Books: Online and/or Microtext
An Index of African Americans Identified in Selected Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned LandsCall Number: Sawyer Reference E185.2 .L35 1995ISBN: 0788402919Publication Date: 1995
Freedwomen and the Freedmen's Bureau : Race, Gender, and Public Policy in the Age of Emancipation by Call Number: Sawyer 4th Floor E185.2 .F277 2010ISBN: 0823232115Publication Date: 2010Available both in print, and online via eBrary.A History of the Freedmen's Bureau by
Call Number: Sawyer 4th Floor E185.2 .B4 1974Publication Date: 1955Available in print at Sawyer Library, and online at the Hathitrust.The Freedmen of the South by
Call Number: Sawyer Microtext LAC 16770Publication Date: 1869Available at Sawyer Library as microtext, and online at the Hathitrust.The Freedmen's Bureau: A Chapter in the History of Reconstruction by
Call Number: Sawyer Microtext LAC 12871Publication Date: 1904Available at Sawyer Library as microtext, and online at the Hathitrust.Letters from the South, Relating to the Condition of Freedmen: addressed to Major General O.O. Howard, Commissioner Bureau R., F., and A.L., by J.W. Alvord, gen. sup't education, Bureau R., F., & A. L by
Call Number: Sawyer Microtext LAC 40030Publication Date: 1870Available at Sawyer Library as microtext, and online at the Hathitrust.The Freedmen's Book by
Publication Date: 1865Available at Sawyer Library as microtext, and online at the Hathitrust.
The Freedmen's Bureau, 1865-1872.
- Freedmen's Bureau Search Portal - Smithsonian Transcription Center"The Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal provides unprecedented opportunities for family historians and genealogists to search for their ancestors and for scholars to research a variety of topics related to slavery and Reconstruction in the Freedmen’s Bureau records. [...] The original Freedmen’s Bureau records are held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Not all Bureau records at NARA have been microfilmed or digitized. The two data sets used in this search portal—indexed data created by FamilySearch volunteers (name, date, location) and transcribed data created by Smithsonian volunteers (text search)—were created through crowdsourced initiatives."
- National Archives: African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau, 1865-1872.This section of the National Archives site provides a history and description of the records (including a contents by reel number) of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. However, the National Archives does NOT offer online access to these records.
One of the websites below, the Open Library, has digitized a small selection of the National Archive's microfilms of the Freedmen's Bureau records. In practice, this means for example that while the National Archives holds 23 rolls of microfilm for the Freedmen's Bureau Field Office records from the state of Arkansas, the Open Library only contains two digitized rolls (#7 and #17). Therefore, it is useful when choosing amongst what is available online, to look at the National Archives' (lengthy) descriptions and contents of those films. The descriptions put the records in context with the events of the Reconstruction era, and the contents of the reels/rolls broadly identify the type of record contained on that roll. This will help the user have a better idea, in advance, of what types of records they are scrolling through. Note: the image quality is dependent on the quality of the original record. It can be helpful to use the single page display, and the magnification features, when available. NOTE: See the last box on this screen for a list of the digitized microfilm rolls (reels) at the openlibrary.org.
- Open Library: (search results) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (limited to e-books)Open Library ("a project of the non-profit Internet Archive"), strives to create a webpage for every book ever published. Many of the cataloged items are available in full text. This link captures search results for items relating to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, many of which are digitized National Archive microfilms. See the box at the end for further information.
- Mapping the Freedmen's BureauFounded by Angela Walton-Raji and Toni Carrier, this site's goal is to help researchers "find the Freedmen’s Bureau Field Office nearest [their] area of research interest," and to "locate the microfilms online." In addition to maps, the site also gathers the National Archives and Records Adminisration description of the Freedmen's microfilm contents, and the operations of the Freedmen's Bureau for each state.
- Hathi Trust: (author search:) Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned LandsThe Hathi Trust is a partnership of libraries, devoted to creating an online library. This linked search captures digitized full text titles relating to the Freedmen's Bureau. Only one item appears to be a portion of the actual records. A larger set of results can be obtained by conducting a Full-text Search for "Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands," and limiting to "Full view only."
- DPLA: Digital Public Library of AmericaThe DPLA's aim is to be a portal to the unique collections libraries, archives, and museums, as they become available through digitization. The link above captures a keyword search in the DPLA for the "Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands." Many of the documents are affidavits relating to the civil unrest on September 19, 1868, in Camilla, Georgia, when freedman and Republicans were fired on by the white townspeople, who were in opposition to the Republican political rally to be held there.
- The Freedmen's Bureau OnlineThe website Freedman's Bureau.com has published online transcriptions (NOT images) of the Freedmen's Bureau records, including marriage certificates, reports of outrages against freed slaves, and labor records. Try searching for the name of a state (ex. Georgia) to generate a list of items. Additional related resources are also included.
- United States Freedmen’s Bureau Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)A brief article from FamilySearch.org about the history, content, and use of the Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records.
- African American Freedmen's Bureau RecordsAn article from the FamilySearch.org website (associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which describes the Records, their availability on microfilm at the Family History Library, and their use for genealogy.
Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, 1865-1874.
- National Archives: Overview of Microfilm series M816 and M817: Banking RecordsThe M816 series "reproduces 55 volumes of signatures and personal identification data for depositors from 29 branches of the Freedman’s Bank" on a total of 27 rolls of microfilm. The M817 series provides an index to names of depositors. Some, but not all, of the M816 microfilms have been digitized by FamilySearch.org. This PDF file from NARA states which U.S. states are covered on the various microfilm rolls.
- Prologue: Special Issue on Federal Records and African American HistoryAn article from the National Archives' Summer 1997 issue of Prologue Magazine, entitled "The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company and African American Genealogical Research," by Reginald Washington .
- United States Freedman's Bank Registers 1865-1874 (FamilySearch Historical Records)An article at FamilySearch.org about the content, history, and use of the records from the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company.
- Freedmen's Bureau Collection (from Middle Tennessee State University)Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) has digitized content relating to Tennessee: "The Freedmen's Bureau digital collection currently includes records for Rutherford County, TN, and surrounding areas that are located in the following series of National Archives Record Group 105: Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands. Included are correspondense, detailed reports, contracts, bank records, lists, and receipts that document the post-emancipation experience of African Americans in middle Tennessee.
Contemporaneous Newspaper Coverage
- New York Times 1851-2018 This link opens in a new windowFull text and searchable digitized version of the New York Times from 1851 through 2018. (Current NYT content is available through our New York Times site license.)
