Land Records: Freedman's Bureau Reports, 1868, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: National Archives (information gathered by Dr. Jeff Reeves and given to me some years ago) Document No. 1 Office Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands Winn Parish, La. Montgomery, April 1868 Respectfully returned to Capt. L. H. Warren with the following information. The St. Maurice Plantation contains thirty-five hundred acres of Land, eleven hundred of which is cleared and has always been under cultivation and belongs to Dr. D. H. Boullt. D. H. Boullt, Jr. is a son of Dr. D. H. Boullt and cultivates a portion of the St. Maurice Plantation on his own account, he is also a large Land owner but prefered to cultivate a portion of the St. Maurice Plantation on account of Quarters and good water. James I. Allen has also obtained a portion of the St. Maurice Plantation on account. Mr. Allen is also a Land owner. There are also five other parties cultivating portions of the St. Maurice Plantation. I was perfectly satisfied before forwarding the Applications, ____, &c., that the parties were all cultivating the portions of the Plantations on their own accounts and know them to be solvent and capable and willing to reimburse to the Government for any and all supplies received by thm. D. W. White A. S. A. Comm. Bureau R. F. & A. L. 4th Sub. Dist, April 18, '68 ______________________________________________________________________________ Document No. 2 Remarks Oweing to the High Water in several streams I have been unable to make a thorough inspection of the Parish but such portions as I have inspected, I find the Freedmen, with few exceptions, Industrious and all appear contented. Some are however to much interested in the coming Election and travel about among their neighbors talking politics more than they should. And some few neglect their work to visit the Natchitoches Club, were it not for this club the Freedmen would remain at home and attend to their work much better. I find very many Freedmen who have settled on Public Lands, and are doing very well, as they work for some person during the week and when not employed otherwise, they work to improve their own place. By next year should there be no failure of the crops, there will be at the least calculation fifty Freedmen who will be able to make crops on their own places. The Planters with whom I have conversed are unanimous in saying that the freedmen are working much better this year than any since the close of the war and the freedmen take much more interest than they did last year. No complaints of any kind by either Freedmen or their employers have been made to sue, and as far as I have Inspected, I find nothing bur the best of feelings existing between the whites and Freedmen. As I have stated on my previous reports it is impossible to establish a school that would be self supporting. Should one be established the Government would have to pay the Teacher as the Freedmen have nothing and they all say that they would much rather wait a year or two until they work for themselves and then establish schools and employ their own teachers. (Unsigned) ______________________________________________________________________________ Monthly Report of D. W. White, Assistant Inspector of Freedmen for the Parish of Winn, State of Louisiana, for the Month ending on the Thirty-First day of March, 1868. Owner or Lessee of Plantation: M. L. Perot Name of Plantation: Da Da No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-18, female-8, children males-3, children females-0. Aged and Helpless: female-7, children males-8, children females-4. Aggregate: 48 No. Children Attending School: none Number of Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-175; rice-none; tobacco- 12; corn-150; cereals-15. Total acres cultivated: 352 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Rations, Clothing, Quarters, Fuel, and Wages: no indication Rations and Wages: 8 Wages only: no indication Share of Crop: 15 No. Acres rented to Freedmen: no indication No. Acres Sold to Freedmen: no indication Average Monthly Wages: $64.11 2/3 cents. Remarks: Those working for wages receive the full amount at the end of the year. 8 receive rations and clothing. Owner or Lessee of Plantation: James & Thos. Christy Name of Plantation: Christy No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-1; female-1, children male-2, children female-0. Aged and Helpless: none Aggregate: 4 No. Children Attending School: none Number of Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-30; rice-none; tobacco- none; corn-25; cereals-2. Total Acres Cultivated: 57 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Rations, Clothing, Quarters, Fuel, and Wages: no indication Shares of crops: 4 Owner or Lessee of Plantation: A. V. Ragan Name of Plantation: Harrison No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-3, female-1 Aged and Helpless: female-1, children female-1 Aggregate: 6 No. Children