Title	J. M. Tracy to J. W. Gruesbeck, October 26, 1866
Record type	correspondence
Creator	Tracy, J. M.
Date of creation	1866-10-26
Series	Records of the field offices for the state of Tennessee, 1865-1872
Description	J. M. Tracy reports statistics regarding the Freedmen population of Rutherford County on October, 25, 1866.
Additional notes	M1911, Reel 80, [Frame 68-69]
Excerpt from record	In compliance with your request dated Oct. 16th I have the honor to submit the following for you information. as the most reliable statistics to be obtained in regard to the colored population of this County at this time, as nothing definite can be obtained, the report of the last census having been destroyed during the war, and no records to refer to that will give complete the required information, and should this report not be as perfect as you could wish, yet I have not been able to obtain anything in shape of statistics that would be strictly definite. II The colored population of this County at the last census was something less than 17000, one third of which was male, and one third female adults, and one third children: it is the opinion of men who ought to know, that there has been a large increase during, and since the war, on account of the protection offered them at the Place it having been a garrisoned Post, with the exception of two or three months since early in ’62, and the colored population is now estimated at 20000. of this population 6000 are supposed to be male and 6000 female (over) adults and 8000 children: of course this is not strictly correct but as near as can be obtained. II II The corn is fully an average crop, a larger area being planted than usual, with a fair yield: cotton is less than an average and may safely be put at 1/3 less than average: there has been but little tobacco raised, it may possibly reach 1/4 of an average, not more I think: the “hog crop” is almost a failure, it not being more than 1/10 what it was before the war. I think there has been corn enough raised to supply the local demand, but there will not be near pork enough to supply the demand: and there will of necessity be large amounts shipped to the Place: the stock of hogs was killed off, almost annihilated during the war, and farmers have not had time sufficient to replenish their stock. II II II I am of the opinion that about 1/2 of the laboring portion of the freedmen have been at work under contracts, of this number about 2/3 have worked for wages, and 1/3 for an interest in the crop.
Geographic location	Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Rutherford County (Tenn.)
Names that occur in the record	Tracy, J. M. Walsh, M. D. Gruesbeck, J. W.
Subject (LC)	African Americans--Tennessee--Social conditions--19th century Agriculture Race relations Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--Tennessee--Rutherford County Rutherford County (Tenn.) United States. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands--Records and correspondence
Coverage	1860-1869
Contributing institution	National Archives and Records Administration
Medium	microfilm
Bibliographic citation	[Document title, date]. Records of the field offices for the State of Tennessee. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1872. Series M1911, [Reel number, Frame number/s]. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
Copyright status	public domain
Collection name	Freedman's Bureau Records