Genealogy Bank Treasures

American Visions, April, 1996 by Gwendolyn B. Waldorf

Every historical researcher dreams of the mother lode. Imagine unexpectedly coming across a description of your ancestor's family--the names not only of spouse and children, but also of parents and siblings, as well as your ancestor's birthplace, residences, occupation and employer mall written in his or her own words, signed and dated!

The Registers of Signatures of Depositions in Branches of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company, 1865-1874 can provide these vital links for family historians. The Freedmen's Bank Savings and Trust Co., commonly called the Freedmen's Bank, was created by Congress to encourage thrift in recently liberated African Americans. Between its creation in 1865 and its collapse in 1874, more than 50,000 new citizens opened accounts. Though they lost many dimes and dollars when the bank closed its doors forever, these men, women and children unknowingly had created genealogical treasures for their 20th-century descendants.

Each depositor opened an account with a "register of signature" form, completed by the bank cashier. For identification and protection of heirs, each depositor recorded not only his or her signature or mark, but also place of birth, current residence and occupation and parents', spouse's and children's names. Space was also provided for the cashier to add the individual's height and complexion. The ages of the applicant and his or her children were also frequently recorded. But the true gold in the Freedmen's Bank records is the additional genealogical data often supplied by the depositor--for example, the names of siblings and other relatives and memories of separations and relocations.

As with any record, some applications provide only minimal information, whereas others are gems, giving a capsule life history with information not available elsewhere. Washerwoman Jane Hunter (Tallahassee, No. 101) stated that she was born in Bardstown, Ky., to Charles and Rachel Christian. After her parents died, she was "brought from Kentucky [to Florida] when a child." In spite of distance and the passage of time, she had kept in touch with a sister in Kentucky until "8 or 9 years" earlier and was able to list six deceased siblings. She had heard from a nephew living in San Antonio "about a month ago," and she also noted that her daughter, Catherine, was living in Winchester, Va.

Some records connect several surnames, giving valuable clues to the family historian. Clarissa Harrison (Tallahassee, No. 98), whose former masters were "Jo. & Josie Davidson" in Quincy, Fla., gave the names of her father, Abram Poter [sic], her mother, Betsy Carroll, and her sister Henrietta Baker.

North Carolina records include depositor Augustus Gibbs (Wilmington, No. 1327), a cotton farmer married, to the former Cornelia Forshee, with a half brother, Luke Bonner, and sisters, including Hetty, married to Oliver Lettles, and Harriet, married to Charles Hill. Olmsted Scott (Tallahassee, No. 164), a shoemaker born in Falmouth, Stafford County, Va., may have given a clue to his mother, Caroline's family name by stating that he "left in Va uncle Aleck Minor ... [and] Grandmother Rachel Minor."

Checking the accounts of multiple members of one family can reveal additional data. J.E. Proctor (Tallahassee, No. 919), a teacher, identified his siblings as Bahama, George, Charlotte, Georgiann, Mary and Henrietta. The record of his sister Charlotte (Tallahassee, No. 887) included additional information--the death date of their father.

An African-American family historian is challenged and sometimes blocked by the lack of records relating the family to generations before Emancipation, especially in a family once held in slavery. Any record documenting relationships and connecting families across the divide of slavery days becomes especially valuable. The Registers of Signatures of Depositions in Branches of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company do more than serve this purpose; they document the importance of family to those held in bondage, and they help us trace the connections they valued over time and distance--and desperately sought to maintain despite their owners' callous disregard for their humanity.

When searching for that missing detail, remember the Registers. Remember washerwoman Jane Hunter--as she remembered her kin.

RELATED ARTICLE: WHERE TO LOOK

Registers of Signatures of Depositions in Branches of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company, 1865-1874 (arranged chronologically, by account number) are preserved at the National Archives in Washington, DC, for 29 of 33 branch banks and cover Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The Freedmen's Bank records are identified as National Archives Microfilm M-816 (27 rolls), Record Group 101, Records of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and are available through the National Archives regional branches. The microfilm is also available through libraries with membership in the American Genealogical Lending Library (P.O. Box 329, Bountiful, UT 84011-0329). Major genealogical archives and libraries may include the relevant state rolls in their collection.