African American Freedmen's Bureau Records

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United States African American Research Freedmen's Bureau

The Bureau's records (Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands), kept from 1865-1872, contain a wide range of data about the African American experience during slavery and freedom. Therefore, they are a valuable source for the black family historian. Refugees include many in the local white population.

Definition

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; aid involved: education (4,300 schools were established), health care (100 hospitals were established), issued food and clothing,operated refugee camps, helped legalize marriages, employment, supervised labor contracts, worked with African American soldiers and sailors and their heirs to secure back pay, bounty payments and pensions, for newly freed African Americans (four million), and to supervise confiscated Southern properties.

Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau

Mapping the Freedman's Bureau is a new web site helping researchers put their ancestors back on the historical landscape where they lived and is brought to you by Angela Walton-Raji, Co-Founder and Toni Carrier, Co-Founder.

Mapping includes

Where Freedman's Bureau offices were located
Branch of the Freedman's Saving Bank,
Freedmen's Bureau Hospitals
Freedmen's Schools
Contraband Camps
Battle sites where men who were in the US colored Troops fought.

Value

Because the Bureau's records 1865-1872 contain a wide range of data about the African American experience during slavery and freedom, they are a valuable source for the black family historian. Among the records are registers that give the names, ages, and former occupations of freedmen and names and residences of former owners. In addition, there are marriage registers that provide the names, addresses, ages, and complexions of husbands and wives and their children. For some states there are census lists, details of labor and apprenticeship agreements, back pay records, complaint registers, personal data about black soldiers (including company and regiment), school records, hospital registers, census records, and records of murders committed against freedmen.

Challenges in Using the Records:

The records are not indexed in the original records.

The record type and quality vary with each state, field office to field office.

Individuals may have changed their names.

Not all records survived or are available in searchable formats.

Jurisdictions

This bureau operated in the states of: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolin, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia West Virginia, and Indian Territory (that is Oklahoma) and has records from 1861 to the 1870s. The Freedmen’s Bureau created records at headquarters in Washington, DC, state records and field agents.

There are three sets of records:

1 Commissioner’s records,

2 Superintendent of Education

3 Field office records (local)—normally the most useful. However, the commissioner’s records contain lists and reports such as two linear feet of marriage papers. Records from the field offices vary from state to state. Since most freedmen contacted the bureau at the local level, you will find the most genealogical data and clues in field office records

Arrangement

The Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Field Offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands: Record Group 105 by Elaine Everly and Willna Pacheli of the National Archives [FHL book 973 F23ea; fiche 6002638-40] describes the bureau’s records. They are organized alphabetically by state, thereunder by offices, and thereunder by county or town. Part One is about Alabama, Arkansas (including the Oklahoma Indian Territory), the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Part Two is about Maryland and Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Part Three is about Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the Freedmen's branch at of the Adjutant General's Office.

Availability

Help Index the Freedmen Bureau Records (Records of the Bureau of Freedmen Refugees and Abandoned Lands (record group 105)) on discoverfreedmen.org

Most of the subordinate field office records, with the exception of selected records for New Orleans and Tennessee have not been microfilmed and are only available at the National Archives in Washington, DC. For a list of Freedmen’s Bureau records that are microfilmed see the Black Studies: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications [FHL book 973 A3bs; fiche 6002413; and on the Internet]. www.archives.gov/research/african-americans

The Family History Library has many of the Freedmen’s Bureau microfilmed records. The microfilm numbers for most of these records can be found in the FamilySearch Catalog Keyword Search using the search phrase “Bureau of Refugees” www.FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org also has a searchable collection of marriage records for about 7,900 individuals from Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1815-1869. The collection includes images of the original records.

**Records of Bureau of Refugees, Freedman and Abandoned Lands and Freedman's Saving and Trust Company Available at the Family History Library**
State	Record Type	Record Group	NARA	FamilySearch Catalog First Film or Fiche #	Number of Films /Fiche	Additional Reading
National	Preliminary Inventory of Records of the Filed Offices Pt. 1 Alabama-Louisiana, Pt. 2 Maryland-South Carolina, and Pt. 3 Tennessee-Virginia	105	-	FHL fiche 6002638	3 fiche	-
	Select Series of Records issued by the Commissioner, 1865-1872	105	M742	FHL film 491550	7 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 742
	Register and Letters Received by the Commissioner, 1865-1872	105	M752	FHL film 908680	74 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL Book 973 J53m no. 752
	Records of Education Division, 1865-1871	105	M803	FHL film 1695186	35 rolls	-
	U.S. Court of Claims Docket Cards for Congressional Case Files, ca. 1884-1943	123	M2007	unavailable	5 rolls	-
	Marriage Records of Office of Commissioner, Washington Headquarters, 1861-1869	105	M1875	FHL film 2425252	5 rolls	-

