Records of the Field Offices for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1872
odd: label: Freedmen's Bureau Personnel in Virginia
content: This list provides the names and dates of service of known Freedmen's Bureau personnel at selected subordinate field offices for Virginia. Additional information regarding persons assigned to various field offices might be found among the Bureau's Washington headquarters station books and rosters of military officers and civilians on duty in the states and in other appointment–related records.

ALEXANDRIA

Oct. 1863–June 1865 -- Superintendent of Contrabands A. Gladwin

July–Nov. 1865  -- Superintendent James Ferree (5th District) 

Nov. 1865–Jan. 1866 -- Superintendent Henry Alvord 

Jan. 1866–Mar. 1867  -- Superintendent and Subassistant Commissioner S. R. Lee 

Mar. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Superintendent and Subassistant Commissioner S. R. Lee (10th Subdistrict) 

Jan.–Apr. 1869 -- Superintendent S. R. Lee (6th Educational Subdistrict of VA) 

AMELIA COURTHOUSE

Oct. 1865–Aug. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent W. F. White 

Aug. 1866–Jan. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent James Drysdale 

Jan. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Acting Subassistant Commissioner J. B. Clinton 

APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE

1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Louis Neswick 

ASHLAND

1865–66  -- Ed Murphy 

1867–68 -- Ira Ayers 

BOWLING GREEN (Caroline County)

Jan. 1866–Nov. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent John Dwyer 

Nov.–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner W. B. Pease 

Jan.–Feb. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Hector Sears (at Fredericksburg) 

Feb.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner F. S. Tukey 

BOYDTON (Mecklenburg County)

Dec. 1866–Apr. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. George T. Cook (at Clarksville) 

Apr.–Nov. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Alexander D. Bailie (at Clarksville) 

Nov.–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Alexander D. Bailie 

Jan.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner George W. Graham (3rd Division, 11th Subdistrict) 

BUCKINGHAM COURTHOUSE (Buckingham County)

July–Aug. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. James P. Wogan 

Sept.–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Paul Kolbe 

Dec. 1865–Apr. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. J. F. Dengler 

May–Aug. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. W. James Kay 

Jan.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Charles E. Fincke (at Maysville) 

BURKESVILLE (Nottoway County)

July 1866–Oct. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. D. Jerome Connolly 

Oct. 1867–Oct. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. R. G. Rutherford 

CHARLOTTE COURTHOUSE (Charlotte County)

Feb.–Apr. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Louis Ahrens 

May–June 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Edwin Lyon 

June–Sept. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. F. A. Page 

CHARLOTTESVILLE (Albemarle County)

Jan.–Mar. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent James Joyes 

June 1866–June 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. William L. Tidball 

June 1867–Feb. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. A. F. Higgs 

CHESTERFIELD COURTHOUSE (Chesterfield County)

July 1865 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Henry Eisenhill 

Aug. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. John H. Kendall 

Aug.–Oct. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. William Taylor 

Oct.–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. William Kedlich 

Dec. 1865–Jan. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Dennis M. Carroll 

Jan. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Col. James M. Powell 

Jan.–Mar. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. W. James Kay 

CHRISTIANBURG (Montgomery County)

May 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. C. S. Schaeffer (8th District of VA) 

CITY POINT (Prince George County)

July 1865 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. John E. Herriot  

Aug. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. William Hedges 

Sept. 1865–Apr. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent R. P. Clayton 

May–July 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Charles H. Bird 

Aug. 1866–Jan. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. J. Arnold Yeckley 

CULPEPER COURTHOUSE (Culpeper County)

Oct.–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. Earl Pierce 

Dec. 1865–July 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. W. S. Chase 

Aug. 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. W. MacNulty 

CULPEPER

Jan.–Mar. 1869 -- Assistant Superintendent William R. Morse (4th Education Subdistrict) 

CUMBERLAND COURTHOUSE (Cumberland County)

July–Aug. 1865 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Curtis McCornish 

May–Oct. 1865  -- Provost Marshall Capt. Oscar Fleichman 

Oct.–Nov. 1865  -- Provost Marshall Lt. E. Steinmann Capt. D. 

