United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872

What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of an index & images of records relating to census lists, arrival and departure registers, transportation records, some birth,death and burial records. Field Office records from the following states are represented: Alabama (M1900), District of Columbia (M1902), Georgia (M1903), Louisiana (M1905), Maryland and Delaware (M1906),Mississippi (M1907), North Carolina (M1909), South Carolina (M1910), Texas (M1912), Virginia (M1913

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established by 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.

Census Lists

• Alabama, Huntsville and Athens, Roll 19, Census of black citizens and register of bounty claims received and forwarded, 1865, Jun-Jul 1868
• Mississippi, Yazoo City ,Roll 65, Register of plantation census in Yazoo County, ca 1865-1866
• Virginia, Wytheville, Roll 198, Census returns of the black population of Pulaski, Wythe, and Carroll Counties (Images 130-213)
• Virginia, Wytheville, Roll 198, Census returns of the black population of Montgomery, Grayson, Smyth, Giles, Roanoke, Craig, and Floyd Counties, 1865 (Images 214-412)
• Virginia, Yorktown, Roll 203, Census returns of the black population of York County, Mar 1865
• Virginia, Wytheville, Roll 199, Registers of indentures and contracts and census returns of the black population of Floyd County, 1865-1867
• Virginia, Princess Anne, Roll 161, Census returns of black population of Princess Anne County
• Virginia, Fort Monroe, Roll 115, Census of people helped by the government at Fort Monroe
• Virginia, Drummondtown, Roll 74, Census of white and colored poplulation of Accomack County, vol 1-2, 1864
• Virginia, Christianburg, Roll 68, Census returns of blacks in Montgomery County
• Virginia, Boydton, Roll 61, Census lists, 1866

Registers

• District of Columbia, Roll 21, Register of people arriving at Freedmen's Village, Jan 1, 1867-Jun 27, 1868 (No 84) (Images 474-549)
• District of Columbia, Roll 19, Register of freedmen departing Mason's Island, VA, May 18, 1864-Jul 18, 1865 (Images 569-619)
• Louisiana, Roll 83, Register of arrivals and departures, 1864-1865 (Images 932-1017)
• Louisiana, Roll 79, Register for contrabands, Jul 1862-Dec 1863 (Image 119-176)
• Louisiana, Roll 27, Registers of black persons, undated, vols. 1-2, A-D, (Images 405-618)
• Louisiana, Roll 28, Registers of black persons, undated, vols. 3-7, E-N, (Images 119-471)
• Louisiana, Roll 29, Registers of black persons, undated, vols. 8-11,O-Z, (Images 119-319)
• Mississippi, Roll 16, Register of freedmen at the home colony, undated
• Mississippi, Roll 35, Register of freedmen in Franklin County, undated

Transportation

• District of Columbia, Roll 12, Transportation orders received from headquarters, Jun 18, 1867-Mar 20, 1869 (Images 34-1192)
• Georgia, Roll 25, Special orders received relating to the issuance of transportation, May 1867-Dec 1868 (Images 1057-1248)
• Maryland and Delaware, Roll 6, Assistant Commissioner's reports of transportation ordered, June 1867-July 1868 (Images 372-400)
• South Carolina, Roll 84, Register of transportation furnished, Nov 1866-Mar 1867
• Texas, Roll 11, Orders for transportation, Feb 1867-Dec 1868
• Virginia, Roll 130, Registers of freedmen sent to New England states, 1866-1867

Vital and Other Records

• Louisiana, Roll 98, Records of births and deaths, Feb-Nov undated year
• South Carolina, Roll 63, Lists of prisoners confined and released from Charleston Jail, with charges, Mar-Oct 1865
• Virginia, Roll 69, List of freedmen buried at City Point, Sep 1865-Jan 1866

Records Created by the Bureau
The 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. See Freedmen's Bureau Record Types for a description of the record types found in this and other Freedmen's Bureau collections.

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

The National Museum of African American History & Culture is working with the Smithsonian Transcription Center and volunteers to transcribe the records of the Bureau.

• Freedmen's Bureau Transcription Project
• About The Freedmen's Bureau Database Records
• Freedmen's Bureau Abbreviations, Staff Rosters, and Style Sheets
• Browse Projects shows the progress of the transcription project

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

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1867 Letter

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  Louisiana Contraband List 1862-3

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  1866 Indenture Record

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  1865 Record of Arrivals

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  Register of Colored Persons

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 Freedmen Digital Folder Number List.