Skip to main content
Freedmen
Browse All
Digital Collections
Log in
|
Help
Search
Advanced Search
Find results with:
error div
Add another field
Search by date
Search by date:
from
after
before
on
from:
to
to:
Searching collections:
Freedmen's Bureau Records
Add or remove collections
Home
Freedmen's Bureau Collection
C. E. Compton to Oliver Otis Howard, December 27, 1869
Reference URL
To link to this object, paste this link in email, IM or document
To embed this object, paste this HTML in website
C. E. Compton to Oliver Otis Howard, December 27, 1869
View Description
Download
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
18.pdf
Description
Title
C
.
E
.
Compton
to
Oliver
Otis
Howard
,
December
27
,
1869
Record type
Correspondence
Creator
Compton
,
C
.
E
.
Date of creation
1869-12-27
Series
Records of Superintendents of Education M1000
Description
This
letter
discusses
the
conditon
of the
Tennessee
Manual
Labor
University
.
Additional notes
Series
M1000
,
Reel
2
,
[Frames
170-177]
Excerpt from record
"
Bureau
of
Refugees
,
Freedmen
, and
Abandoned
Lands
Office
Superintendent
of
Education
Nashville
,
Tenn
.
December
27th
,
1869
By
Way
Gen
.
O.O
.
Howard
Commissioner
Bur
.
R.F
. and
A.L
.
Washington
D.C
.
Sir
:
I
have the
honor
to
report
that in
compliance
with
donations
received
from
War
Department
,
Bu
.
R.F
. and
A.L.
,
Washington
,
Dec
.
16th
,
1869
,
I
have
visited
Rutherford
County
,
Tennessee
and
respectfully
submit
the
following
remarks
on the
conditions
of the
Tennessee
Manual
Labor
University
. The
previous
reports
from this
office
concerning
the
affairs
of this
institution
are
correct
in
every
particular
and at the
risk
of
repetition
the
same
will be
embodied
in this in
order
that a
full
history
of the
case
may
be
shown
without
reference
to
other
papers
.
About
December
1866
, a
negotiation
for the
purchase
of
three
hundred
(300)
acres
of
land
,
near
Murfreesboro
,
Tenn
. was
[illegible]
into
[illegible]
one
Rufis
Lowery
and
others
and
Mipem[?]
Tompkins
,
Callie
and
Wilkes
of
Murfreesboro
,
Tenn
. The
ostensible
object
of this
purchase
was to
found
an
institution
by the
colored
people
for the
improvement
of their
own
race
to be
known
as the
Tennessee
Manual
Labor
University
. The
price
agreed
upon
was
twenty
($20.00)
dollars
per
acre
(#6000.~)
cash
. As the
Instance
of
Mr
.
Tompkins
, the
owner
of the
larger
portion
of the
tract
,
it
was
afterwards
[illegible]
that the
owners
would
accept
an
inaccurate
payment
of
#600~
and
wait
six
months
for the
balance
, as
agreement
to this
[illebigle]
was
signed
by
all
the
parties
. The
#1500~
was
paid
sometime
[illegible]
,
January
or
February
.
[Illegible]
price
which
time
no
further
payment
or
payments
have been
made
and
I
am
informed
by
Mr
.
Tompkins
that
unless
the
amount
so
long
overdue
upon
this
property
is
paid
to the
several
parties
interested
before
the
next
term
of the
chancery
court
to be
holden
at
Murfreesboro
,
Tenn
.
during
the
month
of
April
1870
that a
deam
of
sale
will be
asked
for and
without
doubt
granted
and the
land
will be
sold
within
thirty
days
hereafter
for the
benefit
of the
creditors
. This
land
is
located
in the
immediate
vicinity
of the
National
Cemetery
, in
fact
it
nearly
or
entirely
surrounds
it
. At the
time
of the
purchase
there was
upon
the
land
a
small
building
[illegible]
by the
U.S
.
