This month has been designated "African-American" (or "Black") History month, so let's talk a bit about the Freedman Bank records - the database. This is the banking system (locations in very many places) where people who could for the first time own personal property went to bank. These banks did not last long - a couple years.
The original handwritten records were submitted to a database that is offered as a resource in many libraries. Using the records is as easy as submitting the surname and going from there. So far most of the names I've researched did not offer much information that I could use.
Please know that after the slaves were freed, they were allowed to choose their own name. First and Last. In some families the various members chose different surnames. Also some people tried on a surname and then changed it, just because they felt more comfortable about another name, because siblings had gotten together and decided on a name, or because they changed their mind about keeping the name of a plantation or master.
WHAT THIS MEANS IS that as your research progresses and your knowledge of family names progresses, you may wish to check the records again and again. I use the census and other records to try and establish a location with a name.
Also, some White people did put their money into a Freedman's Bank! I don't know why, maybe just the convenience of a location. Maybe because they were living with African-Americans.
(See my previous blogs on Henry Louis Gates!)
