Freedmen's
Aid Society Records
1866-1932 (bulk dates 1888-1932)
48 linear feet (119 microfilm reels - Scholarly
Resources)Research use restricted to microfilm
only
NOTE: A paper copy
of the finding aid,
with container list,
is available at the
Atlanta University
Center Archives for
in-house consultation
and may be obtained
for a fee.
Founded in 1866, the Freedmen's Aid Society (FAS)
was an agency of the Methodist Episcopal Church created
to establish schools and colleges for Negroes in
the South. The Society provided support for teachers
in the institutions begun by or connected with the
FAS and helped educate young men for the ministry.
The Society was directed by a Board of Managers who
were elected by the General Conference. In 1920 the
Society was reorganized as the Board of Education
for Negroes. At the creation of the Methodist Church
in 1939, the Board of Education for Negroes was absorbed
into the work of the Board of Education.
The collection is comprised primarily of correspondence
and financial papers that document the business transactions
and administrative activities of the Society. There
are letters of appeal for contributions from local
churches, acknowledgments of donations, and correspondence
related to the placement of individuals as instructors
in institutions founded by the Society. Much of this
correspondence is contained in 100 letterpress books.
Another significant category of correspondence documents
the relationship between the Society and the 22 educational
institutions it supported. There are financial papers
contained in bound receipt books that are largely
a listing of receipts from donors. Also, there are
minutes of the Society dating 1878-1922. There is
a small amount of material about the Stewart Missionary
Foundation for Africa dating from 1911-1932 that
includes bylaws, financial papers and an annual report.
Related collection:
Atlanta University Presidential Records, 1856-1984 |