United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States



Record Description
Index of patients registers, registers of sick and wounded, prescription registers and other medical records created by the freedmen's bureau for the years 1865 to 1872. 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 assist freedmen and refugees. The records are part of Record Group 105 and are located at the National Archives.

Coverage Table
To see the records indexed and their localities see the coverage table United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Record Content
Content of the records varies. You may find any of the following;


 * Name of the patient
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Date of admission
 * Date of discharge or death
 * Name and location of cemetery where buried
 * Estimated date and place of birth
 * Home residence
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Names of family members

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of your ancestor
 * Identifying information such as age, death date or names of family members

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Freedmen's Bureau Office or Subordinate Field Office Location" ⇒Select the appropriate "NARA Roll Number-Contents" which takes you to the images.

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. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
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. 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 estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the names, ages, and residence to search the census records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.

Related Websites

 * Freedmen's Bureau Records: An Overview
 * Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau: Freedmen's Bureau Hospitals
 * African American Heritage

Related Wiki Articles

 * African American Freedmen's Bureau Records
 * African American Research

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image citation: