Freedman's Thank You Letter

Atlanta, Georgia
November 15, 1866

Dear Officers of the Freedmen's Bureau,

I want to thank you for all the help you have given me and my family since we became free. When my wife, three children, and I first came to Atlanta, we had nowhere to go and no way to take care of ourselves. Your workers helped us find a place to stay at the freedman's camp and gave us food during our first hard weeks. Most importantly, you started a school where my children are now learning to read and write. I never thought this would be possible when we were enslaved. Your bureau also helped me get fair pay for my job at the lumber mill and made sure my boss kept his promises in our written contract. With your legal help, I was able to find my brother who had been sold to a plantation in South Carolina. We have been together again after eight long years apart. When my youngest son got sick with a fever, your doctors took care of him and saved his life. I will always be grateful for that. I hope your important work continues so that other freed people can have the same chances for a new life that you gave my family.

Thank you,
Samuel Washington
(his mark)