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Freedmen's Bureau Collection
J. M. Tracey to J. R. Lewis, October 27, 1866
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J. M. Tracey to J. R. Lewis, October 27, 1866
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Description
Title
J
.
M
.
Tracey
to
J
.
R
.
Lewis
,
October
27
,
1866
Record type
correspondence
Creator
Tracy
,
J
.
M
.
Date of creation
1866-10-27
Series
Records of the field offices for the state of Tennessee, 1865-1872
Description
General
inquiry
discussing
complaints
of
freedmen
and
actions
taken
. Also,
includes
school
information
with
number
of
teachers
and
scholars
attending
.
Additional notes
Series
M1911
,
Reel
80
,
[Frames
39-40]
Excerpt from record
"
I
have the
honor
to
acknowlege
the
receipt
of
Circular
letter
,
dated
August
2nd
‘66
requiring
a
report
to be
made
of the
number
of
outrages
committed
on
blacks
&c
. and in
compliance
with
said
circular
letter
,
I
would
most
respectfully
state
that
during
the
time
specified
in
which
the
report
is
intend
to
cover
,
I
have not
known
of any
outrages
being
committed
by any
white
person
upon
the
person
of any
Freedman
,
thereby
causing
bodily
harm
. There has not been a
single
case
come
under
my
observation
, or
reported
to
me
, of
assault
a
battery
committed
upon
any
Freedman
by
whites
, but
one
or
two
cases
have been
reported
where
both
parties
were
blacks
, but
no
serious
consequences
resulting
.
During
the
month
of
June
,
affairs
went
on
swimmingly
, also
during
the
great
portion
of
July
, but
about
the
last
of
July
Freedmen
begun
to
come
in
making
complaints
of
having
been
driven
off
charged
with
violation
of
contract
, and the
parties
who
had
exercised
this
uncalled
for
violence
had
refused
to
pay
their
hands
for the
time
served
.
During
the
first
three
weeks
of this
month
similar
complaints
came
in,
quite
numerous
, and
apparently
of the
most
aggravating
character
, and to
me
unprecedented
.
I
labored
hard
from
Monday
morning
until
Saturday
night
listening
to the
complaints
of the
blacks
&
whites
,
(as
many
complaints
were
brought
in by the
employer
against
the
employee)
notifying
parties
to
apper
at
my
office
for an
investigation
,
investigating
and
settleing
all
cases
that
I
possibly
could
without
having
to
take
the
difficulties
to a
Majistrate
for
adjustment
, and
suceeded
in this
way
in
amicably
disposing
of
many
cases
. In a
few
instances
I
notified
parties
to
appear
for an
investigation
, but was
notified
in
return
that the
Bureau
was a
defunct
institution
and that they
did
not
give
a
d—mn
for the
Bureau
&c.
, this was not
confined
to the
whites
alone
: in
such
cases
I
advised
the
parties
to
appeal
to
civil
law
for
redress
,
which
was
done
, and the
case
would
receive
a
fair
and
impartial
hearing
, in
most
instances
.
I
have
made
it
a
point
to be
present
at
all
hearings
before
majistrates
,
so
far
as
I
could
find
time
to
do
so
, and have
rendered
all
the
assistance
I
could
at
such
time
, and in
complicated
cases
I
have
assisted
the
parties
in
obtaining
counsel
, and in
doing
so
I
must
say
in
justice
to the
legal
fraternity
that they have
labored
hard
for their
client
when
employed
by a
colored
man
, and
when
not
employed
have
given
any
legal
advice
called
for with
cheerfulness
. The
only
complaints
of an
aggravating
nature
which
have been
brought
in, has been
based
on a
charge
of
violation
of
contract
and the
parties
who
received
the
labor
refusing
to
pay
for that
labor
on the
grounds
that the
contracts
written
by
Chaplain
Seage
(which
I
consider
disgraceful)
bound
the
blacks
to a
worse
servitude
than they had to
endure
in
days
of
slavery
. They were
bound
against
public
morals
(which
was in
violation
of
law)
not to
leave
the
premises
at any
time
without
permission
not
even
allowing
the
blacks
the
privilege
of
going
to
church
on
Sunday
without
the
consent
of their
employer
, if they
did
leave
at any
time
without
permission
, they
violated
their
contract
,
consequently
“forfeited”
all
pay
due
them: this
class
of
cases
have
caused
all
the
trouble
that
I
have had
during
last
month
, and in
such
cases
we
have
claimed
the
illegality
of
such
contracts
,
put
them
aside
, and
adopted
the
principle
in
common
law
that
where
one
man
labors
for
another
, the
laborer
is
entitled
to a
reasonable
compensation
for his
labor
. and in
all
cases
with
perhaps
two
exceptions
the
justices
have
allowed
them their
earnings
.
one
of the
exceptional
cases
was
where
judgement
was
given
in
favor
of the
plaintiff
for
30.00
when
he was
certainly
entitled
to at
least
twice
that
amount
: the
case
was
appealed
.
I
am
firmly
of the
opinion
that the
blacks
can
receive
Justice
in
Civil
law
as
well
as in
military
before
most
County
Majistrates
not
because
they
admire
the
present
Status
of the
negro
, but they are in
law
bound
to
administer
justice
, and the
knowledge
that if they
do
not
promptly
administer
justice
that the
military
will
assert
their
Supremacy
, and
take
matters
into their
own
hands
.
Individualy
,
I
know
of
no
wrongs
or
outrages
committed
on the
blacks
, but that has been
settled
by the
civil
authorities
as a
class
,
quite
satisfactory
.
I
am
of the
opinion
that the
feelings
of the
people
are
more
hostile
today
than
twelve
months
ago
, and have been
told
by
one
negro
who
asserts
that he
heard
a
conversation
last
week
between
some
white
men
, that the
negros
would
soon
be
reduced
to
slavery
again
, that
President
Johnson
was in
favor
of
it
&c
. and
asked
my
opinion
on that
subject
.
I
told
him not to be
allarmed
, that their
freedom
would be
maintained
even
at the
point
of the
bayonet
–
which
,
confidentialy
,
I
would not be
surprised
if
we
would be
involved
in
another
civil
war
in
less
than
6
months.
"
Geographic location
Rutherford County (Tenn.)
Names that occur in the record
Lewis, J. R.
Tracy, J. M.
Brown, John
Subject (LC)
African Americans--Tennessee--Social conditions--19th century
United States. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands--Records and correspondence
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)--Tennessee--Rutherford County
Rutherford County (Tenn.)
Race relations
Racism
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
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Freedmen's Bureau Collection
J. M. Tracey to J. R. Lewis, October 27, 1866 