My First Decade

Stories I was told about myself as a child.

I, Curtis Sugar Hampton was born on Dec 4, 1910 in Magnolia, Mississippi on a farm five miles out in the country to Thomas Jefferson and Sylvia Hampton. I weighed eight pounds at birth and was a healthy baby. I would crawl around on the wood floor. I was breastfed until I was two years old. However, when I was one year old, my mother would chew whatever food that she ate and then would give it to me.

We had no inside plumbing, only the outhouse that set about 10 or 20 feet from the house. At night we used a pail or bucket as our toilet. At two years old, I was trained to use the "slop jar" as it was called.

I was walking at two years old. I played out in the yard among the chickens in the yard where my parents fed the chickens. I was an obedient baby.

Earliest memories I have.

I was mischievous and would take other children's caps and throw them up in the trees. I would chase the chickens too. I fed the chickens, geese, ducks, and the horses, mules and the cows, hogs, and the dogs. We had a special chicken coop to keep chickens so when we had company, we would have tender chicken to cook to entertain them. Also whenever we decided to have chicken for breakfast, dinner or supper. Today's language is Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We grew sugar cane, sogum cane and white cane, which we ate and we would grind the cane in my fathers sugar mill and we would take the juice and but it in a large pan about a 6x12. It was set on a brick foundation and a wood fire was lit under the pan and they would cook that juice until it was thick, then the molasses was put in jugs. We would have molasses biscuits when we had flour for breakfast, and when there was no flour we would have cornbread and molasses. This breakfast would be biscuits or cornbread, grits or rice, butter, milk, jelly or jam, pork meat, sometimes beef, beef liver and every once in a while rabbit meat.

We cooked on a stone that had four eyes, a place for hot water and the side by the firebox. This stone burned wood and I was responsible for filling up the woodbin. I had to get up at 5 am, build a fire in the cook stone and parch the coffee and grind it to powder and then make a pot of coffee and bring a cup of coffee to my mother and father. We were not allowed to drink coffee. It would have made us black said our parents. I cleaned up the kitchen, washing the dishes and doing whatever else needed to be done.

We had a salt lick rock on our front lawn. Whatever the cows dropped when they came to lick salt off the salt block and whatever the horses and mules dropped when they were hitched to the hitch rack, and any other animals, everyday, I had to clean up before noon except Sunday. I also was the water boy; I drew water out of the well and carried it to those who worked in the field.

When I was seven years old, I had to hoe cotton. I had no pants to wear or overalls or to wear just a long shirt that reached down to my knees. I didnât know how to hoe cotton; I was given a whipping because I was hoeing it wrong. We had to learn by watching the experienced persons hoe.

I had to go two miles to the school. Two sisters were sitting together; their names were Alice and Sara Nunery. I ignored what would happen to me and I pushed them apart at the age of seven to sit between them. Instead of whipping me we just laughed. Then she went on to teach the class.

My Second Decade

My childhood home, what do I remember.

At eleven years old, I got up at 7 while it was yet dark or before daylight and made a fire in Papa's and Mama's bedroom and in the kitchen stone. Then I would parch the coffee beans, that is I would cook the green coffee beans until they were black, then I would grind them to very small grains in the coffee grinder. I would put some of the ground coffee in a coffee pot and when the water had boiled and run over the ground coffee grains and the aroma had the right smell, I would get cups and saucers and pour the hot coffee into cups, put sugar and cream into the coffee and stir it up and carry it to the bedside for them to drink. I would put more wood into the stone. At daylight my mother would get up and cook breakfast. When the table was set with homemade sausages and bacon and eggs and grits, molasses jelly or jam and milk. My two older brothers Lucious and Walter, who also had gotten up at 5am to feed the mules and the horses, would carry them that is comb their hair with a curcomb, then they would put on the harness, the one that was going to be used to pull the plows. After it was my job to clean up the lot where we keep the cows, hogs and the horses buggy, wagon barn where we keep corn and hay to feed the stock and the plowers etc. We used lanterns that burned karosene for fuel and light. No electric or gas light. We had a well which to draw water from to drink and give to our friends and our animals.

Sometimes the well would run dry, then we would go down to the creek where there was running water, this creek was about a fourth of a mile from our house, and on our land. We raised beans, strawberries and milking cows, which we shipped to Chicago to Sears Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, and other companies.

What was happening in the world?

The majority of the county highways were dirt and some were covered with gravel. When it would rain some ruts would develop, and sometime wagons would get stalled and would require help to be pulled out.

