family
Throughout bondage, slaves were often separated from their families and friends. After the Civil War, thousands of former slaves turned to the Freedmen's Bureau for assistance in finding their families, however, due to lack of money and resources they were often unsuccessful.
Although the Freedmen's Bureau was responsible for reuniting families separated through slavery, it was very difficult to track down family members. Physical appearances had changed over the years and information was often outdated or inaccurate. Occasionally members of the bureau were assigned to investigate leads on family members and spouses, however, most leads were misguiding and often amounted to nothing. Often the best the bureau could do was provide transportation to reunite families.
The Freedmen's Bureau was also responsible for resolving domestic problems because establishing a stable family structure was considered essential for former slaves to integrate into civilized life. The bureau was often faced with cases involving abandonment and divorce, both of which were incredibly common among former slaves. Although many slave communities had grown extremely tight-knit through bondage, because families were often separated it numbed any sense of marriage fidelity or parental responsibility. However, after establishing laws legalizing marriage and divorce for African Americans, the prospect of marriage became a much bigger commitment to freedmen and also strengthened family bonds. Suddenly, marriage and a stable family became much more possible to African Americans.