Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of North Carolina Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
See also
[The following is reproduced from the original NARA descriptive pamphlet for M843.]
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of March 3, 1865 (13 Stat. 507). Congress assigned to the Bureau responsibilities that previously had been shared by military commanders and by agents of the Treasury Department. The duties included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. Under provisions of the initial legislation, the Bureau was to have been terminated 1 year after the close of the Civil War. It was twice extended by laws of July 16, 1866 (14 Stat. 173), and July 6, 1868 (15 Stat. 193), effective January 1869. Remaining Bureau functions were terminated following the discontinuance of the Bureau in 1872, in accordance with a law of June 10 of that year (17 Stat. 366).
In May 1865 the President appointed by Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard Commissioner of the Bureau. Howard, who served until the Bureau was discontinued, maintained his headquarters at Washington, D. C. Assistant commissioners supervised the work of the Bureau in the States.
Col. Eliphalet Whittlesey, the first Assistant Commissioner of North Carolina, established his headquarters at Raleigh in June 1865. Although the size and organization of the staff of the Assistant Commissioner varied from time to time, it usually included an Assistant Adjutant General, an Assistant Inspector General, a Surgeon in Chief, a Superintendent of Education, and a Disbursing Officer.
The policies and programs of the Freedmen's Bureau in North Carolina were established by the Assistant Commissioner and administered through his subordinate officers. Bureau officials, often in cooperation with benevolent societies, established schools for freedmen and issued food, clothing, and medical supplies to refugees and freedmen. They also approved or disapproved freedmen's labor contracts and indentures, investigated freedmen's complaints, and helped black soldiers and sailors to file and collect claims for bounties, pensions, and pay arrearages. The Assistant Commissioner maintained several freedmen's hospitals and colonies for the destitute, and provided transportation to return refugees to their homes or to convey freedmen to distant jobs.
During 1865 and 1866 much of the work of the Assistant Commissioner related to the custody of abandoned property of former supporters of the Confederacy. Officers of the Bureau leased much of the abandoned property and used the proceeds to finance Bureau activities. Sometimes buildings were utilized as Bureau offices and several abandoned plantations were used by the Assistant Commissioner as freedmen's camps or colonies. However, the Assistant Commissioner restored most of the property, as the Commissioner directed, to former owners who signed loyalty oaths or received Presidential pardons.
The first Assistant Commissioner divided North Carolina into four districts—with headquarters located at Newbern, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Goldsboro—and thereunder into subdistricts. The officers in charge of districts were designated superintendents and those in charge of subdistricts, assistant superintendents. On July 1, 1867, the basic unit of organization for the State was changed to the subdistrict. Eleven subdistricts were established, each containing from two to four further subdivisions. The officers in charge of the subdistricts were designated subassistant commissioners, and those who administered smaller segments of the subdistrict were titled assistant subassistant commissioners. Each of the subassistant commissioners reported directly to the Assistant Commissioner.
March 1, 1868, marked the last change in the organization of the North Carolina Bureau. The State was divided into the four subdistricts of Morganton, Wilmington, Raleigh, and Goldsboro, but there was provision for smaller subdivisions in each subdistrict. This new subdivision of the State resembled the first in organizational structure, although titles for the various officers remained the same as those of the second organizational structure. By May 1869 all of the Bureau offices and functions except education, were phased out in North Carolina, and the Assistant Commissioner closed his office the first week of that month.
The following officers succeed Col. Eliphalet Whittlesey as Assistant Commissioner of North Carolina: Bvt. Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Ruger, May–June 1866; Bvt. Maj. Gen. John C. Robinson, June–November 1866; Col. James V. Bomford, November 1866–April 1867 (Acting Assistant Commissioner); Bvt. Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles, April 1867–October 1868; Bvt. Lt. Col. Jacob F. Chur, October 1868–January 1869; Bvt. Maj. Gen. Nelson A Miles, February–March 1869; Bvt. Lt. Col. Charles E. Compton, April May 1869.
When the Freedmen's Bureau was abolished, its records were sent to the Office of the Adjutant General. Clerks in the Adjutant General's Office numbered the volumes or book records and prepared "indexes" or lists of these books. In this microfilm publication the number assigned to the volume by the clerks in the Adjutant General's Office appears in parenthesis. This number is useful only as a more precise method of identifying the volume.
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, FamilySearch International, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection, 1865–1872, is a product of and owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright for digital images is retained by the donor, FamilySearch International; permission for commercial use of the digital images may be requested from FamilySearch International, Intellectual Property Office, at:
Acquired from FamilySearch International in 2015.
