The main distinction between M2029 and other records of the Field Offices of the Freedmen’s Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, lies in their scope and timeframe. The Freedmen’s Bureau, active primarily from June 1865 to December 1868, was tasked with various responsibilities, from issuing necessities to managing labor contracts and filing claims for African-American soldiers and sailors. M2029 specifically contains records from 1872-1878, a period after the formal abolition of the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1872, when its functions were transferred to the Freedmen’s Branch of the Adjutant General’s Office. 

This transfer marks a continuation but also a shift in focus, with M2029 emphasizing processing military claims and other related administrative tasks. These documents contain rich personal information and genealogical data, particularly about Black soldiers and sailors, in forms such as marriage certificates, labor contracts, hospital records, and legal aid requests. This collection provides a crucial historical insight into the African-American experience during the Reconstruction era.

• Descriptive Pamphlet

Descriptive pamphlets are important when researching the Freedmen’s Bureau records because they typically provide detailed indexes and explanations of the contents within a collection of historical records.

1. 007635976 – Roll 1
   • Field Offices of The Freedmen’s Branch, Office of  The  Adjutant General Charleston, SC (Disbursing Officer), Columbia (See Charleston, SC)

2. 007635977 – Roll 2

   • Fort Johnston, NC (Disbursing Officer), Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

3. 007635986 – Roll 8

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

4. 007635981 – Roll 9

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

5. 007635982 – Roll 10

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

6. 007635983 – Roll 11

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

7. 007635984 – Roll 12

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

8. 007636004 – Roll 13

   • LOUISVILLE, KY (Disbursing Officer)

9. 007636013 – Roll 14

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

10. 007636005 – Roll 15

    • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

11. 007636006 – Roll 16

    • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

12. 007636007 – Roll 17

    • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer) 

13. 007636008 – Roll 18

    • Fort Macon, NC (Disbursing Officer)

14. 007636009 – Roll 19

    • Fort Macon, NC (Disbursing Officer)

15. 007635990 – Roll 22
    • Fort Macon, VA (Disbursing Officer)
16. 007635988 – Roll 27
    • Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer)

17. 007635989 – Roll 28

    • Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer)

18. 007635974 – Roll 29
    • Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer)

19. 007636330 – Roll 32

    • Nashville, TN (Disbursing Officer)

20. 007636331 – Roll 33

    • Nashville, TN (Disbursing Officer)

21. 007636335 – Roll 37

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

22. 007636336 – Roll 38

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

23. 007636337 – Roll 39

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

24. 007636338 – Roll 40

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

25. 007636339 – Roll 41

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

26. 007636345 – Roll 47

    • New Orleans, LA (Disbursing Officer)

27. 007636346 – Roll 48

    • New Orleans, LA (Disbursing Officer)

28. 007636348 – Roll 50

    • ST. Louis, MO (Disbursing Officer)

29. 007636349 – Roll 51

    • ST. LouisS, MO (Disbursing Officer)

30. 007636350 – Roll 52

    • Savannah, GA (Disbursing Officer)

31. 007636351 – Roll 53

    • Savannah, GA (Disbursing Officer)

32. 007636354 – Roll 56

    • Vicksburg, MS (Disbursing Officer)

33. 007636355 – Roll 57

    • Vicksburg, MS (Disbursing Officer)

34. 007636356 – Roll 58

    • Vicksburg, MS (Disbursing Officer)

M2029 – Freedmen’s Bureau Office or Subordinate Field Office Location

1. 007635976 – Roll 1
   • Field Offices of The Freedmen’s Branch, Office of The  Adjutant General Charleston,  SC (Disbursing Officer), Columbia (See Charleston, SC)

   • Contains Charleston, SC  (Disbursing Officer) Letters Sent: 

   • Volume 57  Dec. 1872 – June 1874 

   • Volume 58 Apr. 1873 – June 1874

   • Volume 59 Mar. 1873 – June 1874

   • Contain’s Vol 57, Vol 58, Vol 59  

2. 007635977 – Roll 2

   • Fort Johnston, NC (Disbursing Officer), Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Louisville KY, (Disbursing Officer) Letters Sent: 

