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 Mississippi, Series 4: Letters Sent.
Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the experiences of formerly enslaved men and women in Mississippi during the Reconstruction Era.
The letters and telegrams received by the Assistant Commissioner and the Acting Assistant Adjutant General are in two unbound series, registered letters and unregistered letters.
The letters and telegrams entered in the registers of letters received, June 1865–May 1869, are arranged in the order in which they are entered in the registers. The series also includes those reports received by the Assistant Commissioner that were entered in the registers of letters received. The reports are primarily monthly narrative reports from subassistant commissioners and civilian agents, and most are dated 1865 and 1866. The file citation includes the entry number of the letter, telegram, or report, and the year.