The four volumes of letters sent, July 4, 1865–April 13, 1869, consist of fair copies of letters sent by the Assistant Commissioner and his Assistant Adjutant General and some of the monthly, quarterly, and annual reports that the Assistant Commissioner sent to the Commissioner. They are arranged chronologically and numbered consecutively, with the exception of the first volume. In that volume only the communications in the first quarter of the volume are numbered and the annual, monthly, and quarterly reports of the Assistant Commissioner are in the back of the volume rather than in chronological order.
There are name indexes to addressees and persons mentioned in the communications in the last three volumes. In these indexes the number after the name is the file number of the letter. A name index book (addressee only) for the first volume consists of two parts. In the first part, pages 1 – 160 are only partially indexed, and pages 161 – 179 are not indexed. The National Archives has prepared the name index for the first 179 pages, which is filmed before the index book for the first volume of letters sent. The second part of the index book indexes both the addressees and the names mentioned. There is a subject index book for part of the first volume. It is merely an incomplete chronological listing of some of the subjects of the letters in the volume.
Frequently in the letters sent volumes there are cross references to related records of the Assistant Commissioner's office. These are written in the form of abbreviations to other series of records and list either the page number or the file number of the related document. The abbreviations "LS" and "LB" refer to the letters sent volumes, "LR" refers to the registers of letters received, and "EB" refers to the endorsement and memorandum books.
Name Index to Vol. 1, p. 1-179
Name Index (8) to Vol. 1
Subject Index (9) to Vol. 1
Vol. 1 (7)
Vol. 2 (10)
Vol. 3 (11)
Vol. 4 (12)
According to recordkeeping practices of the day, the Assistant Commissioner kept a series of records known as endorsements sent or endorsement and memorandum books. Frequently, instead of writing a letter, the Assistant Commissioner or the Assistant Adjutant General wrote the reply or forwarding statement on the incoming letter and either returned the communication to the sender or forwarded it to another officer. These replies or statements were copied into endorsement books, together with a summary of the contents and usually the file number of the incoming communication, which was often preceded by the abbreviation "LR." In the left margin of the pages of the volumes was written either the name of the person to whom the endorsement was sent or from whom the letter or endorsement was received.
The four volumes of endorsements sent, July 11, 1865–April 15, 1869, are arranged chronologically, and in the first volume each endorsement is numbered. As in the letters sent volumes, there are cross references in the form of abbreviations to related records of the Assistant Commissioner's office.
The first volume has two index books, a name index, and a "Subject Index" for the first quarter of the volume. The subject index is an incomplete chronological listing of some of the subjects found in the endorsements. For the second volume there is a partial name index book. The National Archives has supplemented this with a name index and has filmed it after the book index. There are name indexes in the two remaining volumes.
Name Index (17) to Vol. 1
Subject Index (16) to Vol. 1
Vol. 1 (15)
Name Index (19) to Vol. 2
Name Index to Vol. 2
Vol. 2 (18)
Vol. 3 (20)
Vol. 4 (21)
Another recordkeeping practice of the period was to enter incoming communications into registers of letters received. These entries include such information as the name or office of the correspondent, date of the letter, place from which it was written, abstract of its contents, date of receipt of the letter, and the assigned register entry number. Sometimes there are also cross references to related records of the Assistant Commissioner's office in the form of abbreviations, such as "LS" for the letters sent volumes, "ES" for the endorsements, or "SO" for special orders.
The communications entered in the four volumes of registers of letters received by the Assistant Commissioner, July 1865–June 1869, are arranged alphabetically by initial letter of surname or office of correspondent and thereunder chronologically by date received, and are numbered in sequence for each letter of the alphabet. The entries in the last register cover two overlapping periods: January–April 1869 include those letters received by the Assistant Commissioner and March–June 1869, those received by the Superintendent of Education. The register, together with the letters received, has also been filmed as M844, Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of North Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1870.
The first register has a "Subject Index," which is an incomplete chronological listing of subjects found in that register. The National Archives has prepared a name index to Register 1. There are names indexes for correspondents and names mentioned for the other volumes. The last register was originally indexed only through February 1869. The National Archives has added to the index to the Assistant Commissioner's office.
Not all letters entered in the registers are among the records of the Assistant Commissioner. Some letters were forwarded to Bureau headquarters at Washington, and others were referred to staff officers or sent to officers subordinate to the Assistant Commissioner. The National Archives has placed an asterisk (*) in the registers by the entry number of each letter that is still in the series of registered letters received. The double asterisk (**) indicate letters received by the Superintendent of Education, reproduced on M844. The citation "F/W" (filed with) indicates a letter was filed with a related letter.