My father and my two older brethren would hunt possums and catch them at night. Some time the possums would wander into the hen house and eat the eggs and some time the chickens. Sometimes then would hunt wild hogs and kill them for meat for the family when out cured meat ran out. My father would sometime kill a yellow or young cow or bull and at 5am we would be waking the white folk up and selling them fresh meat to eat. During those days Negroes cloned the outhouses toilets for the city or town of Magnolia, Mississippi. White people would come out into the country to hunt bird with their bird dogs and their shotguns single and double barrels.

My father also kept hunting dogs and a double barrel shot gun. Some people who did not have shot guns, they would use sling shots made out of leather, with rogs or leather string in the slings they would place a rock or rocks. Many Negroes worked on white folk's farms for half and half.

We had a beautiful flower garden in the front of our house; we had fence all around our house. The well was in our back yard. We washed clothes in our back yard. They were boiled in lye soap and boiled in water. This was a three-legged pot. We made lye soap to wash with and face soap.

1916 I believe we went to war. This was the world war some of my uncles and cousins went to war. Times became very tough on the poor people. When the young farmers would marry, all the farmers in that area would come together and build the newlywed's home.

Memories of my brothers and sister.

Lucious, Walter and Curtis slept in one bed in a bedroom to ourselves. Curtis the youngest slept in the middle whose name was Curtis Sugar. I was called "Sug" for short. Sometimes they would squeeze me. I had a bad problem I would often wet the bed. Some night we would stand on the steps and see who could break wind the longest.

My first date

My first date was when I was in Chicago about 14 years old. I was wearing knee pants and a garter to hold up my stockings. She was very beautiful; I don't remember her name we went to a picture show on 31^st street. My first kiss sent thrills all over my body, I could not get enough. We later became sweethearts.

First Job, beginning of my worker role.

I worked for Mr. Leroy Booker for 50 cents a day after school, taking bushels of coal to the highest building that burnt coal in their heater. That's about 60 lbs. to the third floor.

Favorite Pastime.

Playing checkers games and playing pool.

Memories of my grandparents.

My grandfather on my father's side died when I was about five years. I don't remember very much about him, however he build and pastored three Baptist Churches one which he pastored the greatest thing that I remember he wore black suits and a long coat. And in our back kitchen, which faced the east, he put his hand on my hood and prayed a blessing upon me. His name was Jefferson Hampton.

After his death my father looked after his widow and mother until Grandmother Maggie died and we loved in magnolia and they --- five miles out in the country my grandfather Jeff Hampton owned a big house and a large farm. I believe fifteen children boys and girls.

My grandfather Warren Carter and grandmother Mary Jane Carter were the proud parents of two children Silver and Boster Carter. They lived in Brookhaven about four or five miles out in the country.

My mother would take the four younger children, Curtis Sugar, Jeffie Doll, Warren Sweet and Claude Hampton to see our grandparents in the country of Brookhaven, Mississippi. It was a great relief to get away from home we stayed about eight or ten days.

Memories of school, favorite teacher.

We had a two-room schoolhouse. The primmer, first, second and third grade was taught in the smaller room. Four, five six, seven and eight grade was taught in the larger room. We had spelling bee on Friday afternoon for all the children when you could not spell a word by memory you would take your sear and the person who spelled the last word would be the winner. I was in the third grade and I spelled a word that even the eight graders missed spelled. The subject that I liked in school was spelling.

Teachers were allowed to whip the children in their hand and all over their bodies. They sometimes would make the rude children stand in a corner on one foot at a time for a long time. My favorite teacher was Miss Nonnie Carmill. She was very nice and very pretty.

After school activities, what I liked to do in my free time.

In Magnolia Mississippi, I would get or bring in chopped wood that I chopped and brought in the wood and put it on the porch in the wintertime and fill up the kitchen wood box with wood to cook out meals. I drew water and filled the water trough so that the horses and mules could drink water. I'd make a fire in the kitchen stone. After mother cooked and we ate supper we would study our homework to be ready for school the next day.

My best friend's name was Sugar Stewart. We were buddies in school until I left Magnolia, Mississippi and went to Brookhaven, Mississippi. We talked about what we would do when we were men. We were going to marry and live in the some house together with our wives and children.

The most exciting thing that happened to me, as a young person was I met a beautiful young girl who later became my wife and the mother of my daughter.

Third and Forth Decade

Stories about raising children

I believe in the Holy Bible way in raising of children. Proverbs 22: 6, Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. He that spareth the rod hateth his son; but he that loveth his chasteneth him early. (Proverbs 13: 24) For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a father his son the son in whom he delighteth.

My father would warn us when we had done wrong sometimes the second and third times about the same thing over a period of time. Then he would get some switches and he would whip us. Sometimes he would parch them in the fire before he would whip us, and then he would say, "I going to whip you for the old and new." That corrected us of that thing.

