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Lot 216
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Georgia Slaveowners & Freedpeople Adjust to the End of Slavery
Georgia Slaveowners & Freedpeople Adjust to the End of Slavery
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African American
Georgia, ca. 1867
Georgia Slaveowners & Freedpeople Adjust to the End of Slavery
ADS

[AFRICAN AMERICAN.]
- George W. Cole, Aaron [?], and Alfred Goss, Autograph Document Signed, Sharecropping Agreement, January 7, 1867, Webster County, Georgia. 1 p., 8" x 10.25". Light toning; small edge tears.
- Mary Elizabeth Dorsey, Manuscript Document Signed, Answer to Bill of Complaint in Mills v. Dorsey, April 12, 1867, Clayton County, Georgia. 15 pp., 8" x 12.5". Attached at top with rivets; expected folds; light toning; very good.

This pair of documents illustrates some of the changes that the end of slavery brought to life in Georgia. The first is a sharecropping agreement between George W. Cole and freedmen Aaron [?] and Alfred Goss (b. ca. 1840) of Webster County in southwestern Georgia for the year 1867. In return for one-third of the crop, the freedmen agreed to cultivate 75 acres of Cole's property, and Cole would provide them with tools and provisions during the upcoming year, deducting the cost of the provisions from their one-third share at the end of the year.

The second document is the answer of Elizabeth Dorsey in a case brought against her, as administratrix of her husband John M. Dorsey's estate, by Archibald T. Mills. In mid-March 1865, Mills sold two lots of land to John M. Dorsey. Mills originally asked for $11,500 in Confederate States Treasury Notes, but agreed to allow $4,000 for two mules and $5,000 for an enslaved African-American man named Jim, leaving $2,500 in Confederate notes due by November 1, 1865. Mills took the mules and the slave and rented the conveyed land from Dorsey at an agreed-upon rate of produce. The answer makes no further mention of the enslaved Jim. Mills stopped paying the rent in produce in July 1865, and in November, Mills demanded the $2,500 in greenbacks, gold, or silver. John M. Dorsey died on January 2, 1866, and Mills offered to return the mules in exchange for returning the deeds to the lots. The loss of property in African-American slaves and the devaluation of both land and Confederate treasury notes led to the conflict in this case. Although Mills in March 1865 had expected Confederate States Treasury Notes to rise in value by November, they became worthless by that time, and his property rights in Jim were destroyed by the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment at the end of the war.

Excerpts
[Sharecropping agreement:]
"the following agreement is this day entered into between George Cole of this state & county above written of the one part and Aaron a freedman formerly the property of Wm Morgan & Alfred a freedman of the other part witnesseth that the said cole on his part agrees to furnish sd freedmen Seventy five acres of Land to plant in corn cotton and potatoes with stock and the necessary tools for the cultivation of sd land also provision for sd stock sd cole also agrees to furnish sd freedmen comfortable quarters to reside in he also agrees to furnish provision for sd freedmen and families for the year said provisions to be paid for out of sd freedmens share of the crop raised on the abovenamed farm and we the sd freedmen on our part do jointly agree to thoroughly cultivate the above named quanty of land in corn and cotton & potatoes & plant and work the same accordin to sd coles directions we also agree to assist in taking in a new ground and repairing the fince around the old Land that we cultivate se also agree to assist in taking care of sd cols stock of every description the said freed Men is to receive as a reward for their labour and care one third part of the crop raised on the above named farm when gathered suject only to a deduction of Enough of their share to pay sd cole for provisions furnished by him for the support of sd freedmen & their families for the present year."

