| Working with the Records of
the Field Offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (Record Group 105)
is easier when one understands the various terms the Bureau used for
specific types of records. As the Bureau's field office level records
become available on microfilm, more researchers are needing to understand these terms.
Source: Everly, Elaine and Willna Pacheli,
compilers. Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Field
Offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
(Records Group 105). National Archives
and Records Service, 1973. pages 244-249.
According to the title page this
inventory was "...produced in this form by the Military Archives
Division in order to make it readily available for staff use. It has not
been distributed as a National Archives and Records Service
publication."
GLOSSARY
Correspondence
Letters sent.
Volumes containing copies of outgoing communications and usually
including letters telegrams and reports made to superior officers.
Press copies of letters sent.
Volumes containing exact copies of outgoing communications. The copies
were made by wetting the original letter and pressing it against a piece
of blotter-like paper. Although the press copies were often made at the
time the communication was dispatched and then used to copy the letter
into the volumes of letters sent, among the Bureau records they are
frequently the only copies of the outgoing communications of many
officers.
Endorsements.
Volumes containing copies of endorsements sent and sometimes of
endorsements received as well. Instead of writing a letter in reply to
an incoming communication, officials frequently wrote replies or
forwarding statements on the communication. They then either returned
the letter with the endorsement to the sender or forwarded it to another
officer. These replies or "endorsements" were copied into volumes along
with a summary of the incoming communication.
Registers of letters received.
Volumes in which incoming communications were entered. Registers usually
include the date the letter was received, the date it was written, the
name and office of the writer, the place from which the letter was
written, a summary of the contents of the letter, and the entry number
assigned the letter.
Letters received.
Incoming communications, usually consisting only of letters, but
sometimes including reports and orders.
Unregistered letters received.
Communications not entered in the registers.
Issuances
General orders.
Orders usually pertaining to administrative matters that affected
policy.
Special orders.
Orders pertaining to specific subjects, usually personnel matters.
Special orders relieved officers of duty, assigned them to duty,
transferred them to other positions, granted leaves of absence, or
ordered officers to perform special assignments. They also restored
abandoned property to former owners.
Circulars.
Issuances relating mainly to administrative policies, although some also
pertain to personnel assignments.
Reports
Land reports.
Statistical reports usually submitted on a printed form listing the
abandoned or confiscated lands Bureau officers held. The reports usually
give the name of the former owner; the county in which the property was
located; the boundaries of the property; when and how the Bureau
acquired the property; when and how the Bureau lost the property;
whether the property was abandoned or confiscated; the total acreage of
the property; the acreage under cultivation, cleared, or wooded; and the
number and kinds of buildings on the property.
Operations reports.
Narrative reports of Bureau operations for a stated time period. These
reports frequently give information about the economic and social
conditions in the area in which the officer was stationed, the attitudes
of the white populace toward the freedmen, and the quality of education
offered the freedmen.
Personal reports.
Narrative accounts in which the officer reported where he was stationed,
the nature of his duties, and the authority placing him at the station.
Reports of persons and articles hired.
Statistical forms used by the Quartermaster Department to account for
persons hired or articles rented by Bureau officers. The reports show
the name of the person or the article hired, the person’s occupation or
the article’s use, the number of days employed or rented, the rate of
compensation or rent, and the amount of pay or rent due.
Ration reports.
Reports of rations, clothing, and medicine issued. Statistical reports
submitted on a printed form. The reports list the stations at which
rations were issued to refugees and freedmen; the number of rations
issued to men, women and children; the number of rations issued to
dependents, to Federal Government employees, or to persons giving liens
on their crops; the value of the rations issued; and the value of the
medicine and quartermaster supplies issued. There are usually separate
reports for refugees and for freedmen.
School reports.
Narrative or statistical reports about the number and kinds of schools
available for freedmen. The most common statistical report is a printed
form on which the reporting officer listed the names and locations of
the schools in his area and the societies that sponsored the schools.
The officer also indicated on the form whether the schools were night or
day schools and whether the building was furnished by the Bureau or
owned by freedmen. The reports give for each school the number of
students of each sex, the race of the students, the number over 16 years
of age, the students’ degree of literacy, and the number of students in
geography, arithmetic, writing, needlework, and the "higher branches."
The reports also indicate how many pupils had been free before the war,
the amount of tuition the freedmen paid, and the expenses of the school
the Bureau paid. At the bottom of the report the officer commented on
public sentiment toward the black schools.
School reports from officers
subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners also include a printed form
consisting of 19 questions concerning such subjects as the number and
locations of the schools, the number of visits of the officer to the
schools, the establishment of new schools in the area, and the public
sentiment toward education for black people. The report also asked how
many educational meetings the officer had held during the month, what
the Bureau could do for the education of the children of refugees, and
how long the aid of northern charities would be needed. These reports
are usually interfiled with the ration reports.
Among the school reports there are
also two printed forms for reporting the number and kinds of school
buildings. One report called for the names and locations of the schools,
the materials with which the buildings were constructed, the dimensions
of the buildings, the estimated value of the building, and the estimated
value of the land on which the buildings were located. A second form
required the listing of the teachers at the schools, the benevolent
societies sponsoring the schools, and the number of pupils attending the
school.
