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 Superintendent of Education for the State of Louisiana, Series 3: Personnel Records.
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 in Louisiana during the Reconstruction Era.
The correspondence received by the Superintendent relating to employment, January 1864-September 1868, is arranged by the nature of the correspondence (applications, recommendations, resignations, and applicants' answers to teacher examinations) and thereunder chronologically. Most of the correspondence concerns teachers' positions, although a few applications for clerkships are included. Some letters of application contain detailed personal histories, others only a brief request for a position. Enclosed with a few of the letters of application are letters of recommendation or answers to teacher examinations. The letters of recommendation were sent to the Bureau by clergymen, former employers, and by other persons knowledgeable about the applicant's character. Most of the letters attest to an applicant's loyally or good moral character rather than to his ability or work habits. The letters of resignation, some of which are written on the back of the employee's original letter of appointment, include letters stating only the intention of the teacher to resign and letters with extensive explanations of the reasons behind the decision. The applicants' answers to teacher examinations generally include the name, age, and address of the applicant; answers to examination questions; the percentage of correct answers; and a statement recommending or opposing the hiring of the applicant. The examination questions themselves are not included.