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THE BLACK EXPERIENCE: A Guide to African American Resources in the State
Library
and Archives of Florida
NATIONAL ARCHIVES/FEDERAL RECORDS
National Archives Microfilm Publications
(Record
Group 1025)
The State Archives of Florida collects copies of various microfilm publications
produced by the National Archives and Records Administration from original
records in their collections pertaining to Florida history.
Letters Sent by the Department of Florida and Successor Commands, 1861-1869,
2 microfilm reels (35 mm.)
S 1300
This microfilm publication contains seven volumes of letters sent by the Department
of Florida and its successor commands from April 1861 to January 1869. The
letters and reports were dispatched by the commanding officers and their adjutants
from department and district headquarters.
The kinds of problems facing the Department of Florida and its successor commands
are clear from the letters reproduced in this publication. The letters reveal
the vacuum in military authority experienced in Florida at the commencement
of the Civil War, as the commanding officer of Union forces in the state attempted
to deal with the suspension of habeas corpus, the premature confiscation of
slave property, and the suspension of state courts whose loyalty to the Union
was in doubt. The problems of communication delays, discipline, and duties
are clearly outlined in the letters throughout the war years. The reports describe
the movements of the enemy and provide intelligence gleaned from behind Confederate
lines. Battle action reports of the few skirmishes are included in the letters
to higher authority.
After the war a particularly virulent outbreak of fever, which plagued the
whole state for a year or more, took up much of the time of the officer in command.
Matters relating to protecting the civil and political rights of African Americans
and Union sympathizers were prominent. The letters also discuss the enforcement
of labor contracts, the location and establishment of African Americans on their
own property (even the establishment of a few colonies, such as at New Smyrna,
made up of African Americans from out of state), the prevention of schemes to
kidnap and smuggle African Americans to Cuba, the status of slaves belonging
to the few remaining Seminoles in the state, and the very sensitive matter of
the use of black troops against white civilians.
Some overlapping of dates between volumes 6 and 7 exists, but there is no duplication
of letters. A few of the letters bear nonconsecutive identifying numbers.
A name index to each volume, keyed to page numbers, has been filmed before
the appropriate volume of letters sent.
Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company Depositor’s Signature Registers, 1865-1874,
27 microfilm reels (35 mm.)
S 1775
The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company was established in New York City in
1865 by a group of philanthropists and businessmen led by Congressional minister
John Alvord. Their purpose was to provide former slaves and their descendants,
and particularly the many African American Civil War veterans receiving back
pay and enlistment bounty payments, with a secure banking institution in which
their savings could be protected.
A bill to incorporate the bank was passed by Congress and, on March 3, 1865,
signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Between 1865 and 1871, the bank
opened 37 branch offices in 17 states and the District of Columbia, patronized
by about 70,000 depositors.
A combination of management problems, fraud, and fallout from the Panic of
1873 brought the bank close to collapse, and it closed on June 29, 1874. Misled
into believing that their deposits were protected by the federal government,
depositors lost their savings, and only about half were eventually partially
compensated for their losses.
This series consists of microfilm copies of 55 volumes containing signatures
of and personal information about thousands of depositors who maintained accounts
in 29 branch offices of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. The bank
collected detailed information about depositors and their heirs in order to
protect their interests in the event of the depositor’s death.
The series includes registers for the Tallahassee, Florida branch office from
1866-1872 (Roll 5). Although depositor information varies from branch to branch,
the registers generally provide the name of depositor; account number; date
of application; place of birth; place brought up; residence; age; complexion;
name of employer or occupation; names of spouse, children, father, mother, brothers,
and sisters; remarks; and provide name of former owner or mistress and name
of plantation. In addition, copies of death certificates were attached to some
entries.
Federal Census Slave Schedules, 1850-1860, 173 microfilm reels (35mm.)
S 1776
Beginning in 1790, the federal government conducted a census every ten years
in all of the states. Slave schedules were conducted in 1850 and 1860.
Slave schedules from the federal census conducted in 1850 and 1860 contain
the names of the owners, number of slaves, age, sex and color of the slaves.
Occasionally the census would include individual names of slaves. The series
includes slave schedules for Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia (1860 only),
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New
Jersey (1850), North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
FEDERAL CENSUS RECORDS
Beginning in 1790, the federal government conducted a census every ten years
in all of the states. Territorial censuses were conducted in areas not yet admitted
to the Union. They contain the same information as the state censuses. (See
also series S 1776 under National Archives Microfilm Publications above.)
The purpose of the federal census is to enumerate the entire population of
the country every ten years by county jurisdiction. The first six federal censuses,
those from 1790 to 1840, were overseen by federal marshals. The first Census
Office began operation in Washington in 1850. This was only temporary as the
Office was disbanded after each count. The Census Office became permanent in
1902.