Dec. 1865–Feb. 1866 -- Provost Marshall Jerome Connolly 

DANVILLE (Pittsylvania County)

Aug. 1865 -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. Moses Smith 

Aug.–Oct. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. P. J. Hawk 

Dec. 1865–Nov. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. J. F. Wilcox 

Nov. 1866–July 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent Col. G. B. Carse 

July 1867–June 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. Andrew Mahoney 

June–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William Leahey (at Pittsylvania Courthouse) 

DRUMMONDTOWN

Dec. 1865–Feb. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Charles W. Hite

Mar.–Sept. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Maj. George H. French 

Oct. 1866–Feb. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent  Lt. Ed. Murphy 

Feb.–Nov. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Maj. George P. Sherwood 

Nov. 1867–May 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Maj. George P. Sherwood (at Eastville) 

May–Aug. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner M. S. Reed (at Eastville) 

Aug.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner D. B. White (at Eastville) 

FAIRFAX COURTHOUSE (Fairfax County)

Aug.–Sept. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. George A. Armes 

Sept. 1865–Feb. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Sidney B. Smith (at Vienna) 

Mar. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. J. O. Ross (at Vienna) 

Nov. 1866–Mar. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent O. E. Hine 

Apr.–Aug. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. William Shields (at Falls Church) 

Aug. 1867–Apr. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. W. S. Chase (at Falls Church) 

Apr.–Oct. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. W. S. Chase (at Manassas) 

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner John Raeburn 

FARMVILLE

Sept.–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. W. H. Lea 

Nov. 1865–Jan. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. R. C. Horner 

Feb.–Apr. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. D. Jerome Connolly 

May 1866–Apr. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner Maj. John W. Jordan 

Apr.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Thomas P. Jackson 

Apr.–Aug. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Thomas Leahey (at Farmville 1st Division, 11th Subdistrict) 

Aug.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Thomas Leahey (at Marysville 1st Division, 11th Subdistrict) 

FREDERICKSBURG

Aug.–Nov. 1865  -- Superintendent Capt. D. W. Bohonon (10th District) 

Dec. 1865–July 1866  -- Superintendent Maj. James Johnson (10th District) 

July 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Superintendent Maj. James Johnson (6th District) 

July 1866–Apr. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Hector Sears (for Stafford and King George Counties) 

Apr. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent Hector Sears (for Stafford, King George, and Spotsylvania Counties) 

GOOCHLAND

Dec. 1865–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Superintendent J. T. Wilson 

Jan.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent E. C. Morse 

GORDONSVILLE

Aug. 1865–June 1866  -- Superintendent Capt. T. Frank Crandon (4th District) 

June 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Superintendent Maj. William R. Morse (4th District) 

HALIFAX COURTHOUSE

Nov. 1867–Feb. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. David P. Scott (4th Subdivision, 11th District) 

Feb.–May 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William Nutt (4th Subdivision, 11th District) 

May–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner W. H. H. Stowell (4th Subdivision, 11th District) 

HEATHSVILLE

May 1866–Apr. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner E. W. Busby (5th Division, 6th Subdistrict) 

Apr.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Haskell (5th Division, 6th Subdistrict) 

JERUSALEM (Southampton County)

May 1866–Jan. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner Lt. A. G. Deacon (4th Division, 1st Subdistrict) 

Jan.–Sept. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner Mortimer Moulden (4th Division, 1st Subdistrict) 

Sept.–Oct. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner C. S. Schaeffer (4th Division, 1st Subdistrict) 

Oct.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Mortimer Moulden (4th Division, 1st Subdistrict) 

KING WILLIAM COURTHOUSE

Feb.–June 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. John C. Chance (3rd Division, 3rd Subdistrict) 

June 1866–July 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Col. Frank Butts (3rd Division, 3rd Subdistrict) 

July 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent C. P. Goodyear (3rd Division, 3rd Subdistrict) 

LEESBURG (Loudoun County)

Mar. 1866–May 1868  -- Lt. Sydney B. Smith (3rd Division, 10th Subdistrict) 

May–July 1868  -- Lt. Sydney B. Smith (at Warrenton) 

July–Oct. 1868 -- Lt. Sydney B. Smith (at Middleburg) 