Alabama	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1850-1870	105	M809	FHL film 1612338	23 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book: 973 J53m no. 809
	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1870	105	M810	FHL film 1695841	8 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book: 973 J53m no. 810
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1900	FHL film 2424719	34 rolls	-
						-
Arkansas	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M979	FHL film 1498698	52 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 979
	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1871	105	M980	FHL film 1695811	5 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 980
	Records of Field Office,1865-1872	105	M1901		23 rolls	-
						-
Delaware	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1906	FHL film 2424887	42 rolls	-
						-
District of Columbia	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M1055	FHL film 1605536	21 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1055
	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1872	105	M1056	FHL film 1617650	24 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1056
	Records of Field Office,1865-1870	105	M1902	FHL film 2424776	21 rolls	-
						-
Florida	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872	105	M1869	FHL film 2425908	15 rolls	-
						-
Georgia	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M798	FHL film 1498626	36 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 798
	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1870	195	M799	FHL film 1685269	28 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 799
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1903	FHL film 1574209	90 rolls	-
						-
Kentucky	Records of Field Office. 1865-1872	105	M1904	FHL film 2425923	133 rolls	-
						-
Louisiana	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1869	105	M1026	FHL film 1695273	12 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1026
	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M1027	FHL film 1498662	36 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1027
	Records of Field Office, 1863-1873	105	M1905	FHL film 2426056	111 rolls	-
New Orleans, Louisiana	Records of Field Office, 1865-1869	105	M1483	FHL film 1604921	10 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1483
						-
Maryland	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1906	FHL film 2424887	42 rolls	-
						--
Mississippi	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1863-1869	105	M826	FHL film 1616440	50 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 826
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1907	FHL film 2428148	65 rolls	-
	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1863-1865("Pre Bureau Records")	105	M1914	FHL film 2424701	5 rolls	-
						-
Missouri	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1908	FHL film 2426982	24 rolls	-
						-
North Carolina	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1862-1879	105	M843	FHL film 1616841	38 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 843
	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1864-1869	105	M844	FHL film 1695567	16 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet:
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1909	FHL film 2427006	78 rolls	-
						-
South Carolina	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1870	105	M869	FHL film 1579188	44 rolls	Martin Abbott, The Freedman's Bureau in South Carolina, 1865-72. (Chapel Hill: university of North Carolina Press, 1967) - Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 869
	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	T999	FHL film 1616490	34 rolls	-
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1910	FHL 2427084	106 rolls	-
						-
Tennessee	Records of Superintendent of Education, 1865-1870	105	M1000	FHL film 1685219	9 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1000
	Records of Field Office,1865-1872	105	M1911	FHL film 2427190	89 rolls	-
	Selected Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	T142	FHL film 1616879	73 rolls	-
	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M999	FHL film 1616490	34 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 999
						-
Texas	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M821	FHL film 1503542	32 rolls	Barry A. Crouch, Hidden Sources of Black History: The Texas Freedmen's Bureau Records as a Case Study. Southwestern Historical Quarterly 83 (1980): 211-26. -Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 821
	Records Superintendent of Education, 1865-1870	105	M822	FHL film 169516	18 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 822
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1912	FHL film 2427279	28 rolls	-
						-
Virginia	Records of Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1869	105	M1048	FHL film 1601562	67 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1048
	Records of Sup. of Education, 1865-1870	105	M1053	FHL film 1549578	20 rolls	- Descriptive Pamphlet: FHL book 973 J53m no. 1053
	Records of Field Office, 1865-1872	105	M1913	FHL film 2413534	203 rolls	-

Reference

Washington, Reginald. Black Family Research; Records of Post-Civil War Federal Agencies at the National Archives Reference Information Paper 108. National Archives and Records Administration Washington, D.C. Revised 2006. FHL Book: 973 F27w

Davis, Robert Scott Jr.,Freedmen's Bureau and Other Reconstruction Sources for Research in African-American Families, 1865-1874. Journal of the Afro-American Historical And Genealogical Societyy. Volume 9 No. 4.pg 171-176.

Bentley, George R. A History of the Freedmen's Bureau. Philadelphia: Octagon Books, 1970.WorldCat

Freedmen's Bureau Online

The Freedmen’s Bureau Online Internet site includes numerous online database indexes. Select among the variety of databases mostly based on locality or by topic such as marriages, labor contracts, or murders. However, this online site does not include all the available records from the Freedmen's Bureau.

Content

Records Relating to Murders
Records Relating to Freedmen's Labor
Marriage Records: Most of these records are divided up by the state, then by the area, and then by the marriage date, month, or year of marriage. (These records can be found on the homepage under the contents heading at the left of the screen.)
To find state-specific collections, go to the homepage and there is a list of states under the contents heading at the middle left of the screen. (Examples of some of these collections are: Alabama: Petition of Colored Citizens from Mobile, Alabama; Mississippi: Registers of Indentures of Colored Orphans, Aug. 1865 - May 1866; Tennessee: Index to Freedman's Labor Contracts between Tennessee Freedmen and employers in Kentucky.)

Using this site

Type a surname or name or term in question in the search site box. (Examples: Jones, Smith, etc. for surname searches OR land, marriages, etc. for keyword searches)

Documents which seem a “best” match appears.
Click on desired match.

Tips

This site lists many other search sites for African American histories and genealogy websites.
Their on-line bookstore carries many useful books of interest.

Other Web Sites

United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872 — index and images
National Archives Black Family Research description of Freedmen’s Bureau records.
Freedmen's Bureau Records of Field Offices 1865-1872 index and images at Ancestry.com. This database contains about 102,010 personal names from field office records for Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, New Orleans, and North Carolina. Information available in the database includes: name, record type, year, and field office location. Family History Centers and the Family History Library have limited access to this index. There is a subscription fee for home use.
Elaine C. Everly, “Freedmen’s Bureau Records: An Overview,” article, National Archives, Prologue Magazine Summer 1997, Vol. 29, No., 2.
1865 - 1872 United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — index and images

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at: