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

== What is in the Collection? ==

Index and images of registers of complaints and other records related to civil rights complaints. The complaints consisted of problems which freedmen brought to the Bureau's attention. Many registers give the names of freedmen and the nature of the complaint, but others give only a synopsis of the case without names.  

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 records are from the field office records of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland/Delaware, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.     

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'''Complaint Books or Registers ''' may contain the following information:

*No

'''View images in this collection by visiting the [https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https://familysearch.org/recapi/sord/collection/2492627/waypoints Browse Page]:'''<br>To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links:<br> ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page<br> ⇒Select the applicable "Film" which takes you to the images<br>  

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.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example 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.  

*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.

== General Information About Freedmen's Bureau Records  ==

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[[Category:NARA_Freedmen's_Bureau]]