LEXINGTON

Sept. 1865–Feb. 1866  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner C. Jerome Tubbs 

Feb.–Nov. 1866  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner G. Carse 

Dec. 1866–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner J. W. Sharp 

Jan.–Sept. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Douglas Frazer 

Sept.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Jno. W. Jordan 

LIBERTY

Oct. 1865–Apr. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner B. T. Shaum 

Apr.– Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner J. F. Wilcox 

LOUISA COURTHOUSE

July 1865–Aug. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. R. McMurray 

Nov. 1865–July 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. James Ashworth 

July–Nov. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Jacob Roth 

Jan. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Maj. M. S. Hopkins (at Gordonsville) 

LUNENBURG COURTHOUSE

Sept. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Alexander Blackman 

Oct. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. Richard M. Homer 

Nov. 1865–Jan. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. H. Treher 

Jan.–July 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. J. Arnold Yeckley 

Apr.–July 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner W. H. Stowell 

July–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William Austin 

LYNCHBURG

Nov. 1865–Apr. 1867 -- Superintendent R. S. Lacey (7th District of VA) 

Apr. 1867–Jan. 1868 -- Agent R. S. Lacey 

Jan–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner R. S. Lacey (7th Subdistrict of VA) 

Jan.–Mar. 1869 -- Assistant Superintendent of Schools R. S. Lacey 

Dec. 1865–Jan. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. J. P. Wodell (4th Subdistrict, 7th District) 

Jan. 1867–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Louis W. Stevenson (1st Division, 7th District) 

Jan.–Sept. 1868  -- Assistant Superintendent J. F. Wilson (1st Division) 

May–Aug. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. W. F. DeKnight (Subdistrict of Amherst County) 

June–Sept. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. L. A. Nesmith (1st and 6th Divisions, 7th District) 

MADISON COURTHOUSE

Feb.–Nov. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Capt. Samuel W. Carpenter 

Feb.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William Crea 

MANCHESTER

Oct. 1865–Mar. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. L. Hoysradt 

Apr.–Oct. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. T. W. Lord 

July–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Samuel F. Maddox 

MARION

Apr.–Aug. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. B. E. Hess 

MATTHEWS COURTHOUSE

Apr. 1866–Mar. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent E. A. Chandler 

Apr.–July 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent F. K. Smith 

July–Aug. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner E. R. Williams 

Aug. 1867–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner E. A. Chandler 

Jan.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Thomas Rice 

FORT MONROE

Sept. 1865–July 1866  -- Superintendent C. B. Wilder (9th District) 

July–Sept. 1866  -- Superintendent C. B. Wilder (5th District) 

Sept. 1866–Apr. 1867 -- Superintendent S. L. Armstrong (5th District) 

Apr. 1867–Jan. 1868 -- Agent S. L. Armstrong (5th District) 

Jan.–Sept. 1868  -- Subassistant Commissioner S. L. Armstrong (5th District) 

Sept.–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner S. L. Armstrong (at Hampton) 

Jan.–Apr. 1869 -- Superintendent S. L. Armstrong (1st Education Subdistrict, Hampton) 

NEW KENT COURTHOUSE

Mar.–Apr. 1866 -- Superintendent A. M. Brooks (at Barhamsville) 

Apr. 1866–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner A. M. Brooks 

Dec. 1867–June 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William H. Sloan 

May–Aug. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner E. G. Townsend 

NORFOLK

Mar.–June 1865 -- Assistant Superintendent for Negro Affairs, Fort Monroe C. H. Beirne 

June–Sept. 1865  -- Superintendent A. S. Flagg (1st District, Fort Monroe) 

Sept. 1865–June 1866  -- Superintendent A. S. Flagg (1st District, Norfolk) 

June 1866–Mar. 1867 -- Superintendent William P. Austin 

Mar. 1867–Jan. 1869 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. H. Remington 

June–Aug. 1865  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. John H. Keatley 

Aug. 1865–May 1866  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Charles E. Johnston 

Feb.–Nov. 1867 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Edward Murphy 

ORANGE COURTHOUSE

July–Sept. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent M. C. Harris 

Sept.–Oct. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent H. C. Buckman 

Oct. 1865–Aug. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent John W. Barnes 

Sept.–Oct. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent W. A. MacNulty 

PALMYRA

Aug–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. C. E. Minor (at Columbia) 

Dec. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. N. R. Bunker (at Columbia) 

Jan–Oct. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent E. G. Budd 

PETERSBURG

July–Aug. 1865  -- Superintendent Stuart Barnes (District of the Nottoway) 

Aug. 1865–Sept. 1867 -- Superintendent Stuart Barnes (2nd District) 

Sept. 1866–Sept. 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner J. R. Stone 

Sept.–Oct. 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner James A. Bates 

Oct. 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner J. R. Stone 

July 1865–Nov. 1865  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. E. H. Tobey 

Dec. 1866–Jan. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. J. A. Yeckley 

Nov.–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Capt. J. L. Johnston 

Dec. 1867–July 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. H. K. W. Ayres 

PRINCESS ANNE

Sept. 1865–May 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Thomas P. Jackson (at Norfolk) 

May 1866–July 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Morton Havens 

July 1867–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Superintendent Morton Havens 

Jan.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent James Croft 

RICHMOND

Apr.–June 1865 -- Quartermaster H. S. Merrell 

June–Nov. 1865  -- Superintendent H. S. Merrell (District of Henrico) 

Nov. 1865–June 1866 -- Superintendent H. S. Merrell (3rd District)  

June–Nov. 1866  -- Superintendent John A. McDonnell (3rd District) 

Apr.–May 1867 -- Superintendent John A. Bates (3rd District) 

Apr.–May 1867  -- Subassistant Commissioner John A. Bates 

May 1867–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner Paul R. Hambrick 

Jan.–Apr. 1869 -- Assistant Superintendent of Schools Paul R. Hambrick 

Dec. 1865–Feb. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent E. B. Townsend (Subdistrict of Richmond) 

Mar.–Apr. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent T. W. Lord 

Apr. 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Benjamin C. Cook 

ROCKY MOUNT

Jan.–June 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent James Warden 

Aug. 1866–Apr. 1867 -- Assistant Superintendent William F. DeKnight (Subdistrict No. 3, 7th District) 

Apr.–July 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William F. DeKnight 

July–Oct. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William F. DeKnight (Subdistrict No. 3, 7th District) 

Oct.–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Newton Whitten (4th Division, 7th Subdistrict) 

Dec. 1867–June 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Augustus R. Egbert 

SMITHFIELD

May 1865–Mar. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. L. W. L. McDaniels 

Mar.–May 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. A. G. Deacon 

STAUNTON

Mar.–May 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. George W. Cook (at Harrisburg) 

May–Dec. 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. George W. Cook (Subdistrict No. 10, 7th District, at Staunton) 

Dec. 1866–Apr. 1867  -- Assistant Superintendent Frederick S. Tukey (Subdistrict of Augusta and Highland) 

Apr. 1867–Mar. 1868 -- Assistant Superintendent Thomas P. Jackson (4th Division, 9th Subdistrict) 

Mar.–Sept. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner John W. Jordan 

Sept.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Roswell Waldo 

SUFFOLK

Dec. 1866–Nov. 1867 -- Agent John W. Barnes (3rd Division, 1st Subdistrict) 

Nov. 1867–July 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. George W. Fleming 

July–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner George W. Black 

TAPPAHANNOCK

July–Oct. 1865  -- Provost Marshall Edgar B. Le Gro (at Warsaw) 

Nov.–Dec. 1865 -- Provost Marshall Edgar B. Le Gro 

Feb. 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. Watson R. Wentworth (3rd Division, 6th Subdistrict from April 1867) 

WARRENTON

July 1866–Aug. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. W. S. Chase 

Aug. 1867–Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Capt. E. B. Gates (4th Division, 10th Subdistrict) 

Jan.–Apr. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Morton Havens (4th Division, 10th Subdistrict) 

May–July 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Lt. Sydney B. Smith (See Leesburg, VA) 

WARSAW

Jan.–Dec. 1867  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Henry W. Ayres (4th Division, 6th Subdistrict from April 1867) 

Jan. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner William B. Pease 

Feb.–Mar. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner C. G. McClelland 

Apr.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner E. W. Busby 

WAVERLY

Dec. 1866–Mar. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner W. F. Wilcox (2nd Division, 2nd Subdistict from April 1867) 

Apr.–July 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner P. M. McLaughlin 

WILSON'S LANDING

Feb.–June 1866  -- Assistant Superintendent J. H. Remington 

July–Sept. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent Lt. Edward Murphy 

WINCHESTER

Aug.–Sept. 1865  -- Superintendent Capt. H. Stover How (6th District, at Staunton) 

Oct. 1865–May 1866  -- Superintendent Capt. H. Stover How (6th District) 

May–Sept. 1866  -- Superintendent J. H. Remington (6th District) 

Sept.–Nov. 1866 -- Superintendent J. H. Remington (9th District) 

Dec. 1866–Dec. 1868 -- Subassistant Commissioner John A. McDonnel (9th District) 

Dec. 1865–Apr. 1866 -- Assistant Superintendent John P. How 

Apr. 1866–Oct. 1867 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Capt. Gilbert R. Chandler (1st Division, 9th District) 

WOODSTOCK

Mar. 1866–July 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner J. H. Hall (3rd Division, 9th District) 

July–Aug. 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner W. Lyreel 

Aug.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Watkins James 

WYTHEVILLE

Oct. 1865–June 1866  -- Superintendent B. C. Carter (8th District) 

June–Dec. 1866  -- Superintendent George P. Sherwood (8th District) 

Dec. 1866–Feb. 1867  -- Superintendent J. H. Remington (8th District) 

Mar.–Aug. 1867  -- Superintendent William P. Austin (8th District) 

Mar.–Aug. 1867  -- Superintendent H. G. Thomas (8th District)

Jan.–Mar. 1869 -- Assistant Superintendent of Schools H. G. Thomas (at Salem) 

YORKTOWN

Jan. 1866–May 1868  -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner F. A. Massey (3rd Division, 5th District) 

Aug.–Dec. 1868 -- Assistant Subassistant Commissioner Henry K. Ayers (3rd Division, 5th District)
topic: label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Reconstruction, U.S. history, 1865-1877
label: Topic
content: Freedmen's Bureau
label: Topic
content: Slaves -- Emancipation
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Acquired from FamilySearch International in 2015.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Records of the Field Offices for the State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1872
abstract: label: Summary
content: This collection is comprised of digital surrogates previously available on the 203 rolls of microfilm described in the NARA publication M1913. These digital surrogates reproduced the records of the Virginia field offices of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1872, including previously unfilmed records of the Virginia staff offices of the quartermaster and disbursing officer, and the subordinate field offices. These records consist of bound volumes and unbound records, including letters and endorsements sent and received, orders and circulars, monthly reports, and other records relating to freedmen's complaints and claims.
bioghist: label: Historical Note
content: [The following is reproduced from the original NARA descriptive pamphlet for M1913.]

HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, also known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was established in the War Department by an act of Congress on March 3, 1865 (13 Stat. 507). The life of the Bureau was extended twice by acts of July 16, 1866 (14 Stat. 173), and July 6, 1868 (15 Stat. 83). The Bureau was responsible for the supervision and management of all matters relating to refugees and freedmen, and of lands abandoned or seized during the Civil War. In May 1865, President Andrew Johnson appointed Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard as Commissioner of the Bureau, and Howard served in that position until June 30, 1872, when activities of the Bureau were terminated in accordance with an act of June 10, 1872 (17 Stat. 366). While a major part of the Bureau's early activities involved the supervision of abandoned and confiscated property, its mission was to provide relief and help freedmen become self–sufficient. Bureau officials issued rations and clothing, operated hospitals and refugee camps, and supervised labor contracts. In addition, the Bureau managed apprenticeship disputes and complaints, assisted benevolent societies in the establishment of schools, helped freedmen in legalizing marriages entered into during slavery, and provided transportation to refugees and freedmen who were attempting to reunite with their family or relocate to other parts of the country. The Bureau also helped black soldiers, sailors, and their heirs collect bounty claims, pensions, and back pay.

