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Ebenezer Morgan County state of Georgia 
March 18th 1866

Mr G.L Eberhart  State Superentendant
for freedmans schools
I have rented my Ebenezer farms mostly to Negroes, they have built houses and are now planting their crops, and I believe most of them will make good crops; these families of Negroes have about thirty children that must be educated I have been teaching some of them a little and find that they could soon be taught to read! in fact I have several that can read. but I have no time to keep school myself and I have been trying for six months to engage a teacher but cannot get one to take charge of a colored school These people are willing to build a school house this summer day about the first of July - when they have done their harvesting.. on my land at a convenient place for woods and water and we can make up at least forty or fifty schollars. I will do all I can in the previous, Now if you can help us to get a teacher that is competent to take charge of such a school we shall be under many obligations to you. These people are poor having no property to start on but I have suffered them to settle on my lands and am furnishing them with goods and provisions so that they may make a start to make something, and do know that there are some of them that will have a plenty at the end of the year if the seasons should be favorable.

please answer me at Rutledge as we have no post office a Ebenezer now

Ebenezer is ten miles southwest from Madison and six miles due south from Rutledge

Yours Respectfully

John Durdin
Merchant & planter

Established Dist 1828

Ebenezer  Ga