They Had Names

African Americans in Early Records of Liberty County, Georgia

Post-War Labor Contracts – Edward W. DeLegal and Freedpeople on Delta Plantation, Harris Neck, McIntosh County (1866)

People Named: Willoughby [last name illegible], Cilla Dolly, Patience Dolly, Joe Dolly, Dor?? Futch, William Jones, Nelson Futch, Sandy McFail, Harriet Bacon, Wilmot Timmons, Jerry McFail

[Begin Transcript]

E.W. Delegal
4 Contracts
Feby 27, 1866

State of Georgia, Liberty County } This indenture made and executed this the first day of January 1866 between Edward W. Delegal of the first part and Willoughby, Silla and Patience free persons of color of the state and county aforesaid witnesseth that the said party of the first part agrees to employ the said Willoughby, Silla & Patience to do all manner of house and kitchen work at his plantation on Horse’s Neck McIntosh County for certain wages herein after mentioned (viz) Willoughby to do [word] work nurse children and the family in health and sickness and do various kinds of house work Cilla agrees to cook wash iron milk cows and render herself generally useful Patience agrees to do all kinds of work about the house and yard. The said E.W. Delegal agrees to feed and pay Willoughby sixty dollars, feed and pay Cilla sixty dollars, feed, clothe and pay Patience twenty five dollars a year to be paid when the crop is sold. Either of the above named free persons of color failing to comply with this contract will be discharged without compensation.

Signed in presence of
A.L. Smith
H.E. Delgal

E.W. DeLegal
[below signed by mark]
Willoughby [last name obscured]
Cilla Dolly
Patience Dolly

[Written on the side of the contract:] Willoughby & Cilla are old and not more than half hands. Patience is also about a half hand. E.W. Delegal]

[Written across the contract:]

Approved
T.P. Peas agent
Bureau R F & A L
McIntosh Co
Feby 27 1866

[Transcriber’s note: A Patience Dolly, 20 years old, was found as a house servant in Savannah, Chatham County, in the household of George W. Lamar in the 1870 U.S. federal census.]

[NEXT CONTRACT]

State of Georgia, Liberty County } This indenture made and executed this the first day of January 1866 between Edward W DeLegal of the first part and Wilmot a free boy of color of fifteen years of age of the state and county aforesaid.Witnesseth that the said party of the [first] part agrees to employ the said Wilmot to work upon his Delta plantation in Harris Neck McIntosh County for certain wages hereinafter mentioned (viz) Wilmot agrees to plough cut and haul wood attend to horses & cattle and render himself generally useful about the plantation. If the said Wilmot fails to comply with this contract he is to be discharged without compensation. If he complies with this contract the first party agrees to feed and clothe and pay him twenty five dollars when the crop is sold.

E.W. DeLegal
Wilmot Timmons [or possibly Simmons] [signed by mark]

T.P. Peas agent
Bureau R F & A L
McIntosh Co
Feby 27 1866

[NEXT CONTRACT]

State of Georgia, Liberty County } This indenture made and executed this the first day of January 1866 between Edward W. DeLegal of the first part and the undersigned free persons of color of the county and state aforesaid witnesseth that the said party of the fist part agrees to employ the said undersigned free persons of color to work upon his plantation in Harris Neck McIntosh County for shares in the crop (viz) one half of all the crop made by them to be divided among said free persons of color who labor upon the plantation according to the amount of labor done by them. The first part agrees to put into the crop two mules and ploughs and feed the mules. The laborers to feed and support themselves or if fed by the first party or supported by him the expenses to be deducted out of the crop of the undersigned free persons of color the first party also agrees to let rent free one acre of land to each laborer to cultivate for their own use in any crop they may choose to plant except cotton as compensation for making the necessary fencing and plantation repairs to service our joint crop and their comfort for the mutual benefit of all concerned. The lost time of each laborer to be deducted at the rate of thirty 30 cents per day the same to be divided among all concerned according to shares. In the event of any of the laborers herein named becoming disorderly and not complying with this contract he or she is to be discharged without compensation the interest of the same to be divided in proper proportion among all concerned. The management of said laborers and the whole planting [word] of said plantation to be controlled by the said Edward W. DeLEgal or his representative to the end of the present year.

Signed in presence of
A.J. Smith
H.E. Delegal
A J. Smith
? Jerry ? McFail

E.W. DeLegal
[below signed by mark]
Joe Dolly
Dor?? Futch
William Jones
Nelson Futch
Sandy McFail
Harriet Bacon

T.P. Peas agent
Bureau R F & A L
McIntosh Co
Feby 27 1866

[NEXT CONTRACT]

State of Georgia, Liberty County } This indenture made and executed this the first day of January 1866 between Edward W. DeLegal of the first part and Jerry [or Terry ?] McFail free man of color of the state and county aforesaid witnesseth that the said party of the first part agrees to employ the said Jerry McFail to work upon his Delta Plantation in Harris Neck McIntosh County upon the following terms (viz) all the land the said Jerry McFail can cultivate in whatever crop he chooses for one year the said Edward W. DeLegal agrees to ?feed? the said Jerry McFail and his son and the said Jerry McFail agrees to do as much job work upon the premises as will pay for the same.
Signed in presence of
A.J. Smith
H.E. Delegal

E.W. Delegal
Jerry McFail [signed by mark]

T.P. Peas agent
Bureau R F & A L
McIntosh Co
Feby 27 1866

[End Transcript]

Records of the U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen & Abandoned Lands, Field Office Records for Georgia, Liberty County, Labor Contract betweenWalter A. Way & freedmen and women; digital database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62309/images/004139868_00383, U.S., Freedmen’s Bureau Records, 1865-1878 -> Records of the Field Offices -> M1903 > 83, image 244-50; citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M1903, Roll 83.