Behind The Scenes on A Dream Delivered: The Freedmen’s Bureau Letters of Hawkins Wilson (On-Demand Webinar)

This webinar focused on the life of Hawkins Wilson, a formerly enslaved man who utilized the Freedmen’s Bureau to try to reconnect with his family that had been separated because of slavery. Hawkins’ letters so clearly describe the destructiveness of enslavement while also showing the hopes the formerly enslaved had in repairing the havoc the slavery system caused to their families.

Hawkins’ 11 May 1867 letter – written at the Freedmen’s Bureau Office in Galveston, Texas – includes a detailed account of which specific slaveholders enslaved his family members and important details such as the locations where they were enslaved.

Records and written accounts like Hawkin’s provide a rich source of genealogy and family history information for descendants wanting to learn more and know more about their ancestors.