Name Index to Register 1
Subject Index (2) to Register 1
Vol. 1 (1)
Name Index (4) to Register 2
Vol. 2 (3)
Vol. 3 (5)
Vol. 4 (6)
The letters received by the Assistant Commissioner and the Assistant Adjutant General are in two unbound series–one of registered letters, the other of unregistered letters.
The registered letters received, July 1865–June 1869, are arranged in the same order in which they were entered in the registers of letters received.
The unregistered letters received, July 1865–March 1869, are those that were received by the Assistant Commissioner's office but were never entered in the registers of letters received. They are arranged by year and thereunder alphabetically by initial letter of surname or office of correspondent. According to this filing system, letters received from the Assistant Commissioner when he was away from his office at Raleigh are filed under the letter "A," those from the Commissioner at Washington, D. C., under the letter "C," those from the Office of the Secretary of War or the Adjutant General's Office under "W" for War Department, and those from the State of North Carolina under the letter "N." The National Archives has prepared a name index for these letters and has filmed it at the beginning of each roll of unregistered letters.
A-I
A-I
A-I
A-I
J-R
J-R
J-R
J-R
S-Y
S-Y
S-Y
A-E
A-E
A-E
A-E
F-M
F-M
F-M
F-M
N-V
N-V
N-V
W-Y
W-Y
W-Y
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-P
R-W
R-W
R-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
A-E
A-E
F-W
F-W
F-W
F-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
A-W
Telegrams Sent and Received (14)
The volume containing telegrams is arranged in the following manner: telegrams sent, July 1867–January 1869, in the front of the volume and telegrams received, July 1867 and January 1868–January 1869, are in the back of the volume. Each set is arranged chronologically. The blank pages between the two sets of telegrams have not been filmed.
Telegrams Received
The unbound series of telegrams received, January 1865–December 1868, is arranged chronologically, except for telegrams that duplicate those in the bound volume, the entire series has been filmed, including three telegrams in cipher.
In 1867 a group from Boston, Mass., donated money to purchase food and cloth where the supplies offered by the Government failed to provide proper nourishment and clothing for destitute people, "Such as the Sick, Aged and Infirm, and Delicate Children" regardless of race or political persuasion. William Gray, chairman of this committee, made the arrangements for the aid and asked that he be given information about how the funds were spent in North Carolina so that he could report to the committee. Probably because of this request, a collection of the Assistant Commissioner's records relating to the "Boston Fund" was made. The fund was administered in North Carolina by Assistant Commissioner Nelson A. Miles, Gov. William W. Holden, and R. W. Pulliman and locally by subcommittees in the districts and subdistricts of the State.
Among the records of the Assistant Commissioner are two short series of records relating to the "Boston Fund": a letters sent volume, June 19, 1867–August 25, 1868, and unbound letters received, May 1867–August 1868. The letters sent volume contains fair copies of letters sent by Bvt. Col. Jacob Chur, the Assistant Adjutant General, to various agents and officers of the Bureau and private citizens explaining the fund's use and granting of money. These chronologically arranged letters begin on page 30. Pages 2 – 7 were used by the Superintendent of the District of Wilmington; pages 1 and 8 – 29 are blank and unfilmed. The series of unbound letters is arranged chronologically except for a few receipts, invoices, and communications filed together at the end of 1867 under the title "Ladies Northern Aid Society." The remainder and major part of the records include letters from Gray, from various subcommittees that helped disburse aid, and from private persons, and some receipts and invoices.
Letters Sent (13)
Letters Received
Letters Received
Among the records of the Assistant Commissioner are one volume of general orders and circulars issued, three volumes of special orders issued, and unbound series of general orders, circulars, and special orders received.
The volume of general orders and circulars issued by the Assistant Commissioner or his Assistant Adjutant General, July 1, 1865–December 9, 1868, is arranged chronologically. This volume also contains several circular letters interfiled chronologically with general orders and circulars. General orders consist primarily of issuances outlining the general policies of the Bureau. Several of them are reprints of letters of instructions from the Commissioner of the Bureau, the Secretary of War, and the President. The circulars are mostly policy directives published for general information and guidance of Bureau officials in North Carolina. There is a partial "Subject Index" book for the circulars issued in 1865.
