Obtaining Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts for African American Family History Research in Mississippi

At the end of the Civil War, approximately 400,000 slaves were freed in the state of Mississippi. Even with the migration of African Americans throughout the country, the highest percentage of African Americans per capita still call Mississippi home per the U.S. Census Bureau. It is no wonder that many African American family historians find themselves researching in Mississippi at some point.

If you have found African American ancestry in Mississippi The Freedmen Bureau Labor Contracts will be beneficial to your research efforts.

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau)

Established within the War Department following the end of the Civil War, the Freedmen’s Bureau provided assistance to former slaves and impoverished Whites in the South and the District of Columbia. The records created by the Freedmen’s Bureau are invaluable to African American family historians.

Within this vast record group are the Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contracts. The labor contracts were formed between former slaves and plantation owners under the supervision of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Family historians may be able to find relationships between slaves at the end of the War, find references to land granted to the family and find the names of former slave owners. Though rare, occasionally there is a marriage record attached to a contract.

To find your ancestor among one of the 36,000 names of former slaves, visit the website of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. A finding aid is available online and is searchable by former slave name, plantation owner name and county. Once you have located an ancestor, an in-state research request can be sent to the reference desk at [email protected]. Include your name and full address with all requests, as a letter will be sent to you with notification that your record has been found and advise you of copy fees that must be paid prior to your record being sent to you. All out of state research requests must be mailed to the attention of Reference Request, Archives and Records Services, MDAH, P.O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571 along with a $27.00 check or money order made payable to MDAH, Archives and Records Services.

Once you have received your labor contract, transcribe your document as accurately as possible to allow a search for clues to the next step in your research process. You may find the handwriting difficult to understand. After a some practice in deciphering old handwriting, this process will become easier.

Always remember that a single document doesn’t prove any genealogical declaration, however a Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contract is an important piece of evidence in researching African American ancestry in Mississippi and it should not be overlooked.

Sources
“State & County QuickFacts”, U. S. Census Bureau website
“Genealogical Research at the Archives”, Mississippi Department of Archives and History website
“The Freedmen’s Bureau, 1865 – 1872″ National Archives website


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