Viewing page 13 of 229

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

State of N Carolina Surry County
Feby 20th 1866

This day Fountain Hopper and Mark H. James appeared before me W. Y. Tucker an acting J.P. in & for said county and made oath in due of law as follows

Fountain Hopper deposeth as follows

On the 3rd day of June 1865 I called up James & the rest of my negroes & read to them Gen Schofield's order of emancipation & gave them all their freedom & on Sunday following called them up & told them I have given them all [[?]] [[patches?]], & that they might stay with and cultivate theirs as they did mine, but I would not do any more for them than to feed them while they were doing so, & [[?]] & others [[?]] would get homes somewhere else. And on Monday following they took their freedom & commenced feeding themselves, & on Tuesday following went to a Union meeting in Mount Airy NC, & on Wednesday following came back, begged me to [[?]] them at my offer & I accordingly done so. James work with me until about the 20th July 1865 & then quit, & [[?]] around the plantations a week or so, & went to Guilford County NC. & remained there until in October following when he came back & [[?]] land of me to [[?]] this year & I have furnished him corn for bread & to feed his since that time, & thought all was right between us until he reported me to the [[?]] Freedmens' Bureau. [[?]] corn [[?]] of [[?]] had been well all indeed to [[?]] him would have made enough to have done him, but by his neglect came of it was destroyed by [[?]] but he gathered & saved