Login
Family Legacy
Suwannee County Author Turns Family Story Into Living Legacy
For almost a century and a half, the deep, sandy soil that covers Pat Hines’ family property on the outskirts of Live Oak has held a very special story about her great-great-great-grandfather, Christmas Hemming. Born into slavery, he went on to buy 640 acres of Suwannee County farmland in 1885.
On November 22, that story received the recognition Pat and her family long felt it deserved with a ribbon-cutting ceremony dedicating their Southern Heritage Historical Farm and museum with a historical marker from the Florida Department of State.
“It took me two years to earn that marker,” Pat says. “You have to apply, wait and go before the board to assure them that your history is real. This is our family’s legacy, and it’s something I had to do.”
Born on Christmas Day in the early 1820s, Christmas Hemming was enslaved by the DuPont family — the same DuPonts known for their industrialism and philanthropy. They brought Christmas to Suwannee County, and, when freedom came, he stayed and made the landmark purchase for $1,100 cash.
“The deed shows Christmas signed with an X because he couldn’t read or write,” Pat says. “Because of that, our history was passed down through stories and songs. That’s what led me to start digging.”
Oral History to Written Record
Pat’s journey to uncover that history began in a way she describes as divine intervention. She was focused on “moving up the ladder” in her job with the Florida Department of Corrections, but her plans quickly changed during a drive home from North Carolina.
“The Holy Spirit tells me, ‘I want you to retire,’” she recalls. “I tried to ignore it because I had just been promoted, but I heard it again, and again. Finally, I pulled over, cried and said, ‘OK, Lord.’”
Later, while sitting in the gazebo behind her house, she says the story of Christmas Hemming’s life and legacy came to her “like a ton of bricks.” It became her first book, “Christmas in the South: A Proud Southern Heritage.”
The book led to unexpected connections, including a visit from a DuPont descendant.
“When one of Abraham DuPont’s great-great-great-granddaughters read my book, she came here to meet me,” Pat says. “We became friends, and I told her I just wanted her to know my family is part of her family’s history, too.”
Healing Through History
Pat’s mission became educating others to believe the past should connect, not divide.
“People expect anger when you talk about slavery,” she says. “But my perspective is, we can’t heal if we don’t talk about it. Slavery didn’t just affect African Americans; it affected everybody.”
Pat continues to share that message with audiences across Florida and the South, guided by the same faith she says guided her great-great-great-grandfather.
“Christmas prayed, and God answered,” Pat says. “He lived to be nearly 111 years old, and that Christian heritage has been passed down through our family.”
A Living Legacy
The Southern Heritage Historical Farm is a living link to the past. The property includes preserved fence posts set by Christmas himself, kitchenware used by his son, Handy, and granddaughter, Polly, and a section of an old railroad bed Pat discovered while metal detecting in 2017.
Inside the museum, visitors can see many artifacts, including two quilts made by enslaved women in Pat’s family dating to the early 1800s. “They’re treasures,” Pat says. “We have 139 years of family history in our museum and throughout the property. I just want people to come out, learn, and be inspired.”
More to Come
As her efforts evolve, Pat is planning a nature trail and is working on two more books — a prequel called “Who Is Christmas Hemming?” that begins in an African village, and a sequel to her first book chronicling her friendship with the DuPonts.
“I want people to know history is still being written,” Pat says. “We can’t change what happened, but we can change what happens next. That’s what I told the DuPonts.”
As she looks ahead, Pat often reflects on how far her journey has taken her, from working as Suwannee County’s first African American EMT to standing on the land her ancestor once bought against all odds.
“I’ve been through a lot — racism, hardship, heartbreak — but God was preparing me for this,” she says. “Everything that’s happened was leading to this farm, this story, and this purpose.”
Southern Heritage Historical Farm
- Location: 13158 116th (Christmas Hemming) Street, Live Oak
- Features: Museum of family artifacts, 19th-century quilts, preserved fence posts, and a planned nature trail. Canning, basket-weaving, and quilt-making classes are available.
- Historical marker: Commemorates Christmas Hemming, a newly freed man, who bought 640 acres for $1,100 in 1885.
- Tours: Wednesdays through Saturdays, by appointment only: email Southern Heritage Historical Farm or call (386) 364-3208
The farm still produces food, such as these preserved vegetables.
Pat’s mission is educating others through the books she has written
A pot collects turpentine from a tree on the property, just as Pat’s family has done for over a century.
Pat points out some of the tools her ancestors used on the farm.
Pat unfurls one of the historic quilts enslaved women in her family made in the 1800s.