Registered Letters Received
setName: label: See more items in
content: Records of the Superintendent of Education for the State of Tennessee, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1870
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAAHC.FB.M1000, Series 4
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The letters received by the Superintendent of Education include both registered and unregistered letters received. The registered letters received by the Superintendent of Education, September 6, 1866–July 15, 1870, are arranged as entered in the registers. They include correspondence written to individuals other than the Superintendent but forwarded to and retained by his office. Letters written by and subsequently returned to the Superintendent are also included.

The letters received cover many subjects. Most deal with routine matters regarding the regular operation of Bureau schools in Tennessee; they were sent by teachers in the field or by representatives of aid societies in the North. Teachers asked advice on a difficult matter, sought payment for transportation fees, complained about inadequate support, and occasionally, asked for better protection. Freedmen who were anxious to organize a school wrote frequently to the Superintendent for help. Also included among the letters received are directives from Bureau headquarters at Washington or Nashville, applications from teachers for positions, requests for authorization to purchase or repair property, and letters of transmittal.