Crews, Samuel, Sharecropper Contract Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract, 1876 Ms.2008.067

Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract, 1876 Ms.2008.067


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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

Emily Cook, Student Assistant

Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.2008.067
Title
Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract 1876
Quantity
0.1 Cubic Feet, 1 folder
Creator
Crews, Samuel, b. abt. 1846
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
The Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract is a manuscript agreement that outlines the terms in which Samuel Crews can farm, but not own, lands belonging to S. and R. Dodd in Halifax County, Virginia, for the year 1877.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract, Ms2008-067, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract was purchased by Special Collections.

Processing Information

The processing and description of the Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract occurred in August 2008.


Biographical Note

Samuel Walter Crews appears in Virginia's 1850 census under southern Halifax County as a four-year-old boy, thus placing his birth in around 1846. Crews was born to James Henry Crews and Marguerite Walker and had three sisters: Anne E., Phebe M. and Mary F.

Crews was a sharecropper, one who farms land without owning it for a share of the yield. Sharecropping became popular in Halifax County, Virginia, after the abolition of slavery caused landowners to seek new forms of labor.

Scope and Content

The Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract is a manuscript agreement between S. and R. Dodd and Samuel Crews for the year 1877. The contract outlines the terms in which Samuel Crews can farm, but not own, land in Halifax County, Virginia. In the document, Crews agrees to pay the Dodds one fourth of crops grown and to build a fence. Crops cultivated include tobacco, corn, wheat, and oats. This diversified list of crops represents the shift away from a tobacco monoculture that occurred between 1870 and 1880 in Virginia.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Agriculture
  • Legal instruments (Legal documents)
  • Sharecropping -- United States -- Virginia

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Samuel Crews Sharecropper Contract by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).

Container List

folder 1
Contract
1876