Quartermasters
Department
for the
use
of the
Superintendent
of the
Cemetery
. Here were
alas
some
eight
or
ten
huts
for the
use
of the
laborers
employed
in the
preliminary
work
of
laying
out
the
grounds
and
moving
the
bodies
thereto
;
keeping
the
unction
of a
very
small
building
at a
trifling
expenditure
, in the
rear
of the
Q.M.S
.
house
refund
to
about
nothing
has been
done
towards
providing
any
improvements
, in
respect
[illegible]
, to the
place
. These
buildings
are
all
now
in a
very
delapidated
condition
, and
keeping
the
one
used[?]
by for the
Superintendent
[illegible]
many[?]
huts
or
shanties
which
are
totally
unfit
for
human
habitation
. At the
time
of the
purchase
,
Mr
.
Tompkins
had
arranged
for the
fencing
of the
tract
belonging
[illegible]
and the
necessary
quantity
of
boards
and
posts
had been
delivered
; the
makers
agreed
to
take
this
lumber
and
become
responsible
for the
payment
of its
value-
this
payment
they
failed
to
provide
for and as a
result
of
such
failure
Mr
.
Tompkins
was
compelled
to
pay
the
amount
to the
party
contracting
the
delivery
of the
same
.
Some
of this
lumber
was
used
for
fencing
,
much
of
it
however
was
divided
from its
proper
purpose
by
being
used
for
floors
,
ceilings
and
doors
to the
huts
while
to the
present
time
the
farm
is
insufficiently
fenced
, in
fact
a
large
portion
be
entirely
open
. The
value
of the
production
of the
farm
for
1868
amounted
to
about
#2700~
the
whole
of this
crop
was
entirely
consumed
by the
occupants
thereof
before
the
close
of the
year
.
One
Elder
Watkins
in
1868
d[?]a
loan
through
the
Northern
States
collected
the
sum
of
#1100~
of this
sum
less
than
#200
was
[illegible]
to the
association
#908
and
over
having
from
[illegible]
or
commissions
and
alleged
traveling
expenses
. In
addition
to these
sources
, a
large
quantity
of
wood
was
cut
and
dispensed
of from the
farm
during
1868
and
no
account
taken
[illegible]
of the
[illegible]
.
During
the
past
year
1869
the
farm
has been
operated
upon
i[?]
the
land
being
let
out
to
several
individuals
who
for the
use
of the
farm[?]
were to
return
to the
[illegible]
one
third
of the
net
product
; the
season
has
now
closed
and not a
penny’s
work
has been
realized
by the
manager
or the
other
hand
they are
worse
off
than were on
account
of the
many
debts
,
contracted
in this
official
capacity
by the
superintendent
in
charge
of the
place
until
September
1869
.
Under
the
administration
of
General
Carlin
an
Asst
.
Commis
. for the
state
of
Tennessee
the
Bureau
[illegible]
a
school
house
upon
this
property
at an
expense
of
about
#500~
this
school
was
attended
only
by the
children
of the
immediate
neighborhood
until
the
month
of
October
1869
at
which
time
the
school
closed
in
consequence
of the
teachers
leaving
for their
homes
in the
North
. This
school
was
under
the
supervision
of the
Freedmen
Union
Commission
their
salaries
having
been
paid
by this
society
.
I
cannot
recommend
the
appropriation
of any
money
under
the
head
of
“construction”
as the
school-house
already
provided
by the
Bureau
is
amply
sufficient
for the
wants
of the
neighborhood
at
present
and will be
no
doubt
for a
year
or
two
in the
future
.
I
do
not
feel
warranted
in
asking
for
funds
for
“repairs”
except
it
shall
be for a
very
limited
amount
for the
present
building
is
a
good
one
of its
kind
and a
small
sum
only
is
needed
to
make
it
comfortable
for the
winter
months
.