The first six censuses were similar in content, naming only the heads of families.
All other people were noted only by tally marks in categories for age, sex,
race, and slavery, except that the Constitution excluded from the census all
Indians not taxed. The later federal censuses included a variety of different
schedules. The 1850 and 1860 censuses contained free population, slave population,
mortality, agriculture, and industry schedules. The 1870 and 1880 counts included
schedules for population, mortality, agriculture, and industry. Less than one
percent of the results of the 1890 census remain after the 1921 fire in Washington.
The 1900 census has separate schedules for population, mortality, agriculture,
and manufactures. The census of 1910 had different schedules for population,
agriculture, and manufactures.
The federal census was first compiled in Florida in 1830. It has served as
Florida's census record since 1950 due to the abolishment of the state census
in 1949 (Senate Joint Resolution #46, 1949).
Federal Census of Florida, 1850, 4 cubic feet
S 1200
This series contains part of the 1850 federal census of Florida. These records
include four schedules: agriculture, industry, mortality, and social statistics.
The population schedule is not included in the series. The Mortality schedule
names all the persons who died during the year while residing with their family.
It also provides the age, sex, race, and marital status of each individual,
the place and date of birth, occupation, cause of death, length of illness,
and the month of death. The status of blacks as slaves or freed persons is
noted.
Federal Census of Florida, 1860, 4 cubic feet
S 1201
This series contains part of the 1860 federal census of Florida. These records
include four schedules: agriculture, industry, mortality, and social statistics.
The population schedule is not included in the series. The mortality schedule
lists the names of persons who died during the year at their family residence.
It records the age, sex, race, and marital status of each person, place of birth,
occupation, month of death, cause of death, and number of days ill. Blacks
are noted as slaves or freed persons.
Federal Census of Florida, 1870, 5 cubic feet
S 1202
This series contains part of the 1870 federal census of Florida. These records
include four schedules: agriculture, industry, mortality, and social statistics.
The population schedule is not included in the series. The mortality schedule
names persons who died during the year while living at their family residence.
It records each individual's place of dwelling, age, sex, race, occupation,
real estate holdings, place of birth, parentage, education, citizenship, and
any mental or physical handicaps. It also notes if the person was male, over
21, and had the right to vote.
Federal Census of Florida, 1880, 5 volumes, 5 cubic feet
S 548
This series contains the 1880 federal census of Florida. The compiled information
was gathered for the year ending May 31, 1880. It is broken down into five schedules:
population; agriculture; defective, dependent, and delinquent classes; manufactures;
and mortality.
The Population schedule includes the name and age of individual residents,
their street and house number, relationship to the head of the family, month
of birth if born within the year, sex, race, birthplace, occupation, marital
status, whether married within the year, whether temporarily or permanently
disabled, whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, number of months unemployed
during census year, whether deaf, dumb, blind, or insane, whether able to read
and write, whether attended school within the year, birthplaces of mother and
father, and whether father and mother of foreign birth.
The Mortality schedule names all persons residing with their families who died
during the year preceding June 1, 1880. Information on each individual includes
age, sex, race, marital status, parents' countries of origin, place of birth,
occupation, month in which they died, cause of death, length of county residency,
where disease was contracted, and name of attending physician.
United States. Army. Dept. of the South.
Census of the District of Florida, 1864-1865, 0.50 cubic foot
S 1489
As an administrative measure, the United States Army divided the nation into
departments to control the military forces within certain geographic boundaries.
Those areas that were captured while in rebellion were governed by military
officers of the department rather than by civilian officials. The departments
were named to reflect the geographic areas that they administered. In 1864
the Department of the South was headquartered in the Hilton Head/Beaufort area
of South Carolina. It included the Districts of Florida and Georgia as well
as the District of South Carolina. The Union forces that comprised the District
of Florida occupied the major population centers of the state.
This series consists of portions of censuses conducted in the District of Florida
during 1864 and 1865, surveying the residents of Jacksonville, St. Augustine,
the St. Johns River area, Amelia Island, and Fernandina. The 1864 census was
conducted in the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and St. Johns area. It is divided
by race and enumerates all persons by name, status of citizenship, place of
birth, and whether the enumerated was a free person of color or "contraband".
The status of “contraband” was applied to those persons who had been held in
bondage but were now free or within the Union lines. Those persons enumerated
as contraband also had the name of their former slave master recorded.
The 1865 census is of the Amelia Island area. It is limited to "colored"
and notes relationships among the enumerated, ages, sex, former slave masters,
where the person was held in bondage, and the enumerated's occupation. Wives
of men in the Union Army are also noted.
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