The lives of most Chattahoochee Valley slaves were heavily influenced by customs that dictated their treatment, working conditions and limited leisure time. Much of what we know about these aspects of their lives is gathered from documents that were designed to track expenses of owners or govern the activities of bondsmen. These records reveal not only the wide variety of tasks slaves performed and the ways they were hired out for special projects, but als
o help us understand to some degree their living conditions, medical care, and the extent to which owners could actually monitor them outside of work.
