Mississippi, Freedmen's Department, Pre-Bureau Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Mississippi

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of scanned images of records from National Archives microfilm publication M1914, Records of the Mississippi Freedmen’s Department (“Pre-Bureau Records”), Office of the Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands which is part of Record Group 105 Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. The images are generally arranged in the order the records were microfilmed starting with the Office of the General Superintendent of Freedmen, Assistant Superintendent of Freedmen ( Provost Marshall of Freedmen), and records of the Medical Director and Inspector of Freedmen and by NARA roll number.These documents pre-date the creation of the Freedmen's Bureau, but were assumed by the Bureau after its creation in 1865.

To Browse this Collection
NARA select Images from Freedmen's Bureau Records

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The information varies between records. You may find any of the following:


 * Name(s) of the primary individual(s)
 * Name of the freedman’s former owner
 * Names of family members
 * Residence
 * Age
 * Date of the record
 * Birth, marriage or death dates and places
 * Marriage date and place

Sample Images
Records with Freedmen and Refugee Names
 * General Superintendent of Freedmen, Rolls 2-4, Records on Renting and Leasing of Abandoned Property
 * General Superintendent of Freedmen, Roll 4, Register of Contracts, Registers of Rations Issued to Freedmen and Planters, Lists of Pupils in Schools at Vicksburg, Register of Freedmen, Register of Rations Issued
 * Medical Director and Inspector of Freedmen, Roll 5, Register of Patients, Register of Requisitions for Medicines and Supplies

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page then: Compare the information on the image to what you already to determine if it is the correct person.
 * 1) Select "Freedmen's Bureau Office or Subordinate Field Office Location"
 * 2) Select  "NARA Roll Number-Contents"

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members. Witnesses or bondsmen were usually relatives.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Mississippi, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Mississippi Archives and Libraries.

General Information About Freedmen's Bureau Records
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.

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 * Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner (FamilySearch Historical Records)
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 * United States, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing 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.

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