The act of March 3, 1865, authorized the appointment of Assistant Commissioners to aid the Commissioner in supervising the work of the Bureau in the former Confederate states, the border states, and the District of Columbia. While the work performed by Assistant Commissioners in each state was similar, the organizational structure of staff officers varied from state to state. At various times, the staff could consist of a superintendent of education, an assistant adjutant general, an assistant inspector general, a disbursing officer, a chief medical officer, a chief quartermaster, and a commissary of subsistence. Subordinate to these officers were the assistant superintendents or subassistant commissioners as they later became known, who commanded the subdistricts.

The Assistant Commissioner corresponded extensively with both his superior in the Washington Bureau headquarters and his subordinate officers in the subdistricts. Based upon reports submitted to him by the subassistant commissioners and other subordinate staff officers, he prepared reports that he sent to the Commissioner concerning Bureau activities in areas under his jurisdiction. The Assistant Commissioner also received letters from freedmen, local white citizens, state officials, and other non–Bureau personnel. These letters varied in nature from complaints to applications for jobs in the Bureau. Because the assistant adjutant general handled much of the mail for the Assistant Commissioner's office, it was often addressed to him instead of to the Assistant Commissioner.

In a circular issued by Commissioner Howard in July 1865, the Assistant Commissioners were instructed to designate one officer in each state to serve as "General Superintendents of Schools." These officials were to "take cognizance of all that is being done to educate refugees and freedmen, secure proper protection to schools and teachers, promote method and efficiency, correspond with the benevolent agencies which are supplying his field, and aid the Assistant Commissioner in making his required reports." In October 1865, a degree of centralized control was established over Bureau educational activities in the states when Rev. John W. Alvord was appointed Inspector of Finances and Schools. In January 1867, Alvord was divested of his financial responsibilities, and he was appointed General Superintendent of Education.

An act of Congress approved July 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 193), ordered that the Commissioner of the Bureau "shall, on the first day of January next, cause the said bureau to be withdrawn from the several States within which said bureau has acted and its operation shall be discontinued." Consequently, in early 1869, with the exception of the superintendents of education and the claims agents, the Assistant Commissioners and their subordinate officers were withdrawn from the states.

For the next year and a half the Bureau continued to pursue its education work and to process claims. In the summer of 1870, the superintendents of education were withdrawn from the states, and the headquarters staff was greatly reduced. From that time until the Bureau was abolished by an act of Congress approved June 10, 1872 (17 Stat. 366), effective June 30, 1872, the Bureau's functions related almost exclusively to the disposition of claims. The Bureau's records and remaining functions were then transferred to the Freedmen's Branch in the office of the Adjutant General. However, the records of this branch are among the Bureau's files.

THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU IN VIRGINIA

ORGANIZATION

In Virginia, the Bureau's operations began in June 1865 when Assistant Commissioner Orlando Brown established his headquarters in Richmond. Brown served until May 1866, when he was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry, who remained in office until August 1866. Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield served from August 1866 to March 1867, when Orlando Brown again assumed office and served as both Assistant Commissioner and superintendent of education until May 1869.

From June 1866 to March 1867, Assistant Commissioners Terry and Schofield also served as military commanders of the Department of Virginia and its successor, the Department of the Potomac. Although the two generals created and received records in both capacities, they maintained separate sets of records for this period. Records created by Terry and Schofield while serving in their military capacities are found among the Records of United States Army Commands, 1821–1920, RG 393.

Beginning in September 1865, the Assistant Commissioner for the District of Columbia was responsible for Bureau operations in the Virginia counties of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Loudoun, and the Freedmen's Village near Arlington, VA. Bureau officers were assigned to supervise the activities of these districts. In August 1866, supervision of Loudoun County was transferred to the Assistant Commissioner for Virginia, and Alexandria and Fairfax Counties were similarly transferred in March 1867. Because officers in the above counties reported to the Assistant Commissioner of the District of Columbia, some records for Virginia are among his files.

