| In this excerpt, the interviewer recounts formerly enslaved person George Henderson’s memories of Christmas in the first person. |
Excerpt:
…Our clothes were made of jeans and linsey in winter. In the summer we wore cotton clothes. They gave us shoes at Christmas time. We were measured with sticks. Once I was warming my shoes on a back log on the big fireplace, they fell over behind the logs and burnt up. I didn’t marry while on the plantation…
On Christmas and New Years day we would go up to the house and they would give us candy and fruit and fire-crackers. We were given some of all the food that the white folks had, even turkey. Would have heaps of corn-shuckings, the neighbors would come in and then we’d have big dances and old Master would always have a “jug of liquor”…
| Interviewee Formerly enslaved person | Birth Year (Age) | Interviewer WPA Volunteer | Enslaver’s Name |
| George Henderson | 1860 (age at interview)] | Eliza Ison | Milford Twiman |
| Interview Location | Residence State | Birth Location |
| Garrard County, KY | KY | Versailles, KY |
| Themes & Keywords | Additional Tags: |
| Christmas | Woodford County, First Person |
Henderson_G_1