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Essential Research Series · No. 2 · 29 pages
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands operated across the South from 1865 to 1872, generating one of the richest and most underused record collections in American genealogy. For families researching African American ancestors in the Appalachian region, these records can reach back across the wall of emancipation. This guide walks through every major record type the Bureau produced, explains where those records are held today, and provides state-by-state guidance for the Appalachian counties where Bureau operations were most active.
- Labor contracts and ration records — identifying individuals, employers, and family units in 1865 to 1868
- Marriage registers — how the Bureau documented formerly enslaved couples legalizing their unions
- Claims and complaints — court-like filings that often name parents, children, and prior enslavers
- Hospital and medical records — a largely overlooked source with name, age, and origin data
- Repository guide for Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia & South Carolina
- Fillable research worksheet and full citations
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