Attending School: none Number of Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-none; rice-none; tobacco-4; corn-60; cereals-3 Total Acres Cultivated: 67 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Rations, Clothing, Quarters, Fuel, and Wages: no indication Rations and Wages: no indication Wages Only: no indication Share of Crop: 3 No. Acres rented to Freedmen: no indication No. Acres Sold to Freedmen: no indication Average Monthly Wages: no indication Remarks: 1 Received clothing and Rations Name of Owner or Lessee of Plantation: Thomas S. (or I.) Lowe Name of Plantation: Lowe No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-4, female-3 Aged and Helpless: male-2, female-1 Aggregate: 10 No. Children Attending School: none Number of Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-50; rice-none; tobacco- 1/2; corn-80; cereals- 6 Total Acres Cultivated: 136 « Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: none No. Acres rented to Freedmen: no indication No. Acres Sold to Freedmen: no indication Remarks: none Name or Owner or Lessee of Plantation: Charles M. Wheeler Name of Plantation: Wheeler No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-7, female-3 Aged and Helpless: children male-6, children female-4 Aggregate: 20 No. Children Attending School: none Number of Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-50; rice-none; tobacco- 1/2; corn-100; cereals-40 Total Acres Cultivated: 190 « Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Rations, Clothing, Quarters, Fuel, Wages: 3; Rations and Wages: none; Share of Crops: 4 No. Acres rented to Freedmen: no indication No. Acres Sold to Freedmen: no indication Average Monthly Wages: $8.36 2/3 Remarks: 1 Receives Rations and 2 receive Rations & Clothing, and 3 receive wages at the end of the year. Name of Owner or Lessee of Plantation: Aaron Lockhart Name of Plantation: Woodward No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-6, female-1 Aged and Helpless: female-3; male children-3, female children 2 Aggregate: 16 No. Children Attending School: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton 30; rice-none; tobacco-none; corn-60; cereals-11 Total Acres Cultivated: 101 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Share of Crop-7 Remarks: none Name of Owner of Plantation: Joseph G. buys Name of Plantation: Buys No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-7 Aged and Helpless: female-2; children male-3, children female-3 Aggregate: 15 No. Children Attending Schools: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-50; rice-none; tobacco- «; corn-100; cereals-12 Total Acres Cultivated: 162 « Kind of Contract Hands Are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Rations and Wages-1; Share of Crop-6 No. Acres rented to Freedmen: none No. Acres Sold to Freedmen: none Average Monthly Wage: $12.50 Remarks: 1 receives the full amt. of the wages at the end of the year Name of Owner of Plantation: Samuel C. Curry Name of Plantation: Catawba Grove No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-2, female 4, children female-3 Aged and Helpless: male children-2, female children-4 Aggregate: 15 No. Children Attending Schools: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-30; rice-none; tobacco-none; corn-75; cereals-51 Total Acres Cultivated: 156 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: share of crop-9 Remarks: none Name of Owner or Lessee of Plantation: D. H. Boullt Name of Plantation: St. Maurice No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-12, female-3 Aged and Helpless: female-5, male children-5, female children-4 Aggregate:29 No. Children Attending Schools: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-110; rice-none; tobacco-3; corn-100; cereals-25 Total Acres Cultivated: 238 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: share of crop: 15 Remarks: none Name of Owner or Lessee of Plantation: James I. Allen Name of Plantation: St. Maurice No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-8, female-6 Aged and Helpless: female-3, children male-5, children female-1 Aggregate: 23 No. Children Attending Schools: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton-42; rice-none; tobacco-2; corn-42; cereals-25 Total Acres Cultivated: 111 Kind of Contract Hands Are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Share of crop: 14 Remarks: none Name of Owner or Lessee of Plantation: D. H. Boullt, Jr. Name of Plantation: St. Maurice No. of Freedmen on Plantation: Working Hands: male-8, female-4 Aged and Helpless: female-5, children male 5, children female-11 Aggregate: 37 No. Children Attending Schools: none No. Acres Under Cultivation: sugar-none; cotton 62; rice-none; tobacco-none; corn-93; cereals-6 Total Acres Cultivated: 161 Kind of Contract Hands are Employed Under and Number of Hands Employed Under Each: Share of crop: 12 Remarks: none Station: Montgomery, La. Date: March 31, 1869 Parish of Winn D. W. White, Asst. Inspr. Freedmen UndE am oName