CLOSING

Cinco Ranch Branch Library will RE-OPEN on Monday, March 9. 

Cinco Ranch Branch patrons with hold items available for pickup on or before March 6, 2026, currently being held at the Fulshear Branch Library, should visit the Fulshear Branch to pick up those items. If another location is more convenient, please contact the Fulshear Branch Library to have your items rerouted to your preferred pickup location.

 
Any hold requests filled after March 6 will be held at the Cinco Ranch Branch and will be available during its open hours. The pickup location will be indicated on your hold notification.

 

Virtual: Family-History Research - The Freedman’s Bureau Records

Program Type:

History/Genealogy

Age Group:

Adult
Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.

Description

Researching African-American family histories may present special challenges for the genealogical researcher. In this presentation, Carol Beauchamp, from FBCL’s Genealogy and Local History department, will talk about the Freedman’s Bureau Records. The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands -- better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau -- was established in 1865 by the War Department. It was created to help newly freed slaves and the destitute get back on their feet after the Civil War. This was accomplished by helping the freedmen with food, clothing, shelter, education, and employment. The agency generated a body of records including letters, labor contracts, reports, marriage, military, and census records, food ration lists, and more. It is the most extensive record collection for African Americans after the Civil War. Documents associated with the Freedmen’s Bureau often provide full names, residences, and often the names of former masters and plantations. This presentation will examine different types of records created by the field offices within the Freedmen’s Bureau and what databases to use to find them.

This program is a pre-recorded video. View it here.