The three volumes of special orders issued by the Assistant Commissioner or his Assistant Adjutant General, June 26, 1865–May 4, 1869, are arranged by year and numbered in sequence. These orders deal with personnel matters and therefore differ from general orders and circulars. Special orders were also used by the Assistant Commissioner in North Carolina to order specific investigations and to restore property. There is a name index for each volume of the special orders. For the first and third volumes the reference is in the form of a fractional citation; the numerator denotes the order number, the denominator the page number. In the second volume the index reference is to page number.
The unbound general orders and circulars (filmed after the general orders and circulars issued) and unbound special orders received (filmed after the special orders issued) by the Assistant Commissioner were issued by the Commissioner's office, the War Department, or the military command of which North Carolina was a part. These three series—general orders received, March 1865–July 1868, circulars received, May 1865–April 1869, and special orders received, July 1865–March 1869 are arranged by type of issuance and thereunder chronologically.
Subject Index (23 to Circulars)
General Orders and Circulars (28)
General Orders Received
General Orders Received
Circulars Received
Circulars Received
Vol. 1 (22)
Vol. 2 (25)
Vol. 3 (27)
Special Orders Received
Special Orders Received
Special Orders Received
Two series of unbound narrative reports were received by the Assistant Commissioner: annual reports from staff officers and semimonthly, monthly, and quarterly reports from subdistrict officers. In addition, there is a series of statistical reports.
The annual reports from staff officers, 1866 and 1867, are arranged by year. They include reports from the Surgeon in Chief, the Chief Quartermaster, the Superintendent of Education, and other subordinate officers.
Semimonthly, monthly, and quarterly reports from officers in charge of subdivisions are arranged by year and thereunder by month. These reports, August–October 1865 and June 1867–December 1868, contain information on destitution, the number of rations given to white and black persons, crop production, the number of sick, and the number of contracts made.
The trimonthly, semimonthly, and monthly statistical reports of operations, October 1865–October 1866, January–December 1867, and July–August 1868 are arranged chronologically. These reports, on printed forms, include information about the number of farms worked, contracts made, rations supplied to freedmen, number of people cared for, amount of property held by the Bureau, wages paid to freedmen, and remarks on general conditions. Almost all of these were sent to the Assistant Commissioner by his subordinate officers, but a few summary reports on operations prepared by the Assistant Commissioner are interfiled in the series.
Annual Report
Semimonthly, monthly, and quarterly reports
Semimonthly, monthly, and quarterly reports
Statistical Reports
Statistical Reports
Statistical Reports
Reports on Sanitary Conditions
Reports on Sanitary Conditions
Reports on Sanitary Conditions
In the monthly and semimonthly narratives reports on sanitary conditions, June 1866–December 1868, subordinate officers reported on such matters as the quality of rations offered freedmen, medical care available to them, general conditions of the environment in which they lived, general health of the freedmen, number of houses occupied by freedmen, and number of persons in each house. The reports are arranged chronologically.
Three of the series are unbound statistical reports submitted, for the most part, on printed forms. These include monthly and quarterly reports of rations issued by subordinate officers, August 1865–December 1868; retained copies of semimonthly, monthly, and quarterly rations reports prepared by the Assistant Commissioner, September 1865–November 1868; and miscellaneous ration reports of subordinate officers, July 1865–December 1868. All are arranged chronologically.
The statistical monthly and quarterly rations reports of subordinate officers list the number of rations issued, the number of people given rations, the number of births and deaths, and other statistics. These reports generally concern camps, colonies, and hospitals operated by the Bureau in North Carolina.
Retained copies of rations reports of the Assistant Commissioner are mostly monthly reports that summarize the same type of information as the above reports, but for the various subdivisions of the State of North Carolina.
The miscellaneous trimonthly, monthly, and quarterly rations reports are from subordinates officers who reported the clothing, rations, and medicine issued and other statistics.
In addition, there are several brief series of reports or records relating to subsistence rations, rations issued, and destitution. Receipts for rations issued by the Bureau to persons, December 1866–July 1867, are arranged chronologically. These list the color of the person, the number in the family, the amount of rations, and the date, and include the signatures of those receiving rations. The abstract of subsistence stores received and issued by subordinate officers, December 1866–June 1868, are arranged chronologically and indicate how much corn and pork was on hand or issued and whether issued to whites or blacks.
A few narrative reports on destitution, August–October 1867, and January–June 1868, are arranged chronologically and recount destitution in the subdistricts reporting. These reports indicate, in particular, whether the county boards of wardens were able to cope with the problem of destitution and provide needed relief. At last, chronologically arranged, miscellaneous series of reports of destitution of 1866 lists some landowners who needed seet to plant crops and some people who needed relief.
