In searching through Freedmen's Bureau records, I've seen distinctions made between former slaves and FPOC. I think the classifications were used as additional attempts at distinguishing one person from another. This was especially important during the immediate years after emancipation when the Bureau assisted in reuniting families.

Years ago I transcribed Bureau records from one of the government farms/freedmen encampments in Princess Anne County. I also found one of the few surviving freedmen lists or what I call "military censuses" and noticed that there were columns to identify those who were free before the war, those who were contraband and those who were slaves. The report was undated and the location uncertain, but was probably a continuation of the military census for Princess Anne County.