FREEDMEN'S MARRIAGE BUREAU RECORDS 1846-1867 : USING THE ANCESTRY TM GENEALOGY DATABASE : LET THIS FUEL YOUR HISTORICAL RESEARCH!

I've posted about the Freedman * Bank Records before, but did you know that the Freedman Bureau also kept a record of former slaves (and some "free colored") who married soon after they were free from enslavement? 

In the past I've also posted on some methodology for African-American research, stating first of all it is American research and one ought to proceed with going back as neatly as possible, using census records, both federal and state, if possible. If a researcher can find their people on the census after liberation, they have some names. Other than that, there may be some oral history in the family but one must be careful to accept stories without some proofing. Our African-American cautionary tale is that upon liberation, a person could choose to change their surname and some did more than once, wanting to feel comfortable with that surname, and sometimes various family members chose various names. That said, I wonder how often that happened.

I explored this database for a few hours recently and want to give you some information that may be helpful.

So for the purposes of this post I'm using the Ancestry TM genealogy database. To find the database called Freedman Bureau Marriage Records you want to go into NEW COLLECTIONS (WHICH ACTUALLY ALLOWS YOU TO SEARCH THE ENTIRE CATALOG, not just recently added collections. You will see to the top left the words CARD CATALOG.) Put the word Freedman in the keyword search. You will see that you can search the  U.S.,Freedman's Bureau Records, 1865-1878

Then to the right bottom it says U.S., Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records 1845-1867 

Remember that the NATIONAL ARCHIVES of THE UNITED STATES is usually the original or primary source for databases.

While the other records held in the overall records can be interesting, because if you may be able to find out who a plantation owner was, I like to focus on marriages because you have twice the chance of recognizing someone as an ancestor - a bride or a groom.  This may give you the name of a female ancestor by her married and maiden name.

My first impression was that I was able to easily pull up records without knowing any particular name simply by putting in the state. I also tried common names such as Smith, Watson, or Jefferson.

The database includes many states including, according to the database:
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. NOTE THAT WEST VIRGINIA DID NOT YET EXIST so Virginia included what is now West Virginia and South Western Pennsylvania below the Monongahela River. However, I think you will find that this does not mean ALL THE INFORMATION EVER COLLECTED IN EACH STATE but that in some way that state is represented in the collection.

We can learn from exploring the database, even if we do not have an ancestor who was enslaved or are unsure of who was.

For instance, there may be questions such as if a person lived with another (without marriage) and for how long, how they were separated (dead, forced, separated by war, sold away), and the skin color of parents, partners, and others (mulatto, black, dark, white, yellow, milk.) Unlike the census in which a census taker might make the decision to list a person's color as they see it or because of community notions, in this case the person themselves is probably reporting parents who are not in attendance. In some cases the percentage of African- Black a person was given.  The persons who are marrying may be asked how many children they had with others and you might find a comment that they 'unitedly had children.' Once in a while the name of a former partner may come up.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND : The records were kept where the marriage was performed.

Just as many people who are part of the LBGT community rushed to be married as soon as it was legal to, many formally enslaved people who had been partnered without marriage rushed to be married.  It is not unusual to find that a particular Minister of the Gospel married twelve couples in one day. Perhaps your research can include the name of the Minister which might lead to the name of a church, church records, even church graveyard records.

Even when the couple appear on a register, rather than an individual slip of paper or form (not standardized from one state to the next), their ages are usually listed. These are adults who were generally born twenty or more years earlier. I found one record that said both persons were "free people of color" and I wondered if that meant "last week' or 'all along.'

As well, some of these forms or handwritten documents ask where the person is from. There may be the name of a place other than where the marriage took place. But you may just find a fantastic clue that the man served in the military, and most likely that means in the CIVIL WAR on the Confederate side!  If you see a line of abbreviations such as Pot. Co. C. 60 *** where it could say the name of a town or county or plantation, that means you were just given the company/troop information. You can then find what battles they might have served in...

In my next post, I'm going to write about the Black soldiers who fought for the Confederacy.

C 2026 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.

* (I'm aware that the bank records seem to have the Freedman spelling while the other records are in plural, Freedmen.)

SLAVERY IN PENNSYLVANIA : RESOURCES? : QUESTIONS FROM READERS of ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY

Question :

Growing up back east, I didn't realize there was ever slavery in Pennsylvania. But now I think one of my ancestors might have been involved in that. Can you give me some input on how to proceed?

Walter G.

Philadelphia area

Answer : Every few months I look at what's new on the popular Ancestry TM *** genealogy databases, as well as some others, and I ran a search for you.  At the top of the site there is an option for New Collections.  Actually this is where you find the entire "card catalogue." Run a search for Pennsylvania and run down the list.

Pennsylvania, U.S., County Records of Enslaved and Free People, 1780-1834 

Here are some things to consider:

1) The issue of slavery connects to Civil War records. Some slaves did fight. Some were forced to fight for the Confederacy. Some fought for the Union. And some escaped from slavery during this period - and signed up to fight for the Union.

2) Pennsylvania did not have the sharp Western and Southern boundaries it has today. Some of that territory belonged to Virginia where slavery was legal. (And Virginia included what is now mapped as West Virginia.) The Underground Railroad ran through Pennsylvania. 

3) This doesn't mean that the slave catchers stopped trying to capture escaped slaves just because they were in free territory. In Pennsylvania newspapers ads appeared offering rewards for captures. As well, you may find reportage, opinion pieces, and other information that shows what the arguments were, and who was who. Consider the Quakers and the Abolitionists. See if your ancestors shows up in any biographies and check the newspapers too.

4) If your ancestor did hold slaves in Pennsylvania, you may want to see if there are any wills or court records that mention the transfer or sale of slaves.

Actually, I've been planning some posts in January-February 2026 regarding Pennsylvania so do check back!

C 2025 Ancestry Worship Genealogy  All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights

*** This blog is not associated with the Ancestry TM genealogy database company.

ANCESTRY DATABASE INDEXED 1940 CENSUS : MORE STATES SEARCHABLE BUT...

I've already used the surname search feature to bring up families that I found by going page by page and so far NOT ONE HAS COME UP... Could it be that the indexers have once again failed to make it through misreading handwriting or ignorance of ethnic surnames?

CASTLE GARDEN Searchable Database has ended... BUT OTHER DATABASES HAVE THE INFORMATION NEEDED

Before there was Ellis Island there was CASTLE GARDEN and while there was Ellis there was Castle Garden too. Ellis Island was the checking point for steerage only passengers. A better ticket? Castle Garden, the first stop a ship made to let off passengers. Now, a searchable database!

***

Just a note Nov 2022.  My understanding is that this web site has ended but the passenger lists are searchable now via FamilySearch and Ancestry TM genealogy databases.

February 2023 ....  Yes,  the site is no longer.

Just a note to remember that there were other ports in operation.