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Freedmen's Contract for 1866.

State of South Carolina,
Clarendon District.

Articles of agreement between E M Burkett and Freedmen and Women whose names are hereunto attached.

1st: The said Freedmen agree to hire their time as laborers on the Plantation of E M Burkett from the 1st of January, 1866, to the 1st of January, 1867, to conduct themselves faithfully, honestly, civilly and diligently, to perform all labor on said plantation, or such as may be connected therewith, that may be required by the said E M Burkett or his agent, and to keep no poultry, dogs or stock of any kind, except as hereinafter specified, no firearms or deadly weapons, no ardent spirits, nor introduce or invite visitors, nor leave the premises during working hours, without the written consent of the proprietor or his agent,

2nd: The said Freedmen agree to perform the daily tasks hitherto usually allotted on said plantation, to wit: 125 to 150 rails; cutting grain, 3 to 6 acres; ditching and banking, 300 to 600 feet; hoeing cotton, 70 to 300 rows, an acre long; corn, 400 to 7000 hills.  In all cases where tasks cannot be assigned they agree to labor diligently 10 hours a day.

3rd: For every day's labor lost by absence, refusal or neglect to perform the daily task or labor, said servants shall forfeit 50 cents. If absent voluntarily without leave, 2 dollars a day. If absent more than one day without leave, to be subject to dismissal from the plantation, and forfeiture of share in the crop. All such fines and forfeitures shall inure to the benefit of the employer and employees, in proportion to their relative shares. 

4th: Said Freedmen agree to take good care of all utensils, tools and implements committed to their charge, and to pay for the same if injured or destroyed, also to be kind and gentle to all work animals under charge, and to pay for any injury which they may sustain while in their hands through their carelessness or neglect.

5th: They stipulate to keep their hours, lots and persons in neat condition, subject to the inspection of the employer or his agent at any time.

6th: They agree to furnish from their number a nurse for the sick, also stock minder and foreman to be selected by the employer. They agree to be directed in their labor by the foreman, to obey his orders, and that he shall report all absences, neglects, refusal to work, or disorderly conduct to the employer or his agent.

7th: Said employer agrees to treat his employees with justice and kindness, to furnish each family with quarters on his plantation, with one quarter of an acre of land for a garden, and the privilege of getting firewood from some portion of the premises, to be indicated by the employer, (and to divide the crop with them in the following proportions, viz: To the employees, [[strikethrough]] one [[/strikethrough]] 2 two third of the corn, potatoes and peas, gathered and prepared for market, and [[strikethrough]] one [[/strikethrough]] (2) two third net proceeds of the ginned cotton. or its market value at the end of the year.) When desired to furnish the usual bread and meat ration, to be accounted for at the market price, out of their share of the crop. 

8th: Said employer agrees to furnish animals and employees to feed them; also wagons, carts, plantation implements, &c., such as cannot be made by the laborers on the plantation.

9th: All violations of the terms of this contract, or of the rules and regulations of the employer may be punished by dismissal from the plantation, with forfeiture of his or her share of the crop or wages, as the case may be; but the employer shall pay said parties at the rate of four (4) dollars a month, for full hands, deducting threfrom advances made. 

10th: The employer or his agent shall keep a book, in which shall be entered all advances made by him and fines and forfeitures for loss time, or any cause, which book shall be received as evidence in same manner as Merchant's books are now received in Courts of justice, and shall have a right to deduct from the share of each laborer all his or her fines and forfeitures, also all advances made by him. All fines and forfeitures herein specified will be subject to the decision of the authorities having proper jurisdiction of the same. 

11th: The laborer shall not sell any agricultural product to any person whatever without the written consent of the employer, until after the division of crops.

12th: The laborers shall commence work at sunrise, and be allowed from one to three hours each day for their meals, according to the season of the year.

Witness our hands at Mannery the 13 day of January 1866.