Reports of sick and wounded.
Printed forms showing the number of males and females under treatment at
the reporting hospital or dispensary; the number of patients discharged
or transferred during the week; and the number who died. The reports
also show the number of beds available; the number of attendants on
duty; and the total number of hospital employees under the charge of the
Bureau.
Teachers’ reports.
Usually a printed form submitted by teachers of freedmen’s schools. The
reports give information about the number of pupils at the school; the
attendance habits of the pupils; and the hours of teaching. The teacher
usually reported if he had received transportation from the Bureau; who
owned the school building at which he taught; and who supported the
school. He also commented on the public sentiment toward the black
schools; if there were any Sabbath schools in the area not otherwise
reported; and how many pupils were members of temperance societies.
Rosters of officers and civilians.
Forms showing the names and stations of the officers and civilians
employed. The rosters usually give the rank of officers and the order
number assigning then to duty. For civilians the rosters usually give
the monthly salary and often the date of appointment. Rosters also often
show the data of discharge or transfer.
Reports of changes of officers and
civilians.
Reports listing the officers and civilians assigned to or discharged
from the staffs of the Assistant Commissioner. The reports are similar
to the rosters except that they list only those people assigned or
appointed and discharged or relieved during the month, not the entire
staff.
Reports of attendants employed by
medical departments.
Forms listing attendants employed at hospitals and dispensaries. They
give the names and occupation of attendants, the date of the contract,
by whom the contract was made, the salary per month, and remarks
indicating whether the attendant was discharged during month.
Morning reports of hospitals.
Forms showing the number of patients at last report, the number admitted
since, the number deserted, the number died, and the number remaining in
the hospital. The reports also often show the numbers of beds occupied
and available at the hospital.
Returns of bureau or quartermaster
property.
Forms listing the kinds and amount of Bureau or Quartermaster property
in the possession of the reporting officer.
Accounts current.
Forms used to account for Bureau funds. Usually included are abstracts
of receipts and expenditures, vouchers, and other related papers.
Receipt rolls of hired men.
Forms similar to a payroll. The receipt roll gives the names,
occupations, periods of service, and rates of pay of individuals hired
by the Bureau.
Claims Records of
Disbursing Officers
Registers of claimants.
The registers were complied by the disbursing officers and usually give
the name of the claimant; the company and regiment of the soldier; the
date the money was received from the Chief Disbursing Officer; the
amount due the claimant; the date and place the claim was paid; and by
whom claimant was identified.
Lists of claimants.
"Lists" received from the disbursing officer in Washington. They are
printed forms giving the name of the soldier or his heirs; the rank,
company, and regiment of the soldier; the name and residence of the
agent; the number and amount of the Treasury certificate; the fees due
the agent; the advances paid the agent; and the amount to be paid the
claimant.
Confidential lists.
Forms received from the Washington office of the Freedmen’s Branch and
used by the disbursing officers to identify claimants. The forms used in
1872 and 1873 list more than one name, but later each "list" referred to
only one soldier. Both forms were compiled from records in the Office of
the Adjutant General and included such information as the soldier’s
name, rank, company, and regiment; the soldier’s place of birth and age
and occupation at date of enlistment; place and date of the soldier’s
enlistment; and descriptive information such as the soldier’s eye and
hair color and complexion.
Memorandums of examination of
claimants.
Forms used by the disbursing office during interviews with claimants.
The questions on the form are similar to the information supplied in the
"confidential list" and were apparently used to verify the claimant’s
identity.
Other Records
Station books of officers and
civilians.
Volumes showing officers’ and civilian employees’ names, stations, and
occupations and rank or salary of officers or civilians on the staffs of
the Assistant Commissioners. The books also give the order assigning the
officer to duty or the date of the civilian’s appointment and the order
number relieving them of duty.
Labor contracts.
Contracts between freedmen and employers, usually farmers or plantation
owners, witnessed by Bureau officers. Most of the contracts indicate the
period of service, the rate of wages, and the type of work to be
performed.
Indentures.
Terms of apprenticeship or indenture of freed people.
Registers of labor contracts.
Registers kept by officers subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners.
The registers usually give the date of the contract, the names of the
contracting parties, and the rate of wages.
Registers of complaints.
Registers kept by officers subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners.
The "complaints" relate to problems which freedmen brought to the
officer’s attention. Many of the registers simply list the name or names
of the freedmen and the nature of the complaint, but others also give a
synopsis or summary of the case.
Registers of marriages.
Registers kept by officers subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners.
Most registers give the names of the couple and the date the marriage
was registered. Many registers also give information about previous
marriages, the number of children from previous marriages, and the
ministers who performed the ceremony.
Registers of claimants - - bounty
registers.
Registers usually kept by claims agents. While most of the claims were
for bounties, some were also for commutation of rations, back pay, or
pensions. The registers usually give the claimant’s name; the soldier’s
rank, company, and regiment; the nature of the claim, and information
about the payment of the claim.
Oaths of office.
Oaths required by an act of Congress approved July 2, 1862 (12 Stat.
502), of persons elected or appointed to any office under the Government
of the United States.
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