Freedmen's Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau was stablished in 1865 to supervise all relief and educational activities relating to refugees and freedmen, including issuing rations, clothing and medicine. They served former slaves and impoverished whites. See the full description at the National Archives.

The Bureau also assumed custody of confiscated lands or property in the former Confederate States, border states, District of Columbia, and Indian Territory.

Record types available include:

• Index to indentures and indenture bonds.
• Labor contracts for freed persons.
• Reports of outrages and arrests.
• Marriage records.

Some records are microfilm only, though some centering on North Carolina can be seen at this summary web site.

As of 9/16/2021, Ancestry.com is providing free access to the 3.5 million records of the Freedmen's Bureau, Marriages and Bank. See the portal at this link, where you'll also see an introduction by Dr. HL Gates and a video tour led by Nicka Sewell-Smith.

The physical locations associated with these records are indexed and discussed at Mapping The Freedmen's Bureau.