Don't Care for Dammed Yankees 1868

The Radicals, Republican party, made efforts to change the political, economic and legal systems of the southern states who had succeeded from the Union. Pepper Smith had no intentions of supporting Radicals and he made sure the people who cultivated his land wouldn't vote for the Radical ticket. Frank Baggett and the other men chose not to vote so they could maintain their jobs and keep their families fed, although they were still fired.

Frank Baggett, Mat Christmas and four other men had a labor contract, dated January 1868, with Pepper Smith near Monticello, MS. The men were to be paid half of the crop. Smith fired the men in July 1868 because of their political views. Smith said "he cared for none of the God dammed Yankees," and would not cooperate with the Freedmen's Bureau.

Here is how it was recorded in one of the reports in the Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records.

Frank Baggett and Mat Christmas (col'd) ? says they were in the fields plowing on Wednesday 23 June & Mr Smith came & had a long talk with them about the coming election. He told them, among other things, that anyone who voted against him to take his rights away could not cultivate his land. Frank replied as they were all dependent on him (Pepper Smith) for rations & little children to provide for, they would not vote at all rather than have any unpleasantness between them.

Neither Frank or Mat voted at all in order to please Mr Smith, although Judge Baggett (who once owned Frank) assured Frank that he had a right to vote as he pleased & could not be hurt.

Six men in all were discharged. All were taken back save these two: Frank & Mat.

In 1868, Frank's family consisted of a wife Tish, and their children: Ann, Ellen, Sam, M a female child, Silas, and William.

How does Frank Baggett connect to my family?
Frank's grandson Issie Baggett married Arie Demyers.
Arie was the daughter of Lawrence Demyers and Sally Miller.
Lawrence Demyers was the brother of my gggrandmother Alice Demyers Overton Usher.

SOURCES:
Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-45819-4957-56?cc=2333768&wc=9L33-MNR:1078469102,1078469104 : accessed 5 January 2015), Brookhaven (subassistant commissioner) > Roll 12, Register of contracts, Jun 1865-Oct 1867 > image 65 of 101; citing NARA microfilm publication M1907, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-45819-4919-50?cc=2333768&wc=9L33-MNR:1078469102,1078469104 : accessed 5 January 2015), Brookhaven (subassistant commissioner) > Roll 12, Register of contracts, Jun 1865-Oct 1867 > image 67 of 101; citing NARA microfilm publication M1907, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C

Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-45832-31636-53?cc=2333768&wc=9L3S-92S:1078469102,1078468007 : accessed 8 January 2015), Brookhaven (subassistant commissioner) > Roll 11, Registered letters received, Nov 1867-Aug 1868 > image 208 of 265; citing NARA microfilm publication M1907, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C