Statistical Rations Reports from Subordinate Officers
Statistical Rations Reports from Subordinate Officers
Retained Copies of Statistical Rations
Miscellaneous Rations Reports
Miscellaneous Rations Reports
Receipts for Rations Issued
Abstracts of Subsistence Stores Received and Issued
Reports on Destitution
Reports on Destitution
Miscellaneous Reports of Destitution
One of the activities of the Bureau was to furnish transportation to freedmen who could find jobs in places other than where they lived. A series of contracts and related records, arranged as case files, document much of the process by which large groups of freedmen in 1867 contracted to work in States other than North Carolina. Included are contracts between prospective workers and employers, correspondence between the Bureau officials and those wishing to make contracts with freedmen, and legal documents. The records indicate that large groups of freedmen who made contracts were transported at Bureau expense to such States as Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas where they worked on plantations.
Following this series of records, two short series are filmed—one of transportation order receipts authorized and signed by officials of the Bureau for travel, mainly in North Carolina, January 1867–December 1868, and a series of transportation orders, November 1866–February 1868, which authorized travel for officials of the Bureau and freedmen. Each series is arranged by order number and date.
Case Files
Case Files
Receipts for Orders
Orders
There are one bound and three unbound series of records relating to personnel: a station book for 1867 listing and officers, agents, and clerks in North Carolina; rosters of officers and civilians, September 1865; and January 1867–December 1868; "Personal Reports," January 1867–December 1868; and oaths of office, July 1866–April 1869.
The lists in the station book are in hierarchical order and give the duty, rank, date, title, and remarks for each number of the Assistant Commissioner's staff. The rosters, arranged chronologically, provide the name, rank, station, and date of appointment for military personnel and the name, station, date of contract, and pay for civilians. The "Personal Reports" consist of notifications sent to the Assistant Commissioner by officers and agents when they assumed office. They are arranged by year and thereunder by initial letter of surname of the appointee. The oaths of office, which were required of all civilian employees of the Bureau, are arranged by initial letter of signee's surname.
Station Book (29)
Rosters
Rosters
Personal Reports
Personal Reports
Personal Reports
Oaths of Office
Reports of persons and articles hired in North Carolina by the Bureau are contained in a bound volume and an unbound series. The volume, January 1868–December 1869, and the unbound series, February 1866–April 1869, are arranged by month. They list the name or place, occupation or use, length of service, and rate of pay for persons hired and articles used by the Bureau. The volume for April–December 1869 lists the wages for the Superintendent of Education's immediate staff and the rent paid for schools and their locations. The Superintendent of Education evidently continued to use the volume to register rents and salaries related to his office after the Assistant Commissioner's office was abolished in the spring of 1869.
Bound Reports (31)
Unbound Reports
The records relating to court cases and the administration of justice, March 1865–June 1868, are arranged chronologically. Included are cases heard under both military and civilian jurisdiction. Statements, depositions, and reports from boards of survey (investigative boards) are among the documents found in this series. The records were produced in case concerning whippings, beatings, adjudication over crops, and also in case involving agents or officers of the Bureau accused of misusing funds or property.
There are also a few monthly reports of subordinate officers concerning court cases, February 1867–January 1868, arranged chronologically. They list the name, place, race, offense, judgement, verdict, sanctions, and the solicitors and judges involved in the case.
A few powers of attorney, dated March and September 1867, are also in the Assistant Commissioner's records and have been filmed after the above series.
Case Files Relating to the Administration of Justice
Case Files Relating to the Administration of Justice
Reports of Court Cases
Powers of Attorney
Among the records of the Assistant Commissioner are two volumes that register the unbound reports containing recommendations of people to serve as registrars and inspectors for the election of delegates to the North Carolina constitutional convention, which met in January 1868. The registry volumes, dated 1867, are arranged by county, using a numerical system, and contain indexes. The reports, April–June 1867, are arranged numerically, except for the last third, which are chronologically arranged. Most of the reports were provided by Bureau officials, but some were provided by private individuals. Information given in the reports and registers includes the name of the person recommended, occupation, color, age, resident status, length of residence, person to recommend him as a delegate to the convention, and such remarks as: "Union Man," "Served in Union Army," or "Intelligent."