My mother would try not to whip us, she would say I am going to tell your daddy and when we continued to be disobedient she would whip us.

We had very good and loving parents who saw to us going to Sunday School every Sunday rain or shine, winter and summer, and we enjoyed it. Service at our church, that is preaching was once a month, usually the first Sunday in the month, and we loved to go to other churches and we would visit other churches.

My grandmother partially reared us sometimes at our house and sometimes at her house on Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Mrs. Ida Hampton and I became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, named Annie Crissella. We gave her tender loving care. She was crying at six months old, and my wife spanked her and told her to hush and she did.

My wife would tell her when she did not want to whip her and she would say "My daddy is not going to whip me". Finally, I had to whip her. When she would do wrong, I would always talk to her and give her the second and third chance before I would whip her and that was always by advising her first.

We also played together and I would take her out. I would treat her as a friend and make her feel very important. When she would go out with other girls I gave her a time to be home. We kept a telephone and we would tell her if she were stranded and could not make it home in time or could not get home to call us.

She became a Christian at the age of six. She always went to church with her parents and is still a faithful member today.

I have found out how important children are. I thought children ought to obey their parents, and that they will love you when you show them that you love them. They will stand for you to whip them if you will prove to them that you love them.

There was a boy whose mother had severe burns on her hands and her face. I would sell them coal and wood, and this boy would curse his mother and disobey her, he was mean to his mother and he heard me telling his mother that she should whip him, then he would curse me and run. But I caught him and whipped him and whild I was whipping him he called Mamma, Papa, come and get this gorilla off of me. His father who worked on the railroad as a pullman porter, he came home while I was whipping him and said, "Turn him loose, I will take care of him." When I turned him loose, he cursed me again and I started at him again, his father said, "I'll take care of him." I whipped him for beating and cursing his mother. After that he became a good boy and a loving son.

We had many children in our church, I would treat them with food and candy, and when they would do wrong they would come to me to whip them, because they had broken the rules. And when they had a birthday, they would come to me to whip them, so they could get a present. All the whippings were gentle. They would watch my home and tell me what's going on. And they also would watch for me. You can have favorites; you must treat all the same.

Worker role

I began to work as a baby sitter at about four years. At seven, I was the one to get wood for to cook with, and I would clean. I worked at different jobs, I worked for myself selling coal and watermelons and ice. We operated a hand laundry, a grocery store, Armour and Co. Meat Packers. I operated a employment office and home finding service. Then I became a full time Pastor.

Community involvement

I was appointed fund raiser for the Red Cross. I did not serve. I was elected vice president of community Jewish organization. Attorney Levi was president. Our office was in the Jewish Peoples Institute. I also operated a leisure program for the youth.

I served as paster for 60 years and as president of the Lawndale minister Civic League and president of the Westside Baptist Ministers Conference. First, second and third vice president of the Westside Baptist Ministers Conference.

I was elected Honorary Mayor of the great Westside Lawndale Garfield area. I was by my of the citizens of Lawndale, I did not run for office. I was certified to run by the state of Illinois and I was persuaded not to run. I got back so that the 24 ward could put up the late Ben Lewis and he was elected. When he was killed, I persuaded the late Mayor Richard J. Daley to appoint the late George Collin to the office of alderman of the 24 ward. I also recommended the late Walter Shumpert to be alderman and he was accepted. I recommended George Collins to the stating committee to run for the sixth congressional district and he was stated and won. For thank-you he gave me and my wife a trip to Washington D.C. to his installation.

Rev. J N Wordlaw and I would work together in providing jobs and home for people of all races. He supported me in all the community religious and community work. We often would go to see the mayor about problems in our community.

Challenges

My biggest challenge in the third and fourth decade of my life was to build a larger congregation and buy a new place to worship, borrow money to purchase the Rood Theatre we raised what we could, then we discovered that we could not reach our goal. Therefore I could not get any money from the banks, they would not loan us any money. Therefore Mrs. Ida Hampton my lovely wife at this time reluctantly agreed with me to purchase, that is to mortgage our home. We had to go to our friend Rev. Wainwright and he had his lawyer to draw up the papers. We asked for $5000. He loaned us $2500. We had to pay back 100 percent that we paid, $2.00 for every $1.00 that we had borrowed. The good lord provided the funds to buy the building.

Health Concerns

In my third decade I would go to Douglas Park and take the quiet and lay on the ground to receive the sunrays and to breathe purer air from the wind blowing through the trees. Also, I was taking doctor treatments.

In my fourth decade, I had the rest of my teeth pulled and the dentist made plates for me. Also during this time, I became sick and I could not walk without crutches, I had to preach while using crutches.