According to the recordkeeping practices of the 19th–century, replies to incoming letters were frequently written on the letter itself or on a specially prepared wrapper. The reply, termed an endorsement, was then copied into an endorsement book or memorandum book, and the endorsed letter was returned to the sender or forwarded to another office. Endorsement books usually included a summary of the incoming letter and sometimes previous endorsements that were recorded on it. The volume of endorsements, January 3, 1868–August 13, 1870, is arranged and numbered in rough chronological order. It has not summaries of the contents of incoming letters, but it does include copies of endorsements on letters received. Names and title of persons to whom endorsements were sent, or from whom received, appear in the upper left part of each entry. Endorsements are cross–referenced to the registers of letters received by citations that include the file number of the correspondence and the volume and year of the register; e. g., "H. 86. Vol. 1. 1869." The citations marked "L. B." in the volume refer to the fair copies of letters sent (Letter Books) and include the volume and letter numbers. Entries within the volume are cross–referenced to each other by use of the symbol "EB." Generally, this internal cross–referencing was used to indicate the location endorsements on the same letter elsewhere in the volume.
Collection Restrictions:
Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection, 1865–1872, is a product of and owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright for digital images is retained by the donor, FamilySearch International; permission for commerical use of the digital images may be requested from FamilySearch International, Intellectual Property Office, at: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org .
Collection Citation:
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, FamilySearch International, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.