Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 3, Book 4

1873 June 3rd Tuesday came home about 1 Hour by sun I told him he Knowed we all out meal & we had finished shelling Corn & we had not shelled any for him & I did not agree to find him & he said he would go where he could get it & I told him to go on so he settled with with me for what he had got and all he had was bound for it, & Kit was witness to it & he went off, - from here, Milton went to Mill carried 2½ Bus Corn for us. meal 3 Bushels for Kit & 2 Bus. for Sarah & Milton & Brot from Mill 3 Barrels flour & Bran & Hh^ds staves, Mr. Templeton got 1 Barrel flour

4th Sheared by sheep this morning 3, & 2 Lambs cloudy & Hot last night Kit Sarah & Milton putting in Gilliam Guano in Hill in Lot & Hilling Davy Left this place yesterday 3rd day of June Mary Harrowing my Corn in Lot Potatoes Corn & 1 [ink blot] Greens in Garden making sweet Potatoe Hills to day

5th. Brought in stack fodder this morning Hilling & Putting Guano in Lot this morning clear Hot. Turned out steers in woods Pasture with Milly & Star fine weather at this time Davy left here yesterday & Mr Wms Dolton gave his Bond for $14 Payable 1 Decem^Decemr for the am^t Davy Owed me

5th. Laying off putting Guano in Hill & putting Hills for Tobacco in Lot till about ½ after 4 in the evening then it rained & they went to drawing plants & Planting Tobacco in Lot

6th Drawing & Planting Tobacco this morning in Lot till ^{12 oclock} Planted Potatoe slips yesterday cloudy & warm fine growing weather

7th I went to meeting S Stone laying off & Hilling in Kits Lot, said they were going to finish it but did not turned cool about this time at night

1873 June 8th Went to S.S. Meeting & Sunday School Jerry Kate & Mr Moses hire to night clear cool & drying

9th Finishing Lot in field ready for planting, laying by My Irish Potatos bedding in Gardin for Greens etc etc Clear & cool this morning Plowed Broom Corn

10 Hilling my Lot on Hill this morning quite Cool & ground getting dry clear pretty morning Finished Hilling my lot on ^{Hill next stable} Hilling & putting in Guano thats ready to plant on branch to fix yet Coltering & Cleaning up & Beding fresh ground next to woods for Tobacco, tho we have ^not got the Guano yet, cool windy weather to day

11th. Cloudy this morning Still Coltering & Beding fresh ground & fixing for Tobacco, I am going to Mount Airy If nothing happens to have Nannie & my likeness Taken, Nannie & Me went not liking her dress took one of hers & one of mine & concluded to Come home & go back to have hers taken Plowed up the place on branch by dining door. Rained Some in evening & in night rained Smartly & turned warmer

12th Rained last night drawing Tobacco plants to plant Tobacco plants this morning Planting in new Lot on Path in field, - & has been planting in that Lot part of 3 days & not done & they done Very badly to day & made me mad with pretty near all of them laughing talking farting & would not work like they ought to work as good folks doing wright pestered me very much this day -

13 Planting my Lot this morning instead of yesterday Kit Said they would planted it but did not plant a Hill in my ^{that is yesterday} Lot this day Finished planting my Lot & Kits this morning clear pretty morning —— 1873 Finished new Lot on Path this morning & replanted Plowing my Corn & thining corn this morning etc Thining Corn Milton thined mine yesterday

1873 June 14th Kit dragging before dining room door for Tobacco & my p^s flat Land in Lot Plowing & thining corn generally to day a little warmer Nannie & Myself went to Mount airy & a man by the name of Pugh Took Our Likeness Ferrotype called Mary washing to day clear day

15 Rained last night & some to day did not go to ^{Sunday School}

16 I went to Edmond Tuckers plant Bed to get Collard plants by day Break told Kit Hubbard to go & he was So slow I had got my ^Horse & Concluded to go myself & got them ^{before he come out} here & fed every thing before Sun rise this morning replanting new ground Tobacco this morning not much missing got a large Basket nearly full of Cabbage plants & Edmond Sent me some after I got home Plowing corn on right Side going thro field the Side of Branch, Sarah & Milton both from Dinner till night working little Cotton Patch 8 or 10 Rows & Some of them very short which Sarah Can do in Two Hours If she would try Favor Marth & Geo thining Corn & from 12 oclock till night Geo Could then in 1 Hour by making of him. I went to Mount Airy Carried 6 lbs Butter Paid for Hauling 600 lbs Whans Guano from Tander & Asher & got Nannie 3 yds Stuff for Aprons

