African American Resources for Mississippi
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Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Online Resources
- 3 Research Strategy
- 4 History
- 5 Resources
- 5.1 Biographies
- 5.2 Cemeteries
- 5.3 Census Records
- 5.4 Church Records
- 5.5 Emancipation Records
- 5.6 Funeral Homes
- 5.7 Genealogies
- 5.8 Land and Property
- 5.9 Oral Histories
- 5.10 Other Records
- 5.11 Military Records
- 5.12 Newspapers
- 5.13 Probate Records
- 5.14 Reconstruction Records
- 5.15 School Records
- 5.16 Slavery Records
- 5.17 Vital Records
- 5.18 Voting Registers
- 6 Archives and Libraries
- 7 Societies
- 8 References
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Online Resources[edit | edit source]
- Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- Mississippi Digital Library
- Registers of Marriages of Freedmen
- Marriage records of the Office of the Commissioner, Washington headquarters of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861-1869
- Access Genealogy: Mississippi African American Genealogy
- University of Southern Mississippi Archives: Digital Archives
- MDAH: Freedmen's Bureau Index
- Discover Freedmen - this site searches all of the Freedmen's Bureau record collections on FamilySearch altogether (and redirects there)
- Freedman's Bank Records, 1865-1874
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 images only
- Mississippi, Freedmen's Department (Pre-Bureau Records), 1863-1866 images only
Research Strategy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
- A History of the Negroes of Mississippi from 1865 to 1890.
- Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the state of Mississippi, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1863-1869
- BlackPast.org: Mississippi
- Freedom Now: An Archival Project of Tougaloo College and Brown University
- Hawes, Ruth B. "Slavery in Mississippi". The Sewanee Review 21 no. 2 (April 1913): 223-234.
- Sewell, George Alexander. Mississippi Black history makers. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1977.
- Christie, Walter. A race apart: parliament and race separatism, the story. Auckland, New Zealand: Wyvern Press, 1998.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Emancipation Records[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Plantation[edit | edit source]
Oral Histories[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Reconstruction Records[edit | edit source]
Freedman’s Bank[edit | edit source]
An excellent source is the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (visit the African American Freedman's Savings and Trust Company Records page to learn more). This company was created to assist African American soldiers of the Civil War and freed slaves. Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company signature cards or registers from 3 March 1865 to 25 July 1874 may list the name of the depositor, date of entry, age, birthplace, residence, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband’s name, death information, children’s names, name of father and mother, brothers’ and sisters’ names, remarks, and signature. Early books sometimes contained the name of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates were sometimes attached to the entries. The collection is organized alphabetically by state, then city where the bank was located, then date the account was established, then account number.
Online collections of Freedman's Bank records:
Freedmen's Bureau[edit | edit source]
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by the US government in 1865 until 1872 to assist former slaves in the southern United States. The Bureau created a wide variety of records extremely valuable to genealogists. Such documents include censuses, marriage records, and medical records. These records often include full names, former masters and plantations, and current residences.[1] For 1865 and 1866, the section on abandoned and confiscated lands includes the names of the owners of the plantations or homes that were abandoned, confiscated, or leased. It gives the county and location, a description of the house, the number of acres owned, and the number of cabins of former slaves. These films do not appear to contain the names of former slaves.
To find Freedmen's Bureau records:
- DiscoverFreedmen - the search on this site will utilize all of the Freedmen's Bureau records on FamilySearch, including:
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Claim Records,1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Hospital and Medical Records, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Labor Contracts, Indenture and Apprenticeship Records, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Records of Persons and Articles Hired, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Land and Property Records, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872
Other FamilySearch collections not included:
- Mississippi, Freedmen's Department (Pre-Bureau Records), 1863-1866
- Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
- United States Freedmen's Bureau Miscellaneous Records,1865-1872
- United States Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen, 1865-1872
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 Images only. These reports primarily contain statistical and historical information.
- More collections are available in the FamilySearch Catalog. Search for "FREEDMEN - MISSISSIPPI" in the Subjects search bar to find.
Visit the African American Freedmen's Bureau Records page to learn more about utilizing these records.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Slavery Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- Registers of Marriages of Freedmen
- Marriage records of the Office of the Commissioner, Washington headquarters of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861-1869
The Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872) was created by the US government to assist former slaves in the southern United States. One of their responsibilities was to record the marriages (past and present) of the former slaves. These records can be found in the collections below and include the lists of marriages that occurred previously, marriage certificates, and marriage licenses. The information contained on the records may include the name of the husband and wife/groom and bride, age, occupation, residence, year or date of marriage, by whom, number of children, and remarks.
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Marriage Records, 1846-1867
Death[edit | edit source]
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Voting Registers[edit | edit source]
Archives and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
222 North St Suite 2205
Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601-576-6800
African American Military History Museum
305 E. 6th Street
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Phone: 601-450-1942
Societies[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "African American Records: Freedmen's Bureau," "African American Heritage," National Archives, accessed 11 May 2018.
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