Browse Projects

The African American story is central to our nation’s history.  Collections documenting the contributions of African Americans in countless fields, along with the struggles and achievements inherent to their stories, can be found in the records of every Smithsonian museum. Help us make these collections more accessible through transcription. Browse projects below and learn more by searching our blog, and by visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

85% Complete

274 Total pages
95 Contributing members
Mississippi Field Offices, Subordinate Field Offices: Lauderdale (Subasst. Comm.), Press Copies of Letters Sent, Vol. 1 (174)

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established on March 3, 1865. The duties of the Freedmen’s Bureau included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. These documents come from the Records of the Field Offices for the State of Mississippi, Series 3.24: Subordinate Field Offices: Lauderdale (Subassistant Commissioner).

 

PLEASE NOTE: Press copies were made by moistening a piece of thin paper and pressing it on the original letter through the use of a press copying machine, which transferred some of the ink to the moistened paper. Because of the relative crudeness of this method, many of the press copies are difficult to read and some are virtually illegible. Please mark any illegible text as [[illegible]].

 

Additional resources are available on the Freedmen's Bureau Instructions Page. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the lives of formerly enslaved men and women during the Reconstruction Era.

Browse projects by Freedmen's Bureau

80% Complete

245 Total pages
91 Contributing members
Mississippi Field Offices, Subordinate Field Offices: Lauderdale (Subasst. Comm.), Unregistered Letters Received, 1865–1866

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established on March 3, 1865. The duties of the Freedmen’s Bureau included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. These documents come from the Records of the Field Offices for the State of Mississippi, Series 3.24: Subordinate Field Offices: Lauderdale (Subassistant Commissioner).

 

Additional resources are available on the Freedmen's Bureau Instructions Page. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the lives of formerly enslaved men and women during the Reconstruction Era.

Browse projects by Freedmen's Bureau

14% Complete

175 Total pages
74 Contributing members
Virginia Assistant Commissioner, Endorsements Sent, Volume 3 (24), Oct. 23, 1865–Jan. 1, 1866

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established on March 3, 1865. The duties of the Freedmen’s Bureau included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. These documents come from the Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Series 2: Endorsements Sent.

 

Additional resources are available on the Freedmen's Bureau Instructions Page. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the lives of formerly enslaved men and women during the Reconstruction Era.

Browse projects by Freedmen's Bureau

91% Complete

237 Total pages
85 Contributing members
Virginia Assistant Commissioner, Reports of Operations and Conditions, Monthly Narrative Reports, May–Dec. 1868, Part 3

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established on March 3, 1865. The duties of the Freedmen’s Bureau included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. These documents come from the Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Virginia, Series 6: Reports of Operations and Conditions in Virginia.

 

Additional resources are available on the Freedmen's Bureau Instructions Page. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the lives of formerly enslaved men and women during the Reconstruction Era.

Browse projects by Freedmen's Bureau