Under
my
instructions
I
could
recommend
,
however
, that the
[illegible]
accounts
of the
Freedmen
Union
Commission
for this
school
,
during
the
periods
it
has been
sustained
by them, should be
paid
in
order
to
assist
this
society
in
maintaining
their
corps
of
teachers
in the
field
. In this
case
the
benefit
desired
would be in the
interests
of the
B[?]
Society
of the
North
and not for the
“Labor
University”
unless
some
special
agreement
should be
made
[illegible]
.
I
would be
only
too
glad
today
report
the
commissions
anything
which
would
show
this
projected
enterprise
in a
favorable
light
but an
aquaintance
of
more
than
six
months
with its
affairs
only
strengthens
my
belief
that
under
its
present
management
it
has
proved
a
failure
, and a
failure
entirely
beyond
[?]itation
. Its
affairs
have been
foolishly
and
recklessly
mismanaged
from the
time
of its
incorporation
to the
present
.
I
will not
say
from
design
on the
part
of those in
charge
of
it
for
I
believe
they
[illegible]
will and have the
interest
of their
profits
in
view
, but they
do
not
possess
the
ability
or
capacity
to
can[?]
such
an
undertaking
to a
successful
and
…[ellipses
actually
in
place
in the
letter]
This
mismanagement
has
[illegible]
in a
loud
and
outspoken
opposition
on the
part
of
persons
who
were
once
in
strong
sympathy
with the
object
, and
I
do
not
believe
that the
sum
of
#500
could
be
collected
today
in the
state
of
Tennessee
through
perhaps
the
anticipation
but
[illegible]
of
time
or
[illegible]
thousand
. In a
word
I
am
of the
opinion
that
it
would not be
judicious
to
appropriate
any
money
to this
institution
while
under
its
present
management
.
Very
respectfully
Your
obedient
servant
C.C
.
Compton
B[?]
Dept
. of
Education
Tennessee
"
Geographic location
Murfreesboro (Tenn.)
Rutherford County (Tenn.)
Names that occur in the record
Howard, Oliver Otis
Tennessee Manual Labor University
Lowery, Rufis
Tompkins, M.
National Cemetery
Watkins, Elder
Carlin, W. P.
Freedmen Union Commission
Subject (LC)
African Americans--Social conditions
African Americans--Tennessee--Social conditions--19th century
Freedmen's schools and textbooks
Murfreesboro (Tenn.)
Race relations
Racism
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--Tennessee--Rutherford County.
Rutherford County (Tenn.)
United States. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Coverage
1860-1869
Contributing institution
National Archives and Records Administration
Medium
Microfilm
Bibliographic citation
[Document
title
,
date]
.
Records
of the
Superintendent
of
Education
for the
State
of
Tennessee
.
Bureau
of
Refugees
,
Freedmen
, and
Abandoned
Lands
,
1865-1870
.
Series
M1000
,
[Reel
number
,
Frame
number/s]
.
National
Archives
and
Records
Administration
,
Washington
,
D.C
.
Copyright status
Public domain
Collection name
Freedmen's Bureau Records
you wish to report:
Your comment:
Your Name:
...
Back to top
Select the collections to add or remove from your search
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Select All Collections
A
American Guitar
American Women's History
B
Buchanan Family Collection
C
Cannon County (TN) Collection
Cedar Glades Studies Collection
Celanese Village
F
Forrest Collection
Freedmen's Bureau Records
H
Hedrick Collection
Historic Clothing
I
In Their Own Places
M
Middle Tennessee Historical Theses and Dissertations
Midlanders
Milton Collection
MTSU Memory
R
Rutherford County Historical Society Publications
Rutherford County Historic Photographs
Rutherford County Schools Collection
S
Shades of Gray and Blue
Sidelines
Southern Places
Stones River Battlefield Historic Landscape Collection
T
Tennessee History
Tennessee Schools
Trials and Triumphs
500
You have selected:
1
OK
Cancel