The Bureau of Refugees, Freemen, 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 Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia, Series 8: Records Relating to School Buildings, Grounds, and Supplies
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Seven unbound and two bound series of records of the Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia contain information about school buildings, grounds, and supplies. Monthly abstracts of school expenses, January 1867–July 1868, are arranged chronologically. These abstracts, made by Assistant Quartermaster J. M. Brown, list expenditures for such items as construction materials, school equipment, repairs, building rent, and labor. The single volume of accounts of materials used for schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, 1867–68, is arranged by name of school. It contains an alphabetical index by name or location of school, provides information about materials used in construction of schools, and gives the cost of each item. Deeds and copies of deed of sites for freedmen's schools in Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia, 1866–70, are arranged by State and thereunder chronologically. Deeds indicate the parties involved; the date, conditions, and purpose of the deed; and a description of the dimensions and boundaries of the property. Bills for books and supplies purchased by the Superintendent of Education and by teachers, October 1869–May 1870, are arranged by month. Also among the records are quarterly statements of school property belonging to the Quartermaster Department, September 1866–March 1869, arranged chronologically, and two lists of school articles lost, destroyed, or transferred, October 1869.
There are two unbound series of records relating to supplies purchased for use in Bureau schools. The quartermaster's monthly reports of materials received and issued, October 1865–October 1869, and the monthly lists of teachers authorized to purchase supplies, February–October 1867, are arranged chronologically. The quartermaster's reports, which were submitted on printed forms, list such articles received and issued as desks, tools, curtains, construction materials, and fuel products. The reports also include information on the number and cost of articles received or issued and the condition of articles at delivery. The teachers' lists contain the names of teachers authorized to make purchases from the army commissary. A volume of teachers' accounts, September 1869–June 1870, is arranged by individual teacher and contains a name index. Entries in the volume give the names of teachers, locations of their schools, and status of their accounts.