   • Volume 1 (73) Oct. 1872 – Mar. 1874 

   • Volume 2 (74) Mar. – Nov. 1874

   • Volume 3 (75) Dec. 1875 – June 1878

   • Volume 4 (76) June – July 1878

   • Volume 60 Aug. 1872 – May 1874 1874 

   • Volume 61 June 1873 – May 1874

   • Volume 62 Mar. 1874 

3. 007635986 – Roll 8

   • Louisville, KY (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Louisville KY, (Disbursing Officer) Letters Received: 

   • Volume 2 (72) Jan. – July 1878

   • Volume 77 Oct. 1872 – May 1878

   •  

4. 007636008 – Roll 18

   • Fort Macon, NC (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Fort Leavenworth, KS (Disbursing Officer) Letters Sent: 

   • Volume 66 Dec. 1873 – May 1875

   • Volume 67 Jan. 1874 – May 1875

   • Volume 68 Jan. 1874 – Apr. 1875

   • Contains Fort Macon, NC (Disbursing Officer) Letters Sent: 

   • Volume 98 Dec. 1872 – Aug. 1874

   • Volume 99 Dec. 1872 – Aug. 1874

   • Volume 100 Feb. 1873 – July 1874

5. 007635990 – Roll 22
   • Fort Monroe, VA (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Fort Monroe, VA (Disbursing Officer) Letters Received: 

   • Volume 65 Feb. 1873 – Mar. 1875

6. 007635988 – Roll 27
   • Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Fort Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer) Letters Received: 

   • Volume 82 Oct. 1872 – June 1877

7. 007635974 – Roll 29
   • Memphis, TN (Disbursing Officer)
   • Rceipts for Payments of Claims

   • Volume 109 July 1875 – June 1877

   • Volume 230 Jan. – Nov. 1875

8. 007636330 – Roll 32

   • Nashville, TN (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Quarterly Returns of Public Property, Weekly Reports of Payments, and Monthly Reports of Persons and Articles Hired 1872-76

   • Volume 98 Dec. 1872 – Aug. 1874

   • Volume 99 Dec. 1872 – Aug. 1874

9. 007636331 – Roll 33

   • Nasheville, TN (Disbursing Officer)

   • Contains Lists of Case Used in Transferring Business of Office from Major Lamotte to Major Gibson and from Major Gibson to Captain Hawkins

   • Volume 88 1872-75

10. 007636335 – Roll 37

    • Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer)

    • Contains Natchez, MS (Disbursing Officer) Monthly Reports of Persons and Articles Hired, Returns of Public Property, and Statements of Public Funds Oct. 1872 – June 1876

    • Volume 92 Oct 1872 – June 1876

    • Volume 93 Oct. 1872 – June 1876

    • Volume 94 Undated

11. 007636345 – Roll 47

    • New Orleans, LA (Disbursing Officer)

    • Contains New Orleans, LA (Disbursing Officer) Register of Claimants

    • Volume 105 Oct. 1872 – May 1878

    • Volume 1 (107) Undated

    • Volume 2 (108) Undated

12. 007636348 – Roll 50

    • St. Louis, MO (Disbursing Officer)

    • Contains ST. Louis, MO (Disbursing Officer) Unregistered Letters Received: 

    • Volume 113 Oct. 1872 – May 1876

    • Volume 114 Dec. 1872 – Jan. 1875

13. 007636350 – Roll 52

    • Savannah, GA (Disbursing Officer)

    • Contains Savannah, GA (Disbursing Officer) Letters Sent: 

    • Volume 116 Dec. 1872 – Apr. 1875 

    • Volume 117 Apr. 1873 – Mar. 1875

    • Volume 118 Apr. 1873 – Jan 1875

14. 007636354 – Roll 56

    • Vicksburg, MS (Disbursing Officer)

    • Contains Vicksburg, MS, KS (Disbursing Officer) Unregistered Letters Received Oct. 1872 – Apr. 1874: 

    • Volume 122 1872, 1873, and 1874

    • Volume 125 Undated