[Answer:]
"Complainant asked Eleven thousand and five hundred dollars in Confederate States Treasury notes for the land, but finally agreed to and did trade with said Jno. M. Dorsey upon the following terms viz: Complainant agreed to give or allow said Jno. M. four thousand dollars for two miles and five thousand dollars for a negro man named Jim and Complaint did then and there agreed to and receive said mules and negro for the sum of nine thousand dollars.
"This left Twenty five hundred dollars yet due Complainant in Confederate States Treasury notes which complainant demanded should be paid by said Jno. M. by the first day of November next thereafter to wit: the first day of November 1865. Whereupon the note for said Twenty five hundred dollars in Confederate money was accordingly written, delivered to Complainant by said John M. and recd by said Complainant. At which time, Complainant Mills remarked that Confederate money might ‘go up' before the maturity of the note, and in reply, the said John M. stated that, if it did, he the said Jno M., would pay Complainant Mills an amount of money equaling the par value of said Confederate money at the time of date of the note. Which was entirely satisfactory and agreed to by Complainant Mills.
"Defendant further answering saith that while said trade was being negotiated and before it was made or completed, Complainant Mills reserved the privilege of renting the said lands &c. The terms of the rent as then and there agreed upon were that said Mills was to give the said John M., as rent, one third (?) of the Potatoes, all of the sugar cane tops and roots, Ten (10) bushels of corn per month from the Grist Mill and three pork hogs and one half of port hog. The reason the half hog occur'd in the contract was this: Said Jno. M., asked five hogs as part of the rent & Complainant Mills would not agree to give the five but said that he would ‘split the difference' and thus give two and one half. Mrs. Mills wife of Complainant seemed anxious that the trade should be made & smilingly remarked that, she had a hog and would also give it—Thus making the three and one half; which was agreed to by the parties. Thus did Complainant Mills rent the land & premises until the said first day of November 1865—at which time he was to move off the premises....
"Defendant further answering states that Complainant Mills came to see the said Jno. M., late husband of Defendant, after the maturity of the Twenty five hundred dollar note aforesaid, to see, as complainant stated, what said Jno. M. would do in reference to the note. The said Jno. M. Dorsey told Complainant that he would do just what he (said J.M.) told Complt. that he would do at the time of the making of the note. And that he would pay him, Complainant, then as much gold and silver as the Confederate money was worth at the date of the note. Complainant Mills refused then and there to settle unless the said Jno. M. would pay the Twenty five hundred dollars in Greenbacks or Gold and silver. The said Jno. M replied that he, the said Jno. M. would do no such thing—that such was not the contract or the spirit thereof. The said Jno. M. stated further that the lands were worth nothing like said amount & that if he the said Complainant, really desired to buy the place back, he, said Jno. M. would sell it to him a great deal cheaper if he would bring up his mules & propose a trade.
"The said Jno. M. further remarked to Complt. Mills, that he, Mills, must vacate the premises and if he failed to do so by Christmas, (meaning 25th Dec. 1865) he would eject him by due process of law."
[Includes attached list of Assets of the estate of John M. Dorsey:]
"95 Acres land one and one quarter miles from Old Car Shed half of which are now in the [Atlanta] City limits. The houses were all destroyed during the Occupation of the City by Federal troops. This land is considered very valuable worth from 100 to 600 dollars per acre.. ..
"A list of Notes & Accounts due Estate of J. M. Dorsey Deceased—
"one acct on Mrs. E. Speer for hire of negro man & woman for 1864 Confederate contract (good amt— $200.00.. ..
"One acct Neal Blount for hire of negro in 1865. To be paid in Greenbacks good $50.00....
"1 Note on Hanes & Lacester & endorsed by Jas S. Cook dated July 1st 1861 & due Decr 25th 1861 for negro hire amt— $98.00
"1 Note on Simon Stephens dated Jany 1st 1864 for hire off negro good amt $200.00....
"1 Note on W. A. Swift, Due 25th Decr 1864 for hire of negro girl amt. $125.00 good....
"1 Note on L C Farris & Samuel Burns dated Decr 25th 1862 for $40.00 for hire of negro...."

George W. Cole (1838-1921) was born in North Carolina and came to Georgia as a young man. In 1860, he was a carpenter in Webster County, Georgia. In 1861, he married Susan Spann (1839-1887), with whom he had eleven children. During the Civil War, he served in Company F of the 46th Georgia Infantry. He was a farmer both before and after the war up to within three years of his death. After his first wife died, he married Sallie Clark (d. 1933) in 1889. He was also a consistent member of the local Baptist church.

Mary Elizabeth Tomlinson Dorsey (1828-1904) was born in Georgia. In 1845, she married John M. Dorsey (1820-1866), with whom she had at least five children. In 1850 and 1860, they lived in Henry County, where he was a physician and farmer. In 1860, they owned twelve slaves. After he died in January 1866, the Court of Ordinary in Henry County, Georgia, gave her letters as administratrix of his estate. By 1870, she had moved to Jonesboro in neighboring Clayton County, where she remained for the next three decades.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 10.25"; 8" x 12.5"
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