Christmas in the South

A Proud Southern Heritage

By: Pat Hines

Narrated by: Brooke Gilbert

Christmas Hemming, a newly freed slave, lived to be 110 years old. In 1885, he used cash to purchase 640 acres of land in North Florida (Suwannee County). Hear about his incredible journey and how his decedents have lived and worked his homestead for more than a century.

The author, Pat Hines, is Christmas’ great-great-great-granddaughter. She is on record in Florida as having the only African American Century Old Pioneer Farm. If heritage is important to you, you will want to listen to the story of Christmas Hemming's journey and how it has impacted his ancestors for seven generations.

Pat tells about the quilts she inherited from slaves and the importance of the quilts to Christmas Hemming and other slaves. She shares about her love of quilt-making and her efforts with universities, museums, and libraries to promote the history and art of quilt-making. Another lost art that Pat carries on to this day is canning. Pat explains how important this skill was to newly freed slaves, as well as how she continues the canning process in the very same way.

©2021 Pat Hines Mitchell (P)2021 Pat Hines Mitchell