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12

William F. Henderson being duly sworn testifies as follows. A great many planters of Davidson Co. are now contracting for a third of a crop a year to their negro hand, a large majority for a fourth, last year the portion generally allowed was from one fifth to an eighth of the corn crop. This was generally the settlement made before me by consent of parties. I am Agent of the Freedmans Bureau for the county of Davidson. They generally paid the negroes for working in harvesting the wheat crops extra wages, in settlements were a man and his wife both work having four or five children unable to work, I have allowed the husband a compensation of from $4.00 to 6.00 per month taking in consideration the scarcity and high prices of provisions.

Cross examination
Those allowances would only be made where parties work faithfully. I take all the contingencies into consideration and if their board is worth as much as there [[insertion]] labor [[/insertion]] wages I would give them nothing

Transcription Notes:
Changed "one fifty to an eight" to "one fifth to an eighth." This writer adds a lowercase y-like flourish at the end of many of his words (exs. "settlement," "provisions," "Freedman"). --Jlch