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Africana Archives: Freedmen's Bureau Records Record Transcriptions and Teachers' Resources

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen's Bureau, was formed by an Act of Congress on March 3, 1865, to assist newly freed slaves and poor whites who had been left in need by the Civil War. The Freedmen's Bureau, which was in charge of all government operations concerning freedmen, was administered by the War Department and was in operation from 1865 until 1872, when it was disbanded. The records of the Freedmen's Bureau are contained in the National Archives' Record Group 105, Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. The National Archives has taken steps in recent years to preserve the Freedmen's Bureau records and to make them fully accessible to researchers. The records not only contain the names of many thousands of freed slaves, but also provide details about the lives of freedpersons during the Reconstruction Period in America. As part of our ongoing effort to provide you with new and unpublished records that document slaves, freedpersons and their descendants, we have begun to transcribe microfilmed Freedmen's Bureau records from the National Archives. We will continue to add records to our database, and this page, as our work continues. Please be sure to revisit this page to access our latest transcriptions! Please see our list of suggested websites and lesson plans at the bottom of this page, to learn more about the Freedmen's Bureau, and how to use Freedmen's Bureau records in the classroom. Image: Freed African American Family, Live Oak Florida With Kind Permission of the Florida State Archives Online Transcribed Records in Our Database: Aiken, Aaron Eugene. Record of Bank Account Aiken, Catherine. Record of Bank Account Aikens, Jos. & Sylvia. Bank Account Record Ash, Harriet with Charles. Bank Account Record Ash, Mrs. Harriet. Bank Account Record 1868 Ball Family Freedmens Labor Contract, Comingtee Plantation. Berkeley District, SC Barnwell, William. Bank Account Record 1868 Bonneau, Francis P. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Bright, Eugenia. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Brown, Andrew. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Brown, Anna. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Brown, Augustus. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Brown, Josiah. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Bryan, Jane. Bank Account Record 1872 Butler County, AL Freedmen Rations Distribution, 1867 Butler County, AL Selected Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts Campbell, Cuffy. Bank Account Record 1868 Clifford, Sarah. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Collins, Fanny. Bank Account Record 1870 Complaint Alleging Illegal Slave Trade. GA, TX, Cuba. March 2, 1867 Cook, Edward James with Philis Rivers. Bank Account Record 1867 Coxson, Lot. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Danridge, Sarah. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Davis, Hannah. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Denisson, Margaret. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Destitute Persons in Edgefield District, SC Destitute Persons in Fairfield District, SC Destitute Persons in Greenville District, SC Destitute Persons in St. James Goose Creek, St. Johns Berkeley, and St. Stephens Destitute Persons in St. James Goose Creek, St. Stephens, and St. John Berkeley, SC Destitute Persons in St. James Goose Creek, St. Stephens, and St. Johns Bekeley, SC Destitute Persons in St. James Goose Creek, St. Stephens, and St. Johns Berkeley, SC Destitute Persons in St. James Goose Creek, St. Stephens, and St. Johns Berkeley, SC Edwards, Brister. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1872 Edwards, Flora. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1872-1873 Ford, Benjamin. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Freedmen Relocations, NC>Yazoo County, MS 2004-03-11 Freedmen in Andersonville, GA in 1866 Freedmen Living on Roanoke Island, NC in January 1866 Freedmen Living on Roanoke Island, NC Likely to Become Destitute (1866-1867) Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company Records, Charleston, SC, Part 1 Frost, Peter M. Bank Account Record 1871 Gardner, Rosanna. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Geddis, Amos. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1870 Gibbs, Rebecca with Rose Johnson. Bank Account Record 1868 Gillens, Jackson. Bank Account Record 1868 Gilliard, Mary. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Goodwin, James. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Goodwine, Lewis. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Gourdin, Susan A.E. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Grant, Jacob. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Green, Augustus. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1874 Green, Stephen. Bank Account Record 1869 Harrison, Richard. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Hayward, Emma J. Bank Account Record 1871 Herbert, G.B. Labor Contract with Eliza Herbert, Butler County, AL Howard, George. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Jerry, Frank J. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Johnson, Fanny. Bank Account Record 1873 Johnson, Isaac B. Bank Account Record 1870 Johnson, Isaac D. Bank Account Record 1870 Johnson, Isaac D. with Charlotte. Bank Account Record 1872 Johnson, Jacob. Bank Account Record 1871 Johnson, Robert with Rose. Bank Account Record 1869 Johnson, Rose. Bank Account Record 1870 Johnson, Wesley . Bank Account Record 1871 Jones, Catherine. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Jones, John G. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Labor Contract in Georgia, March 7, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 17, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 20, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 21, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 22, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 24, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 26, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 27, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Feb. 28, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, Jan. 20, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, March 10, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, March 12, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, March 3, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, March 6, 1866 Labor Contracts in Georgia, March 8, 1866 Ladson, Charles E. with Rachel. Bank Account Record 1869 Ladson, Edwd. Bank Account Record 1872 Latson, James. Bank Account Record 1868 List of Destitute Freedmen Relocated from Charlotte, NC to Yazoo, MS Mackey, Richard. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Mackley, Mary E. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Major, Andrew. Bank Account Record 1868 Manigault, Prince. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Middleton, Joseph. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Myers (Meyers), Lucy. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Myers, Martha. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC 1871 NC Freedmen Living on Roanoke Island, NC Likely to Become Destitute (1866-1867) Newton, Peter Pierson. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC 1871 Notice (Notes), Robert. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Nowell, Robert. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1871 Payne, John. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Perry, Cecelia. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Pew, Rosetta. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Pinckney, Daniel. Bank Account Record 1872 Prier, Charlotte. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Records of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company, Charleston, SC Rivers, James. Bank Account Record 1871 Robinson, Chanty. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Robinson, Frank. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Salters, Willoughby. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Sanders, Hampton. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1872 Simmons, John. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Simons, Hagar. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Singleton, Benjamin C. Bank Account Record 1871 Singleton, Nancy. Bank Account Record 1872 Smith, Ceasar. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Smith, Joe. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Sparks, William M. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Steffens, Henry. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Vanderhorst, Mary E. Bank Account Record 1872 Walker, Amelia. Freedmen's Bureau Records. 1871 Walker, Marguarita and Leslie, Mary. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Washington, Anthony. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Washington, Betsy. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC, 1871 Williams, John. Bank Account Record 1870 Williams, London. Bank Account Record 1871 Wilson, Heyward. Freedmen's Savings and Trust Record, Charleston, SC Related Reading: Ball Family Freedmen's Labor Contracts, Comingtee Plantation, Berkeley District, SC, March 1, 1866 USF Africana Heritage Project Co-Administrator Alana Thevenet has traced freedpersons in Berkeley District, SC forward to the 1870 census and beyond. Further Reading: History of the Freedmen's Bureau: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Freedmen's Bureau by Jessica McElrath, for About.com. Suggested Websites: The following websites contain online transcriptions of Freedmen's Bureau records: The Freedmen's Bureau Online The largest and most comprehensive collection of Freedmen's Bureau records online. Here you will also find links to other websites that contain Freedmen's Bureau records. The Valley of the Shadow: The Freedmen's Bureau Records, Browse by Topic from the Valley of the Shadow Project at the Virginia Center for Digital History. Freedmen's Bureau Records, West Tennessee compiled by Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith Wayne County, Tennessee Freedmen Marriages 20 April 1866 - 26 January 1867 transcribed and input by Robyn N. Smith. Early Hernando County History: The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands ("The Freedmen's Bureau") Read Jeff Cannon's vital research on Freedmen in early Florida. Lesson Plans and Teachers' Resources, Freedmen's Bureau: The sites below offer free lesson plans that make use of Freedmen's Bureau records: Lesson Plan: Freedmen's Bureau: Labor Contract or Re-enslavement? from the Alabama Archives' Teacher Packet "Using Primary Sources in the Classroom." Defining U.S. - Lessons: Reconstruction thematic unit for elementary students, from Defining Us: A Teaching American History Grant Project The Freedmen's Bureau: Success or Failure? lesson plans for middle and high school students, by John Soos, Sudbrook Middle Magnet School, Baltimore County Public Schools, featured at the UMBC Center for History Education Discovering the Past/Considering the Future: Lessons from the Eastern Shore by Margaret Andersen, developed for the Delaware Black History Project at the University of Delaware. References for This Article: Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Freedmen's Bureau by Jessica McElrath, for About.com. Copyright 2004 The University of South Florida and The Africana Heritage Project. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. For more information, contact the Africana Heritage Project via e-mail.