From July 4, 1865 to April 14, 1867, the Virginia Bureau was divided into 10 districts, with an agent or superintendent in charge of each. Districts were further divided into subdistricts, each headed by an assistant superintendent. On April 15, 1867, the state was reorganized into 10 subdistricts, with a subassistant commissioner in charge of each. The subdistricts were divided further into divisions headed by assistant subassistant commissioners. Subdistrict headquarters were established at Alexandria, Fort Monroe, Fredericksburg, Gordonsville, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Petersburg, Richmond, Winchester, and Wytheville. On January 1, 1869, the 10 subdistricts were reorganized into 8 educational subdistricts, with an assistant superintendent of schools in charge of each. The heads of the various subdivisions supervised all Bureau activities, including education, in their respective areas and reported on educational matters to both the superintendent of education and the Assistant Commissioner.

ACTIVITIES

The major activities of the Freedmen's Bureau in Virginia generally resembled those conducted in other states. The Bureau issued rations and provided medical relief to both freedmen and white refugees, supervised labor contracts between planters and freedmen, administered justice, and worked with benevolent societies in the establishment of schools.

The Freedmen's Bureau's efforts to provide relief to both blacks and whites in Virginia began almost as soon as Orlando Brown assumed office as Assistant Commissioner for the state in June 1865. From late summer to early fall 1865, the Bureau issued more than 350,000 rations at a cost of nearly $33,000. By mid October 1865, however, the number of rations issued had declined from a previous 275,000 to less than 236,000. During the same period, the number of people receiving rations decreased from 16,298 to 11,622. In September 1866, with Commissioner Howard's limitation of government assistance to those persons in orphanages and hospitals, and the plan to relinquish relief efforts for the destitute to state and local government officials, the Bureau in Virginia issued rations to fewer than 5,000 individuals statewide. Because the Virginia Bureau in 1866 and 1867 was committed to reducing expenditures and providing limited relief for those in dire need, by late September 1868 a large number of freedmen in the state still remained impoverished.1

The Virginia Bureau also opened several hospitals for the sick and infirm. At various times, hospitals were established at Eastville, Drummondtown, Norfolk, Hampton, Yorktown, Petersburg, Farmville, Lynchburg, Danville, Richmond, and City Point. Under the direction of surgeon J. J. De Lamaster, 13 contract and 2 noncontract physicians provided treatment for more than 650 patients during 1865 and 1866. Two dispensaries administered more than 18,000 prescriptions for medicine. At Howard Grove Hospital near Richmond, Virginia, the Bureau opened a ward for the insane and a home for the aged and infirm. In the northern part of the state, homes were located for 139 inmates housed at an orphan asylum. By late October 1866, over 30,000 freedmen received medical aid from the Bureau in Virginia. By October 1867, that number increased to 50,000.2

The Bureau worked to make freedmen self–sufficient and to incorporate them into the new free–labor system in Virginia. Thousands of freedmen who crossed Union lines during the Civil War continued to seek support from the Freedmen's Bureau at war's end. With great demand for labor in some areas (especially in large cities) and not in others, and the Federal Government's determination to reduce dependency on government aid, the Virginia Bureau provided transportation for persons who were unable to find work in areas where they resided to locations where work was readily available. Those able–bodied freedmen who refused or did not apply for transportation would no longer receive rations. Under labor agreements approved by the Virginia Bureau, freedmen received rations (but no clothing) and wages that averaged about $9 per month. In some districts freedmen worked for a share of the crop. Often, however, with limited employment (especially during the winter months), low wages, inadequate shares of crops, and the failure of local officials to provide for the destitute, freedmen were constantly dependent upon the Bureau for subsistence.3

Safeguarding rights and securing justice for freedmen were major concerns of the Virginia Bureau. Following the Civil War, several Southern states, including Virginia, enacted a series of laws commonly known as "Black Codes" that restricted the rights and legal status of freedmen. Freedmen were often given harsh sentences for petty crimes and in some instances were unable to get their cases heard or to testify in state courts. In September 1865, Assistant Commissioner Orlando Brown established Freedmen's Bureau courts to adjudicate cases involving freedmen where the penalties did not exceed a $100 fine or three months in prison. The three–member court was composed, for the most part, of a Bureau agent, a planters' representative, and an individual selected by freedmen. In February 1866, the Virginia legislature amended laws that adversely affected the rights of freedmen, and thus by early May 1866, Bureau courts were discontinued, and both civil and criminal cases were turned over to state authorities. However, because of the failure of many local court officials to administer equal justice (especially in areas outside of large cities and towns), the Bureau in Virginia found it necessary to re–establish Bureau courts in certain areas of the state. In late May 1867, Maj. Gen. Schofield, who served as both Commander of the 1st Military District and Assistant Commissioner for Virginia, issued orders appointing military commissioners to oversee the administration of justice in Bureau subdistricts throughout Virginia, giving them exclusive jurisdiction and power to decide whether a case would be tried by a civil court or a military commission. Despite the establishment of military commissioners however, protecting the rights and securing justice for freedpeople still remained an enormous problem for the Bureau as late as the fall of 1868.4

