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State of Tennessee
Hardeman County
Know all men by these presents that I D.J. Newbern Employer of the aforesaid state and county bind myself, my heirs, administrators, executors and assigns unto the United States of America to furnish unto the undersigned Employees Quarters, fuel, Land, Stock to work with (I feeding said stock) farming utensials and when the crop is gathered and the cotton ready for market, give the undersigned employees (free laborers)One half of all the corn and one half of all the cotton that they make, as compensation for their labor.  The employees bind themselves to rise by day break, be ready by sunrise or before in the field for work, take good care of all the stock and implements entrusted to their care and if abused by us or damaged to pay to D.J. Newbern full damages therefor, to do anything on the plantation for its improvement, to do any kind of work for our Employer that he may call on us to do not materially interfering with the making or gathering the crop, To work early and late and not absent ourselves from the plantation without his leave Sundays excepted and on Sundays to feed and care for the stock as on work days and to be ready at the signal to start to work, any one failing to comply to the above obligations shall forfeit for each and every offence One Dollar one half to go to D.J. Newbern Employer and the other to the employees, also all time that we may loose by sickness or otherwise we will pay One Dollar per day to be divided as above, half to employer and half to employees.  We also are to find ourselves in clothing, rations, medical attention and all expenses for ourselves and families and receive as above one half of all cotton and one half of all the corn that we make, we also bind ourselves to plant and cultivate 8 or 10 acres cotton per hand and 6 or 7 acres