Old Freedma's Savings and Trust Company January 8, 2016 By Debra Woods
January 7, 2016, marked the 150th Anniversary of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company and will be commemorated by the US Federal Government in an official Renaming Ceremony in Washington DC. On the site of the original Freedman’s Savings and Trust, stands the US Treasury Annex which is being renamed today, the Freedman’s Bank Building, after the institution that was formerly located on the site. . .
January 7, 2016, marked the 150th Anniversary of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company and will be commemorated by the US Federal Government in an official Renaming Ceremony in Washington DC. On the site of the original Freedman’s Savings and Trust, stands the US Treasury Annex which is being renamed today, the Freedman’s Bank Building, after the institution that was formerly located on the site. . .
“Naming the Freedman’s Bank Building recognizes an institution that symbolized a new future for African-Americans,” said Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew. “The legacy of Freedman’s Bank also serves as a reminder that we must continue striving for greater financial inclusion for all Americans – particularly those in underserved and minority communities – so that they can share in the benefits of our growing economy.”
The Freedman’s Bank The Freedman’s Bank
Established in 1865, it was created to help the nation’s four million newly emancipated African-Americans grow wealth successfully as America’s newest citizens.
The records from the Freedman’s Bank were indexed by FamilySearch in 2001. It engaged volunteers to make the rich genealogical information found in the individual account applications filled out by the bank’s first African-American clients available to researchers. Originally on CD, the unique searchable database is now accessible online for free at FamilySearch.org.
“The Bank’s records were an invaluable treasure-trove of genealogical information because they not only included signatures of thousands of depositors but personal information such as the age, place of birth, employers, family members, and even physical features. In some cases, depositors documented the slave ships they traveled on as well as where their families were sold. This information has allowed genealogists to unite families on paper that were separated by slavery,” says Kim Farah, a public affairs manager for a much bigger Freedmen’s Bureau crowd sourcing project today (See DiscoverFreedmen.org). With the database “now searchable online, it is remarkable how many African Americans have been able to find their ancestors,” Farah added.
Established in 1865, it was created to help the nation’s four million newly emancipated African-Americans grow wealth successfully as America’s newest citizens.
The records from the Freedman’s Bank were indexed by FamilySearch in 2001. It engaged volunteers to make the rich genealogical information found in the individual account applications filled out by the bank’s first African-American clients available to researchers. Originally on CD, the unique searchable database is now accessible online for free at FamilySearch.org.
“The Bank’s records were an invaluable treasure-trove of genealogical information because they not only included signatures of thousands of depositors but personal information such as the age, place of birth, employers, family members, and even physical features. In some cases, depositors documented the slave ships they traveled on as well as where their families were sold. This information has allowed genealogists to unite families on paper that were separated by slavery,” says Kim Farah, a public affairs manager for a much bigger Freedmen’s Bureau crowd sourcing project today (See DiscoverFreedmen.org). With the database “now searchable online, it is remarkable how many African Americans have been able to find their ancestors,” Farah added.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC The Freedmen’s Bureau
2016 also marks the Grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington DC this June, when FamilySearch anticipates announcing the completion of the Freedmen’s Bureau Project, DiscoverFreedmen.org, in which more than one million Civil War era historical records from the Freedman’s Bureau will be made discoverable at the click of a button online at FamilySearch.org.
The Freedmen’s Bureau served all who needed intervention after the war. From 1865 to 1872, the bureau opened schools, managed hospitals, rationed food and clothing, and solemnized marriages. In the process, it gathered information about marriages and families, military service, banking, schools, hospitals, and property records on potentially four million African Americans.
More than 12,000 online volunteer indexers from around the world have been working since last June to make these records searchable online and are currently approximately 30% complete. Many more volunteers are needed to complete the historic project before summer 2016.
“Each indexed document brings us closer to reclaiming our ancestral heritage and historical past. We look forward to the completion of the project in 2016 and invite everyone with an interest in American history and African American culture to support our efforts to index the records of the Freedmen’s Bureau,” says Hollis Gentry, genealogy specialist at NMAAHC.
Find out how you can participate in the completion of this project at DiscoverFreedmen.org.
2016 also marks the Grand opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington DC this June, when FamilySearch anticipates announcing the completion of the Freedmen’s Bureau Project, DiscoverFreedmen.org, in which more than one million Civil War era historical records from the Freedman’s Bureau will be made discoverable at the click of a button online at FamilySearch.org.
The Freedmen’s Bureau served all who needed intervention after the war. From 1865 to 1872, the bureau opened schools, managed hospitals, rationed food and clothing, and solemnized marriages. In the process, it gathered information about marriages and families, military service, banking, schools, hospitals, and property records on potentially four million African Americans.
More than 12,000 online volunteer indexers from around the world have been working since last June to make these records searchable online and are currently approximately 30% complete. Many more volunteers are needed to complete the historic project before summer 2016.
“Each indexed document brings us closer to reclaiming our ancestral heritage and historical past. We look forward to the completion of the project in 2016 and invite everyone with an interest in American history and African American culture to support our efforts to index the records of the Freedmen’s Bureau,” says Hollis Gentry, genealogy specialist at NMAAHC.
Find out how you can participate in the completion of this project at DiscoverFreedmen.org.
