Regrettably, the relationship between Chris's family and the family that enslaved them did not end when freedom came.

We uncovered a labor contract from the year 1866.

It shows that Mary Clinkscales hired Chris's ancestors to work her plantation under what was known as a share-wage agreement.

These agreements were common across the Jim Crow South, and they were not favorable to the formerly enslaved men and women who signed them.

"These said free persons agree to board and clothe themselves and to obey all orders from said owner of plantation or her agent, and also do hereby agree to work for the said Mary Clinkscales in the capacity of laborers, and faithfully, honestly, diligently, and to the best of their skill and abilities, to perform such labor in the care of said plantation.

Signatures.

Zach, his mark, Sini, her mark, Bob, his mark, James, his mark."

Wow.

This is very likely the first labor contract that anyone on your entire Clinkscale branch of your family tree ever signed, and it was the first time they were ever, at least theoretically, compensated for their work.

What do you think that meant for them, that moment?

You remember when you signed your contract.

Yeah.

This is their contract.

That's a whole different feeling.

Yeah, a whole different feeling.

Yeah, I'm still processing it.

According to this agreement, Chris's ancestors were to work Mary Clinkscales' land at her direction, much as they had under slavery.

And they were to be paid not with cash, but with a portion of the crops.

That's crazy.

I mean, you're free technically.

But.

Does that sound like freedom?

Not at all.

No.

And in a good crop year, share wages could offer better returns than cash wages, but in a bad crop year, share wage laborers did very poorly.

And your ancestors had very little control over how the crop would turn out.

They were rolling the dice, and on top of that, people working on shares had to pay for their own food and clothing during the year while they're waiting on the harvest, right?

Yeah, so they was basically just working to stay alive.

You got it.

It was called slavery by another name.

That's crazy.

Chris, what's it like to know that your ancestors had to go through that?

You know, imagine you get the news, "We're free, finally.

We're no longer property."

And then you're thrown into a labor contract like that.

It literally makes me think about how strong their minds had to be, right, like their will.

It would've been so easy to give up, but given their situation, whether they complained or not, they figured it out.

Chris is correct.

Zachariah and Sini did indeed figure it out.

They likely worked at least 10 hours a day, six days a week growing cotton, but they survived, and they moved their family forward.

Incredibly, by 1880, their son James even had a small farm of his own.