The Freedmen's Bureau's educational activities in Virginia began with Assistant Commissioner Brown's appointment of Prof. W. H. Woodbury as Virginia's superintendent of schools for freedmen on June 20, 1865. By November, he had been replaced by Ralza Morse Manly, the assistant superintendent of schools (later education), who served until August 15, 1870, when all Bureau educational activities ceased.

Within six months of assuming office, Manly had more than 136 teachers instructing some 8,000 pupils. The number of teachers soon increased to more than 200, with nearly 18,000 students under instruction. During the years 1866 and 1867, freedmen schools continued to improve and expand. By the fall of 1868, there were nearly 270 schools in operation, with more than 350 teachers providing instruction for some 20,000 pupils.5 Schools assisted or maintained by the Bureau in Virginia included day schools for children, night schools for adults, and Sabbath schools. Students received instruction in such subjects as reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography. Many teachers were recruited from the North by freedmen's aid societies that included the American Missionary Association, the New York National Freedmen's Relief Association, the New England Freedmen's Aid Society, the American Baptist Home Mission Society, the Friends Freedmen's Relief Association, and the American Freedmen's Union Commission. Teachers were also recruited from among the local white and black populations.

The Bureau's educational support for freedmen schools generally involved assistance in the establishment and maintenance of schools and the examination and appointment of teachers. Bureau funds were used to pay for construction and repair of school buildings, for rental of properties used for educational purposes, and for providing teachers with transportation. Teachers' salaries were usually paid by freedmen's aid societies; however, in some situations, salaries were partially subsidized by contributions from freedmen. Whenever possible, the Bureau solicited subscriptions from freedmen for the establishment of schools, and in some cases tuition was charged.

ENDNOTES

1 Mary J. Farmer, "Because They Are Women: Gender and the Virginia Freedmen's Bureau's War on Dependency," in The Freedmen's Bureau and Reconstruction: Reconsiderations, eds. Paul A. Cimbala and Randall M. Miller, (New York: Fordham University Press, 1999), 165 – 169; Annual Reports of the Assistant Commissioners, Virginia, October 8, 1867 [pp. 4 – 7], and October 19, 1868 [pp. 12 – 14], Records of the Office of the Commissioner, Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, Record Group (RG) 105, National Archives Building (NAB), Washington, DC.

2 Senate Ex. Doc. 6, 39th Cong., 2nd Sess., Serial Vol. 1276, 163 – 164; For further details on the medical activities of the Freedmen's Bureau in Virginia, see Annual Reports of J. J. De Lamater, Surgeon and Chief, Virginia, October 25, 1866 [pp. 1 – 34], and October 1, 1867 [pp. 1 – 23], Annual Reports, Virginia, RG 105, NAB.

3 Senate Ex. Doc. 6, Serial Vol. 1276, 161 – 162; see also Annual Reports, Virginia, October 8, 1867, [pp. 4 – 8], and October 19, 1868, [pp. 12 – 14].

4 George R. Bentley, A History of the Freedmen's Bureau (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1944), 152 – 153; Senate Ex. Doc. 6, Serial Vol. 1276, 165 – 167; Annual Reports, Virginia, October 8, 1867, [p. 3], and October 19, 1868, [pp. 2 – 8].

5 Senate Ex. Doc. 6, Serial Vol. 1276, 164 – 165; Annual Reports, Virginia, October 8, 1867, [pp. 9 – 14], and October 19, 1868, [pp. 16 – 18].
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