1864 “Hiring Out” Slavery Contract – Crawford Jones & John Harrell – Signed Historical Document

Description

This is a remarkable and historically significant one-page, handwritten contract dated January 1st, 1864, just one year after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Measuring 12.5 x 10.25 inches, this document offers a poignant glimpse into the complex and painful period of the American Civil War, revealing the practice of “hiring out” enslaved people.

The document is a “Memorandum of Contract” between “Crawford Jones and John Harrell as collection of the Estate of A.N. Jones dec’d.” It details an agreement for Harrell to lease or “hire” a group of enslaved individuals from Jones to cultivate approximately 100 acres of land.

The contract names the enslaved people—Jim, Gina, Joshua, Jane, Jill, Bill, Jeff, Prince, and Jump—and stipulates the terms of their “hire for the year 1864.” It states that Jones will provide housing, food, farming tools, and livestock, while Harrell will take “the entire control of the negroes” and receive half the crop yield as their “hire.”

This document is a powerful and chilling primary source, providing a direct, unvarnished look at a dark chapter in American history. It is a rare artifact that underscores the human cost and the economic framework of the institution of slavery, even as the nation was at war over the very issue of human freedom.

The document is in very good condition for its age, with clear, legible handwriting and an intact paper surface, signed at the bottom by Crawford Jones.