PORTRAITS OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY: Years had passed and Peter never thought it could really happen, black men free in America. At age 45, Peter and his wife Maneron had heard the good news. In the year 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, setting black slaves free. Maneron would shout, "Hallelujah to The Lamb of God Thank you Jesus, we're free "Peter would call a family meeting that night, things were changing. At the meeting were his wife Maneron, His daughter Mona, and his two young sons George and Lonzo "Loringus."