United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of images of land and property records created by the Freedmen's Bureau for the years 1865 to 1872. The Bureau was tasked to "supervise and manage all abandoned lands including leasing or supervising the cultivation of abandoned and confiscated property." It also received and acted upon applications for the restoration of property. This collection consists of property-related records including registers, applications, and leases. 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.

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 Publication
 * Steven Hahn,Steven F. Miller, Susan E. O'Donovan,John C. Rodrigue, and Leslie S. Rowland. Freedom A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861-1867. Series 3: Volume 1. Land and Labor, 1865. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2008. FHL 973 B4fr ser. 3 v.1

 Related Collections
 * Department of the Treasury. Division of Captured Property, Claims and Lands - National Archives Catalog General Records of the Department of the Treasury. RG 56
 * Letters relating to claims received in the office of the Secretary of the Treasury, 1864-1887 : NARA, RG 56, M503
 * Maps of Captured and Abandoned Properties, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas. NAID 960291

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Coverage Table
The search results in this collection will identify the National Archives microfilm publication that the indexed image is from along with the film, digital and image numbers. The coverage table will help you determine the specific locality and provide the film notes which should identify the record type. Additional images of bureau records for the locality identified in the table will be found by searching in the browse collection.

Department of the Treasury. Division of Captured Property, Claims and Lands - National Archives Catalog

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age of your ancestor
 * The place where your ancestor lived
 * The name of the former slave owner

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 research log.

What Do I Do Next?
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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add the new information to you records
 * Use the information to search for the family in:
 * Census records
 * Church records
 * Land and probate records
 * Additional state and county records

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * 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
 * 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
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * Case papers of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia relating to the confiscation of property, 1863-1865. M435

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collection Articles
• 2

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.

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