Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 3, Book 4

1873 Oct 1st Fair morning Burning 2 coal Kilns working on coal yesterday all day Mr Thomas Yates came this morning Spayed & marked 4 shoats Cut & marked 3 Shoats Turned out & marked 1 Boar & ^{9 in all} Sow & Cut 1 little Bull

2nd Began to Cut Tobacco in Big Lot this morning late Standing as Kit help Mr Yates about my shoats. this morning 4 of my shoats up with the Hogs expect to cut Tobacco again to days & House in new prize Barn, Let Edmond Tucker have 9 lb nails to cover Tobacco House cutting Tobacco 3 till after 12 Oclock then Hauling up & Cart gave way & about 1 hour be[fore] Sun Kit went to Mattherlys & got my waggon & mules to Haul up Tobacco, Hauled one Load & placed it away I went to Mount Airy & carried Mr Creasey some^butter

3rd Hauling Tobacco this morning & putting in new prize Barn only 2 of my Shoats up this morning

4 Filled new prize Barn & made a smoke under it yesterday & this morning working on Coal Kiln & Cutting my Tobacco Cloudy & rained a little Raind Several times to day Did not Cut but Cut Some tops Hauled Some & Coal fired the new prize Barn cleared off about night

5 Clear this morning I have about 70 ^stacks Tobacco Cut & on stick in my Lot cut yesterday by Sam Mattherly very pleasant weather at this time

6 Raining this morning they put my Tobacco Cut in Old prize in the end towards new prize Barn & in morning Wm W Moses came after me to go up to Jeres to the burying of Jers Baby named Jeremiah William who died yesterday Sunday

7 evening raining off & on nearly all ^day & cool Our folks got wood Hauled some yesterday & Some frost last night & every body here & on the road cutting & Piling Tobacco when I got home I Sent for Mr Mattherly to Help Kit Tobacco & they are at in night cutting & Piling how long Mattherly I dont, they will hardly

get Over its quite cool this night & a great deal of Tobacco but last night the 7 October and it all may go this thats not cut -

8th Oct 1873 Very Cool & Clear last night Hanging my Tobacco Hauled up Blade fodder & Sticks to Lot to Hang Tobacco etc I went to Mount Airy after Papers & letters

9th Milton to Mill Yates carried 2 Bus. wheat for Kit 1½ for Milton & Sarah 1 Bus wheat for Myself & 2½ Bus Corn for meal did not get any ground Hauling in & Hang Tobacco in Big got all mine thats Cut in House 307 sticks besides leaves

10 Hanging and Hauling in Tobacco in^{sticks leaves} old prize Barn I am going to Mill after meal & flour this morning Andrew Wyatt here again this morning & Hiram Cutting Tops. They have finished hanging & Hauling Big lot this evening. Moderate weather

11th Finished Hanging & Hauling in our Tobacco This evening filled old prize Barn my first Cutting put in there 1 Room & another to notch on Tirn[turn] Poles [unclear] included Top above the notches in Kits in Second Room next to new prize Barn

13 Drawing coal Halling wood etc to day

14 Cutting our last Tobacco yesterday to day We are finishing Hanging Our last Cutting & Housing - our last 101 sticks put in Out Side room next to woods nearly done Curing old Prize Barn to day I went to Jesse Kelleys Mt Airy in evening to see Mattherly & old Martin Sill[still] Clear fine weather, still clear

15 Firing Tobacco etc, in Barn back of Garden

16th. Began the fence between me & Edmond yesterday & finished it to day by 12 Oclock their part 140 Pannels clear & fair Kits last Cutting in Barn back of Garden 470 Stack back Gardens

1873 Oct 17th. Firing Tobacco getting wood for Barn Finished at Stoney pint yesterday - clear & warm Doron Hunt came here last night Stayed all night left this morning

18. Oct. Firing Tobacco Halling wood to Barns I went to Hill Grove to hear Candidates Speak & So much fiddling & dancing I did not See any thing else & come home Started little after 12 oclock

19th Cloudy this morning & Nannie & me going to Riceville to Meeting & see Jacob & his wife

