Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 2, Book 3

1846 Oct 31. Raining nearly all day

Novr 1st drizling rain nearly all day — 2. ground too wet to Plow Fed sho emaking. Henry gone to saw & Gras[ty] mill cleaning out stables & spining

3. Henry carried another large stack to saw mill Fed shoemaking Lila spins alse & Ann fencing etc etc wrote to Mr Dove to saw the Log sent yesterday into Hh^d Heading & the one carried this day into flooring^Plank out of the Hh^d Heading I am to return Mr Dove 74 feet of the same sort lent Spring

4th Sent to Saw mill & Gras[ty] Mill to day

5 Plowing up Land for wheat

6 Plowing up land for D^o

7 Raining a little nearly all day Henry went to shop & Mr. W^m Dews

8 Still cloudy Fed & Henry^{1 or 2 days this week}shoemaking this evening it cleared off Just before sun down

9th Sent another good size log wrote to Mr Dove to saw it into^full¾ squared ^Plankedges

10. Sent 2 Logs to saw mill this [da]y wrote to Mr Dove to saw first car^d into weatherboarding & next into squared edged Plank getting ^anext [skirting?] on sides — Fed shoemaking began to Grub in new ground yesterday & at it to day —

11 Plowing & Bushing inn wheat in Big field & Halling Stalks etc

12 Bushing & Plowing in wheat in big field Choping round stumps & etc etc etc Put up Steer mark, to fatten several days ago

13th nearly done the square by middle laid off first to sew in wheat & choped round the stumps etc etc

1846 Nov 13th The weather has been & is still cloudy for nearly 2 weeks tho has not rained much this week - quite warm last night or this morning killed 2 small Fat Hogs - - done shoemaking Sewed about 15 Bushels wheat to this day

18 Weather yet Warm Finished this day sewing^{in Lot by prize barn}wheat served about 20 Bus.

19th This morning Raining pulled corn yesterday ½ the day & its now on the ground - weather yet warm fine for wheat coming up shelling corn & striping Tobacco ——prize barn

^{card a stack to Millers mill}Decemr 1st Finished housing corn & we have ^been grubbing & cutting for several days Started to Milton this day after Fanny White - gone 3 days & got home

3rd got home about 9 oclock this night, Henry sick when I got home

4 Grubbing & cutting in new ground, Mr. Lewis yet sick,

6 Striping Tobacco in prize barn Henry^sickyet Began to Rain yesterday morning & Raining this morning. very wet indeed Settled with James D Moon 30th Nov & took his rec in full of all claims to date Killed all our Hogs 23rd Nov 1846. Sent another Log to saw mill & wrote to saw it into weather boarding 30 Nov 46

7 Cloudy day not much rain

8 Still cloudy & like for Rain

9 Rained very hard last night & in the night cleared off fair all this day & a very pretty day

10 cloudy & Rainy this morning turned cooler wind N. E.

1846 Dec 11th Cutting & Grubbing in new ground

12. Same sort of work —

13 Sunday — 14th cutting & Grubing

15. Cutting and Grubbing —

16 Halling wood waggon & cart Grubing & cutting — began to snow about night

17. a dreadfull night Raining hailing & snowing — & Keeps at it all day — striping Tobacco Lila spining

18. Same striping Tobacco — Sent waggon & cart to saw & Gras[ty] Mills, short Log to be sawed into Hh^{d heading} & the other into Hh^ds staves.

19. Cloudy & we all are cutting in new ground —

25. The weather generally cold & at this time cloudy Halled wood 24th etc etc

26 weather moderate & a fine day

27 cloudy this morning but not cold all of us went to Mrs Hunts Saturday in Christmas a fine day

28 Warm moderate 29 Still moderate 30 Still moderate & cloudy^{& cutting in new ground}31 still moderate 1847 Jany 1st Still moderate & cloudy^{Mrs Coleman}went to ^[asso?] Hung up Pork this day took down new ground Barn Tobacco yesterday Halled up Oats & straw about this^time cutting hill growth in new ground

2 Still cloudy & warm cutting

3 A little cooler but moderate yet my wife gone with Mrs Coleman to Mrs Hunt

1846 Jany 4 Raining a little all day striping 1847—tobacco in prize Barn —

5 taking down Tobacco in prize ^{this morning} barn going to saw & Grts mill to day waggon stock for Hh^d staves & meal 10½ Bushels cutting little growth in new ground

6 cutting in new ground

7 began to Rain about day this morning after the morning it Rained hailed & snowed & about night Turned very cold, yellow Bull calf crippled & Died

8 very cold cutting ^{big trees this day began}in new ground Lady Jane very sick but got ^{in evening}well

9 Cutting big trees & Henrys axe broke Jacob gone to shop & Henry halling ^wood weather a little moderated last evening

10 Sunday cloudy & cold & at began to hail Rain & snow & very bad night

11 Striping Tobacco in big barn & halling wood in evening. I went to see B.L ^{& [?]}& E[?]

12 Cutting in new ground —

13 D^o D^o D^o

14 D^o D^o D^o

15 D^o D^o D^o

16 D^o D^o & nearly finished^{this day}

17. a pretty day & we all went to meeting

18. Halled wood & finished cutting new ground except barn Logs

19 Cutting wood for Plant Beds & Halled straw fodder & Leaves

20. Commenced Snowing early last^night & snowing fast in the evening this day yesterday evening we found in my field at Stoney point 12 of our sheep Dead & had the appearance of being Killed by a Dog Striping Tobacco in prize barn

1847 Jany 21st began to strip in new ground barn this morning

22nd Striping Tobacco in same barn Yesterday & this morning fair & cold snow melted but little -

23 Cold yet & a little cloudy, we are striping Tobacco in new ground^barn tho very bad weather for striping

24 Sunday fair & snow melting very much

25 Cloudy & moderate weather, snow most gone Striping in new ground barn & expect to finish there to day - One Lamb yesterday Mrs Smith gave me four Dolls to pay Doct White her account with him

26 striping Tobacco to day & sent 10 Bushels corn to mill, & 1 Log to be sawed into Railing 2½ by 3. I wrote to Mr Dove sent 1 bag cotton 51 lbs to Pack

27 Striped Tobacco & put Hh^d under prize & got it half full sent 1 Large 1 Common & 1 Calf Skin to Mr Lewis’s for Tanner the largest for sole next for upper next for Kip 3 in all Mr L to ^geta Receipt, weather quite cool to day & clear

28 began to mall in new ground Henry halling up Oats straw & leaves Lila & Ann shrubing fresh ground for corn 29 30 & 31 cloudy & part of the time striping ^Tobacco

Feby 1st burnt plant Bed on Mountain^{& sewed it}

— 2. Cutting wood to burn above House Mr Benjamin Lain set in to work for me at 3/- per day

3rd Rained hard & the wind blew tremen^dous & in evening turned very cold & a hard night