Register of Registrars, Vol. 1 (34)
Register of Registrars, Vol. 2 (35)
Unbound Reports
This unbound series of semimonthly reports from subordinate officers of outrages, whites against blacks and blacks against whites, usually includes the date, place, by whom and against whom the outrage was committed, the nature of the outrage, the action taken, and remarks about the incident. These are arranged chronologically, June 1866–December 1868.
Following this has been filmed a series of semimonthly reports of arrests submitted by subordinate officers, August 1866–December 1868. A few of the Assistant Commissioner's reports summarizing his officers' reports are interfiled in this series. Information included in these reports is the dates, name of the person arrested, place of residence, complaint, name of the complainant, place where the arrested person was confined, and remarks on the arrest. The reports are arranged chronologically.
Reports of Outrages
Reports of Outrages
Reports of Arrests
Reports of Arrests
Freedmen's Labor Contracts
Freedmen's Labor Contracts
Freedmen's Labor Contracts
Freedmen's Labor Contracts
As part of the Bureau's function the officers and agents were responsible for the protection of the legal rights of freedmen, which included assistance in drawing up contracts for labor. There is a series of contracts, January 1865–October 1868, which is arranged chronologically. These agreements between freedmen laborers and employers stated such terms of employment as pay, clothing, and medical care due the freedmen, the part of the crop retained by freedmen, and sometimes whether a plot of ground for growing subsistence crops was to be provided for the freedman.
Another area where Bureau officials were concerned with freedmen's right was indenturing or apprenticeships. Underaged children who were not or could not be supported by their parents were apprenticed by Bureau officials to persons who would be responsible for their upbringing and welfare. There is an unbound series of indentures, September 1865–August 1867, arranged chronologically. Some cancellations are among the 1867 indentures, probably because in that year the North Carolina Supreme Court invalidated indentures.
A register of indentures, December 1865–June 1866, arranged in numerical sequence, provides the date, name of the person indentured, name of the officer who officiated, and name of the custodian to whom the person was indentured.
Register of Indentures (33)
Indentures
Indentures
Indentures
There are three unbound series relating to property. The largest is the monthly statistical reports of lands under Bureau control, July 1865–December 1868, with some undated reports at the end of the series. These chronologically arranged reports were made by subordinate officers to the Assistant Commissioner, and there are a few of the Assistant Commissioner's summary reports interfiled in the series. The reports list the owner, county, boundaries, date and how gained, date and how lost, why held, total acres, acres cultivated, buildings, and remarks on the property.
A brief series of miscellaneous land reports, March 1865–November 1868, lists plantations and buildings rented or abandoned and under custody of the Bureau. These are arranged chronologically.
Another brief series contains deeds for schools and churches and some leases of lands. These date 1866–1870 for the most part, but there are three from 1862–1863. They are chronologically.
Statistical Land Reports
Miscellaneous Land Reports
Deeds and Leases
Deeds and Leases
Records related to accounts and claims are in four unbound series and one volume.
Retained copies of reports of funds on hand sent to the Commissioner at Washington, D. C., make up one series. This is arranged chronologically and dated May–December 1867. The Disbursing Officer's weekly and monthly reports of funds and expenditures, June 1866–April 1869, are arranged chronologically. They lists either expenditures, including purpose and amount, or funds on deposit, including place and amount.
The volume is a short list of vouchers received, February 1868–February 1869, by the Assistant Commissioner's office. The name, date, nature of charge, and amount are listed.
One of the claims series consists of monthly reports of the claims division of North Carolina, October 1866–April 1869. Chronologically arranged, these show the number and type of claim and amounts collected by the claims officer. The other claims series is a group of miscellaneous claims for arrears in pay. This series is arranged chronologically and dated June 1866–April 1869.
Reports of Funds on Hand
Reports of Expenditures
Reports of Expenditures
Register of Vouchers (32)
Reports of Claims Division
Papers Relating to Claims
Reports on Freedmen Available for Work
Reports on Freedmen Available for Work
A series of trimonthly reports of subordinate officers, July 1867–December 1868, gives the number of freedmen who applied for work and the number of people who applied for freedmen workers. The reports are chronologically arranged.
The series of miscellaneous reports of subordinate officers, 1865–1868, contains records relating to property, rations, treatment of black families, contracts, the number of indigent blacks and whites, and other topics. These are arranged chronologically. Finally, there is a chronologically arranged series of quartermaster property returns, October 1865–January 1868 and November–December 1868, submitted by subordinate officers of the Bureau in North Carolina to the Assistant Commissioner. These concern supplies received and issued.
Miscellaneous Reports
Quartermaster Property Returns
Quartermaster Property Returns