Mississippi Assistant Commissioner, Labor Contracts of Freedmen, Jan. 1866, Part 5

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 8: Indentures, Marriages, and Labor Contracts. Additional resources including a list of Freedmen's Bureau staff in Mississippi and a style sheet for help when transcribing Mississippi records are available on the Freedmen's Bureau Instructions Page. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the experiences of formerly enslaved men and women in Mississippi during the Reconstruction Era.