Freedman's Savings and Trust Company
Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company
B P O G
Record Group 101
Deposits
Who could deposit money into the Freedman's Bank?
The bank was established primarily to serve African American individuals in the post-Civil War United States. The primary clientele of the bank were:
While the bank was primarily intended for African Americans, it did not exclusively limit its services to them. People of other races could also deposit their money, but the primary focus and majority of the clientele were African Americans, reflecting the bank’s mission to aid those impacted by the transition from slavery to freedom.
- Freed Slaves: The bank was specifically established to assist newly emancipated African Americans, who were transitioning from slavery to freedom. This group included men, women, and children who had been freed following the Civil War.
African American Soldiers and Veterans: The bank was also a significant institution for African American soldiers who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. These soldiers, many of whom were receiving regular pay for the first time, were encouraged to save their earnings in the bank.
African American Laborers and Workers: Apart from soldiers, the bank catered to African American laborers and workers in various fields. This included those who were employed in reconstruction efforts, agriculture, and other labor-intensive industries in the post-war economy.
Locating Bank Records
Ancestry.com
- Descriptive pamphlets are important when researching the Freedman's Bank records because they typically provide detailed indexes and explanations of the contents within a collection of historical records.
| Huntsville, Alabama | 1 | 1-1698 | Nov. 18, 1865-Aug. 21, 1874 |
| Mobile, Alabama | 2 | 777-1567, 1572-2326, 4287-9173 | June 18, 1867-June 29, 1874 |
| Little Rock, Arkansas | 3 | 153-1358 | Feb. 27, 1871-July 15, 1874 |
| Washington D. C. | 4 | 1-1553, 3500-7197, 7406-9315 | July 11, 1865-Dec 30, 1871 |
| Washington D. C. | 5 | 1B-456, 14631-16303, 20001-21397 | May 24, 1872, July 22, 1874 |
| Tallahassee Florida | 5 | 1-887 | Aug. 25, 1866-Jan. 15, 1872 |
| Atlanta, Georgia | 6 | 1 - 4518 | Jan. 15, 1870-July 2, 1874 |
| Augusta, Georgia | 7 | 2167 - 6701 | Nov. 23, 1870-June 29, 1874 |
| Savannah, Georgia | 8 | 1-1137, 1298-4947 | Jan. 10, 1866-Dec. 17, 1870 |
| Savannah, Georgia | 9 | 4948-9868 | Dec. 9, 1870 - Oct. 22, 1872 |
| Savannah, Georgia | 10 | 9869-14558, 702-9893 | Oct. 22, 1872 - Sept. 1, 1874 |
| Lexington, Kentucky | 11 | 217-1976 | Mar. 21, 1870 - July 3, 1874 |
| Louisville, Kentucky | 11 | 1-1928, 5122-7333 | Sept. 15, 1865 - July 8, 1874 |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | 12 | 5-1018, 4365-8570 | June 20, 1866-June 29, 1874 |
| Shreveport, Louisiana | 12 | 149-1320 | Feb. 11, 1871 - June 29, 1874 |
| Baltimore, Maryland | 13 | 1-4, 220-6768 | May 3, 1866 - June 23, 1874 |
| Columbus, Mississippi | 14 | 9-927 | Aug. 1, 1870-June 16, 1874 |
| Natchez, Mississippi | 14 | 1-707 | Mar. 29, 1870-June 18, 1874 |
| Vicksburg, Mississippi | 14, 15 | 1157-8662 | July 15 1868-June 29, 1874 |
| St. Louis, Missouri | 16 | 223-336 | Apr. 6-Oct. 8 1869 |
| New York, New York | 17 | 1422-6943 | Feb. 20, 1871-July 6, 1874 |
| New Bern, North Carolina | 18 | 1327-4157 | Nov. 2, 1869-July 25, 1874 |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | 18 | 9-15 | Apr. 9-20 |
| Wilmington, North Carolina | 18 | 1208-1343 | Sept. 3, 1869, Oct. 30, 1869 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 19 | 1-3004 | Jan. 7, 1870-June 26, 1874 |
| Beaufort, South Carolina | 20 | 2732 - 5989 | October 1866 |
| Charleston, South Carolina | 21 | 1-319, 2151-3824 | Dec. 19, 1865-Dec 2, 1869 |
| Charleston, South Carolina | 22 | 3833-6626 | Dec 4, 1869-Dec 2, 1871 |
| Charleston, South Carolina | 23 | 6627-11103 | Feb. 25, 1871-July 2, 1874 |
| Memphis, Tennessee | 24 | 1-1995, 2000-6298 | Dec. 28, 1865-July 1, 1874 |
| Nashville, Tennessee | 25 | 4174-6189 | Dec. 23, 1871-July 23, 1874 |
| Lynchburg, Virginia | 26 | 153-215 | July 8, 1871-Aug. 22, 1871 |
| Norfolk, Virginia | 26 | 3950-5415, 5424 | Dec. 4, 1871-June 29, 1874 |
| Richmond, Virginia | 26 | 232-1582 | July 18, 1867-June 20, 1870 |
| Richmond, Virginia | 27 | 1591-3948, 4005-7691 | June 21, 1870-June 29, 1874 |
Records of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, Record Group 101 – Federal Reserve
This collection consists of selected records of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency that have been transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration.
- Dividend Payment Record
- Loan and Real Estate Ledgers and Journals
- Miscellaneous
The Freedman’s Bank Building
Formerly the Treasury Annex, is a historic office building at Madison Place and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. Located near the White House, it sits across from the Treasury Building. The current structure, designed by Cass Gilbert in the Beaux-Arts style and completed in 1919, is the third on this site. Initially, the site housed the Freedman’s Savings Bank, established in 1865 to serve emancipated enslaved people. The bank failed in 1874, causing significant financial loss for over 60,000 African Americans. Renamed in 2016 to honor its history, the building contributes to the Lafayette Square Historic District and houses the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Treasury Library, and the Treasury Department Federal Credit Union.