogy|Delaware]]
*[[United States Freedmen’s Bureau Letters (FamilySearch Historical Records)|United States Freedmen’s Bureau Letters (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]
*[[African American Freedmen's Bureau Records|African American Freedmen’s Bureau Records]]
*[[Quick Guide to African American Records|Quick Guide to African American Records]]
*[[African American Research|African American Research]]
 
==Citing This Collection==


'''Register of Wills'''
*{{FSC|3752687|item|disp= Baltimore, Baltimore City, Certificates of Freedom, 1820-1864}}
*{{FSC|3031233|item|disp=Charles County, Certificates of freedom, 1826-1860}}
*{{FSC|2030571|item|disp=St. Mary's County, certificates of freedom, 1806-1852}}
=== FamilySearch Historical Records ===
*{{RecordSearch|2431126|Records of the Commissioner}}
*{{RecordSearch|2427901|Records of the Assistant Commissioner}}
*{{RecordSearch|2427894|Superintendent of Education and the Division of Education Records}}
*{{RecordSearch|1417695|Freedmen’s Bank}}
*{{RecordSearch|3161105| United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860}}
*{{RecordSearch|1438024|United States Census, 1870}}
=== FamilySearch Digital Library ===
*{{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.}}
*{{FSC|2021516|item|disp=''Officers' manual : Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands'' Washington D.C. : Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1866}}
== 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 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}}
{{Image_Citation}}


;Collection Citation:"Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872." Images. <i>FamilySearch</i>. <nowiki>http://FamilySearch.org</nowiki> : 14 June 2016. Citing NARA microfilm publication M1906. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
{{Image_Citation}}


'''[[#top|Top of Page]]'''


== How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki? ==


{{Contributor invite}}
[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau Records]]
[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau Records]]
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[[Category:Delaware FamilySearch Historical Records]]

Latest revision as of 15:43, 12 December 2024

Access the Records
United States, Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
CID1989156
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Maryland and Delaware, 
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
Microfilm Publication M1906. Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. 42 rolls
National Archives Identifier 434
FamilySearch Resources
Related Websites
Archive
National Archives and Records Administration


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

This collection consists of scanned images of records from National Archives microfilm publication M1906 Records of the Field Offices for the States of Maryland and Delaware, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands which is part of Record Group 105 Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.The images are generally arranged in the order the records were microfilmed with the records of the Assistant Commissioner who oversaw Bureau operations in the state and state level staff officers; Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Claim Division, Complaint Division, first then the local field office records are arranged alphabetically by location and by NARA roll number.

Records with Freedmen and Refugee Name

  • Assistant Commissioner’s Office, Roll 5, Assistant Commissioner’s Land Reports, Teachers Monthly School Reports
  • Assistant Commissioner’s Office, Roll 6, Reports of Persons and Articles Hired
  • Assistant Commissioner’s Office, Roll 6, Register of Complaints of Illegal Apprenticeships
  • Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Roll 16, Register of Claimants, Registers of Cash Received and Disbursed, 3 volumes, Register of Disbursements
  • Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Roll 17, Receipts for Pay, Bounty, and Pension Certificates, A-R
  • Chief Quartermaster and Disbursing Officer, Roll 18, Receipts for Certificates, R-Z
  • Claim Division, Roll 28, Register of Claimants for Bounties and Pay Arrearages
  • Claim Division, Roll 29-32, Case Files for Claims for Bounty and Pay Arrearages, A-Y
  • Claim Division, Roll 32, Register of Claimants for Pensions
  • Claim Division, Rolls 33-35, Case Files of Pension Claims, A-Y
  • Claim Division, Roll 35, Register of Maryland Bounty Claims Filed through Hugh L. Bond, Register of Claims Not Originally Filed through the Baltimore Office, Register of Loyal Slave Owners, Maryland and West Virginia, Names and Addresses of Claimants, 2 volumes
  • Complaint Division, Roll 37, Register of Complaints
  • Bladensburg, Roll 41, Register of Complaints
  • Rockville, Roll 42, Register of Complaints
  • Wilmington, Delaware, Roll 42, Register of Claimants for Bounties, Register of Claims for Pensions, Register of Payments

Related National Archives Collections

General Information about Freedmen's Bureau Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Related Articles

  • Dr. Shelly Viola Murphy, Let Freedom Ring Family Tree Magazine 23 # 3 (May-June 2022): 50-56. FS Library 973 D25ft V23. Issue 3
  • Sharon Batiste Gillins.A Window into the lives of black and white ancestors: Freedmen's Bureau field office records. NGS Magazine 39 #1 (January-March 2013): 34-38.
  • Sharon Batiste Gillins. Navigating Freedmen's Bureau Records for Research Success NGS Magazine 47 #2 (April-June 2021): 27- 35.

National Museum of African American History & Culture[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch provides images and indexes subject to contractual limitations and changes. Access to images and indexes may vary. Some collections may only have partial indexes without images. See Restrictions for Viewing Images for details.

To Browse This Collection[edit | edit source]

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872.

Collection Content[edit | edit source]

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

Officer's Manual

The War Department published an Officer's Manual to assist bureau personnel in the records that were required to be keep in bureau offices.

The following Wiki articles are transcriptions of portions of the manual

Inventory

Collection descriptions for the browse images may be located in either the published National Archives preliminary inventory with the "Entry No." or the National Archives Catalog Online Public Access Catalog "OPA." with the National Archives Identifier "NAID" number.

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

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

  • The name of the individual
  • The age of the person
  • The residence or former slave owner
  • Locate your ancestor in the 1870 Census. Most local Bureau activities ended (except from claims and education) in December 1868.
  • Check the records of the local field office in the area(s) where you believe your ancestor lived between June 1865 and December 1868.
  • 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.
  • The Bureau created many different types of records. Review the record types in the Collection Content section in this article.
  • 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.
  • 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 this state. Others may have worked with aid associations or taught school supported by aid associations in the north.
  • Freedmen would have determined what their name would be and may have changed it multiple times.

Search the Index[edit | edit source]

This collection does not have a searchable index. Only images are available. See View the Images to access them.

View the Images[edit | edit source]

View images in this collection by visiting the Collection Browse Page:
  1. Select Freedmen's Bureau Office or Subordinate Field Office Location
  2. Select NARA Roll Number - Contents to view the images
Tip: More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see 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
  • Search the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules
  • Determine if there are plantation records where the slave may have lived
  • Search land and probate records for bill of sales
  • Search court records

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?[edit | edit source]

  • 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
  • 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[edit | edit source]

The following articles will help you research your family in Maryland.
The following articles will help you research your family in Delaware.

Other FamilySearch Collections[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearch Catalog[edit | edit source]

Register of Wills

FamilySearch Historical Records[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Digital Library[edit | edit source]

Citing This Collection[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 Cite This Collection.
Image Citation:
When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

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