17th. Our folks replanting Corn on Branch & Hill by My Pea Patch Kit & Mary Plowing worst Places on Branch till rain Come up about 4 oclock replanted Tobacco afterward, Mr Mattherly at work here Setting up Tobacco Hh^d & Fixing double Shovel

18th. Replanting Tobacco till 12 oclock then Plowing & Weeding Corn this Side branch on dryest ^{next to Bars} places I went to Mount Airy for Guano sugar Plow No 19½ Iron work mole Land Side etc Plowed this Branch next to apple trees this evening

19th Weeding my Corn on Hill in Lot this morning

1873 June 19th Plowing Corn to day this side of Branch clear & Hot this morning

20th Plowing replanting & working corn on Branch this morning choped out my Sweet Potatoes planted this morning clear & warm morning firing Tobacco in old prize Barn & one back of Garden

21st. Plowing replanting & weeding Corn on Branch I went to Shop at Mr Moses Smith was Sick Fannie Sick, went to Henry Hagoods to See about My Plow Hoe he not at home altho he told it me ^{that it was there}was there at his House & I asked him to carry to Henry Dillards he said he would but never done it Doke his Son told me Carried some of the Plows back to his Grand Father I stoped there in evening but could hear nothing of him nor my Plow Hoe My mules did not work to day all hands with the Hoes got back about night

22nd Longest day & shortest night this Found my Hogs all the wheat field this morning I Recon they have been there for a day or Two

23rd Finished weeding corn on Branch & now on this Side of House in field Hogs in wheat Patch above the road. I went to moutn airy yesterday

24 Clouday this morning & foggy warm weather I think they all get along very slow weeding corn Kit has not a good hand at all Plowing Chick corn this morning & he carried them all down there to weed Corn & nobody did not come to cut wheat & he left his Horse in the Hot Sun & went off to Hunt Somebody to help him cut wheat & was gone till 2 or 3 oclock & Come back & said he had got Henry Lewis to work when he wanted him at any time

25 Rained a little last ^night & now clody fixing cradles this morning, no, Henry Lewis yet. Kit began to cut wheat & cut 1 shock before it rained yesterday^evening Plowing & weeding corn this morning while it looks so unlikely working my Peas soon this morning

26th Cut wheat awhile yesterday morning. Rained a little all day Plowed in corn a little before

^{June 1873 Monday 25}Cutting wheat, Jeres Waggon Came here about 12 Oclock in the rain began to Load about 1 Oclock got a little over ½ Loaded & it began to rain hard & we had to Stop awhile got done about 4 Oclock in evening & Jim Dabney started to Lynchg -- yesterday Wednesday & this day Thursday we want to Cut wheat expecting some help but dont Know whether any will come -Hogs in my wheat Patch nearly every day Fine day to cut wheat Edmond Tuckers cutting wheat to day began about 8 Oclock this morning Planted Tobacco or replanted

26th Cutting wheat here to day Edmond Tucker Set on to Cut about 8 Oclock Cut down p^s above road & Lot & this evening cutting p^s above Granary

27th. Edmond Tucker here cutting wheat corn soon we are trying to get done to day sent Milton to Yates Mill 1 Bus. Corn for meal for us

28 Finished cutting wheat this evening a while before sun down. this evening yesterday this morning putting Guano on Tobacco Land above new ground & Hilling & Will Plant Tobacco this evening Wm Bailess working in Garden ^Greens

29th Reversing Beds in fresh ground did not quite get done & putting on Guano using whans On fresh ground Hilling & about 3 Oclock began to Plant it & Planted nearly half of it at night it rained a little, Salted cattle this morning quite warm last night

June 30 went to Sunday ^school to day yesterday -- Finishing my Tobacco Land to day & Hilling for Tobacco -- quite cool Rained planting Tobacco

¹⁸⁷³July 1st Planting Tobacco & Hilling my Patch on Branch in Lot Richard left here this morning Jacob & family yesterday before the Rain Clear this morning