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 Assistant Commissioner for the State of North Carolina, Series 21: Records Relating to Accounts and Claims.
Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the experiences of formerly enslaved men and women in North Carolina during the Reconstruction Era.
Have questions about how to transcribe tables in these documents? View special directions here.
Records related to accounts and claims are in four unbound series and one volume.
Retained copies of reports of funds on hand sent to the Commissioner at Washington, D. C., make up one series. This is arranged chronologically and dated May–December 1867. The Disbursing Officer's weekly and monthly reports of funds and expenditures, June 1866–April 1869, are arranged chronologically. They lists either expenditures, including purpose and amount, or funds on deposit, including place and amount.
The volume is a short list of vouchers received, February 1868–February 1869, by the Assistant Commissioner's office. The name, date, nature of charge, and amount are listed.
One of the claims series consists of monthly reports of the claims division of North Carolina, October 1866–April 1869. Chronologically arranged, these show the number and type of claim and amounts collected by the claims officer. The other claims series is a group of miscellaneous claims for arrears in pay. This series is arranged chronologically and dated June 1866–April 1869.