'
stockings.

"We hung up our stockings in our house and up at the white house too.
'Fore Christmas, the white folks would tell us if we stole chickens,
eggs, ducks and things, or go in the apple orchard, and wuz bad, Santa
Claus would not come to us. But if we were good, he would bring gifts to
us. 'Fore Christmas, the white folks would make a Santa Claus out of
clothes and stuff it, put a pack on his back, and stand him up in the
road. Colored chillun feared to go near him.

"I have never been arrested, never been in the jail house or calaboose.
Went to school when I could.

"Traveled all over, worked on canal in South America.

"Name of boat I wuz on was the 'Clamshell, No. 4', with Captain Nelson,
fum New York."

This Information given by: Peter Hamilton
Place of Residence: Near airport--Pine Bluff, Ark.
Occupation:
Age: 68

Interviewer: Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed: Lawrence Hampton
R.F.D., Forrest City, Arkansas
Age: 78

"I was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. My parents' names was
Drucilla and Peter Hampton. She was the mother of twelve children. They
both b'long to John D. Kidd and Texas Kidd. To my knowing they had no
children. They was old to me being a child but I don't reckon they be
old folks. They had a plantation, some hilly and some bottom land. He
had two or three hundred slaves. He was a good, good man. He was a good
master. He had some white overseers and some black overseers. Grandpa
Peter was one of his overseers. He was proud of his slaves. He was a
proud man.

"We all had preaching clothes to wear. He had his slaves be somebody
when they got out of the field. They went in washing at the fish pond,
duck pond too. It was clear and sandy bottom. Wouldn't be muddy when a
lot of them got through washing (bathing). They was black but they
didn't stink sweaty. They wore starched clean ironed clothes. They
cooked wheat flour and made clothes. When the War come on their clothes
was ironed and clean but the wheat was scarce and the clothes got
flimsy. John D. Kidd was loved by black and white. He was a good man.
Grandpa George had a son sold over close to Memphis. They had twelve
children last letter mama had from them. I've never seen any one of
them.

"Grandpa Peter was a overseer. After he was made overseer he was paid.
That was a honor for being good all his life. When freedom come on he
had ten thousand dollars. He was pure Afric