FREEDMEN'S LABOR CONTRACTS
MADISON COUNTY, TENNESSEE 1866-1867
By Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 1996
(Page 57)
APPENDIX ONE
BLACK YOUTH BOUND OUT
AS APPRENTICES TO WHITE CITIZENS
OF MADISON COUNTY
Madison County Court Minute Book 10
page 107.
January 5, 1866. JOSEPH, age 12; ALEXANDER, age 10, former slaves of JOHN IRVIN were bound to him as apprentices to serve until age 21.
page 111.
January 6, 1866. SUSAN, age 13; POLLY, age 11, were bound by their father, JARRETT, to their former owner, MILTON BROWN, to serve as apprentices until age 21.
page 116.
February 5, 1866. ELIJAH, age 14; SILAS, age 13; PAUL, age 9; HARRIET, age about 7, had been slaves of ALEXANDER JACKSON but "as a result of that war /Civil War/ and by a change in the fundamental law of the State of Tennessee" they had been freed; they had no means of support. PAUL and HARRIET had no mother and the man who had claimed to be their father was denied such recognition by the Freedmen's Bureau. The court bound these youth to JACKSON until they reached age 21.
page 171.
March 6, 1866. THOMAS COCK, age 13; DILLIS COCK, age 10, orphans without means of support were apprenticed to JOHN C. COCK until age 21.
page 182.
March 8, 1866. GEORGE, age 12; EMILY, age about 8; WILLIAM, age about 6, had no support and they were apprenticed to EDWIN R.LANCASTER until the age of 21.
page 204.
April 4, 1866. EULALAI, age 10; NANCY LOUISA, age 8, were destitute, without means of support; apprenticed to SAMUEL McADOO until the age of 21.
page 205.
April 4, 1866. ADAM, age 10, had been abandoned by his mother, and was apprenticed to JAMES R.VANN until the age of 21.
page 228.
May 7,1866. JAMES, age 14; BOB, age 13; LIZZIE, age 11; ELIZA J., age 9; HARRIET, age 7,were destitute, living with HUGH McKNIGHT to whom they were apprenticed until age 21.
page 228.
May 7, 1866. JAMES ANDREWS, an orphan living with ANDREW CAIN was apprenticed to him until age 21.
page 228.
May 7, 1866. HARRIET WHARTON, free woman of color, in the employ of JOSEPHUS PERKINS was the mother of four children: SANTUN, age 12; LYDIA, age 9; GREEN, age 7; GEORGE, age 3; whom she could not support; they were apprenticed to PERKINS until age 21.
page 246.
June 5, 1866. JOHN, ADELINE, ELIZABETH and BOB, destitute youth were apprenticed to SAMUEL McCLANAHAN until age 21.
page 264.
July 2, 1866. WILLIAM, age 15; ALICE, age 13; CHRISTIANNA, age 8; PLEASANT, age 6; ELLA, age 4, were destitute; apprenticed to THOS.A.COCK until age 21.
page 267
July 6, 1866. HARRIET, age 15; ROBERT, age about 11; EDWARD, age 9; HARRIET, age 7,were destitute. Two had belonged to ROBERT H.CHESTER as slaves and the rest as slaves of his sister; destitute, now apprenticed to CHESTER until age 21.
page 295.
September 3, 1866.LEWIS, age 12, orphan and destitute was apprenticed to D. J. MURCHISON until age 21.
page 300.
September 5, 1866. JOHN, age about 8, abandoned and destitute, was apprenticed to THOMAS HUDGINS until age 21.
(Page 58)
page 301.
September 5, 1866. In January 1866 several freed youth had been bound to MILTON BROWN; their names SUSAN, age 13; POLLY, age 11. The Freedmen’s Bureau had opined that the county court did not have authority to apprentice these children to Brown under the circumstances so that the apprenticeship was annulled.
page 302.
September 5, 1866. ALEXANDER JACKSON had several youth apprenticed to him in February 1866 (see page 116 entry) but the Freedmen's Bureau had opined that the county court did not have authority to apprentice these youth under the circumstances so that the apprenticeship was annulled.
page 313.
October 2, 1866. JOSEPH, age 10; SIMON, age 8, were orphans, destitute; apprenticed to BENJAMIN S.BROOKS until age 21.
page 322.
November 5, 1866.POLLY, age 21, an orphan, was apprenticed to JAMES B. NEELY until age 21.
page 322.
November 5, 1866. RANDOLPH, age 13, orphan, destitute, was apprenticed to MARTHA A.PEARSON until age 21.
page 333.
November 7, 1866.ALFRED, an orphan, age about 11, was destitute and was apprenticed to ROBERT H.GIVENS until age 21.
page 462.
May 6, 1867. TILDA GREER, orphan, was bound by her uncle to JOHN W. GATES until the age of 21.
page 504.
MARTIN MERIWETHER, "free boy of color", living with H. A. MERIWETHER was apprenticed to him until age 21.
Madison County Court Minute Book 11
page 76.
October 6,1868.SALLY LUCKEY, age about 7, was apprenticed to THOMAS L.CARTER until age 21.
page 100.
November 2,1868. HARRIET CHESTER, free person, aged 15, had been apprenticed to ROBERT H.CHESTER on August 6,1866 /July 6,1866/ and as she now wished to marry a black man named ELI GARDNER, CHESTER consented and annulled her apprenticeship.
Return to Contents