20th Began to Rain yesterday evening & continued all night & to day all day & quite cool rain Fanned out our wheat to day & Divided it as follows made 54 ½ Bushels Deduct Sewed Bushels 28 " Thrashing " 2 30 Kit etc has ½ 124 ½ 12 ¼ Kitt has had 3½ 8¾ owe him & will deliver to him 21st Oct JWG 1873

Fired Tobacco this morning -

Oct 21st. Divided wheat & Kit wanted Milton to go to Millers Mill to Carry wheat & he went off & left My Mules in Stables without water or any thing to eat Mary cleaning out Hog pen & she & Sarah done scarcely any thing else to day but walk about. I went to Mr Starkeys to see about Leather & to Edmonds to let him Know I should Turn my Catch in the field, - Milton Carried Nothing for me to day Kit has been of several days here lately Say 2 I Know

22nd Killed Beef Bull let Kit have 186 lbs I had 182 lbs hind & four quarter Martin help about Neither knowed but little in Beef matters Began to plow this morning for wheat, ^{for what he done} p^d Martin

23rd Acting along badly Sewing no body works right. trying to Sew Wheat to day

1873 Oct 24th, Sewing & Harrowing in Lot wheat Big Lot Sewed 6 ⁶ Bushels there - Kit gone last before night some where to Mt Airy I reckon Martin Smith dug my Irish Potatoes yesterday

Oct 25th This morning finishing Big Lot Harrowing & then fixing lot & getting up Corn in my lot to sew wheat, to day cloudy & like for rain

25 Hauling up my Corn & hauled all on Big Side

26th Raining this morning doing nothing Milton took the Steers & Cart to get Load wood Mary went too Kit & Sarah at House

27th Getting up my Lot Corn - Plowing up my Lot for Wheat

28 At same work in Lot Weather Cool

29 Fenced doing up getting or Cutting Timber for rails

30 Sewed & Harrowed in 2½ Bushels ^or 3 Bushels wheat - Golden Chaff Wheat all I have of that sort Plowed some this Side of Branch for Wheat Shuck Some Corn after pulling off --

31st Shucked Corn mine till 12 Oclock & finished put away stalks & shucks Mary Milton & me put away the Corn I did not make quite 5 Barrels, Kit & Sarah Plowiding this End of Branch for Wheat, Milton & Mary Halling wood this even[in]g Not quite So Cool as it has been

Novr. 3rd. Sent Milton to Yates Mill this morning ½ Bbl for our meal 2½ Bushels lent Kit 1 Bag Corn for Martha Neal 1 Bag for old Martin's Carried My Cart wheel to put On Tire Jerry & Mr Moses here last night cloudy this morning

4th. Yesterday went to Mill, Sewing Wheat above Granary Martin Kit & Milton put away Cabbage to day Sewing wheat above Granary etc Give Kit 1 Yearling nearly Grown Finished putting away Cabbage & finished Sewing wheat & Plowing in to day above Granary

1873 Novr 5th. Kit Hauling up Corn off Branch to Sew Wheat. Breaking Ben My Young Steer Sold 2 lbs & 5 oz Butter to day bot 10 yds Calico & 1 Handkf for Nannie Cloudy & like for rain Milley had a calf Heifer a day or two ago

6th Hauled up Corn where I am going to Sew wheat Abram Dews Shod Bill & Put on my Cart Tire & mending my Tribute which I Paid him for, Mot came here this night

7th. Rained last night & we began to Strip Tobacco to day in Barn back of Garden

8th. Our folks done but very little to day got Very little wood did not fix to Kill Hogs but want to Kill 4 Monday morning clear weather quite Cool this morning Mot talks of going home to day

9th. Went to meeting S Stone

10th Killed my House Hogs 4 weighing 500 lbs Salted in Box in Smoke House, Plowing for wheat this evening Jordan Helped me Killed 4 House Hogs Lent Mrs Wyatt 8 Hanks of Warp Cotton to be returned when its wanted here Sold Sam Smith Colrd 1 Young Heifer Linda, for $7. to be paid in Corn @ 3$ pr Barrel 2 Bbls & nearly 2 Bushels.

11th I went M S.S. Meeting Broke ^attended Sow few Plowing for wheat Cutting down & Hauling up Corn Tiz at work for Kit a day or^Two

12th Sewing wheat on Hill this Side of Big L[ot] Some Cutting & Piling Corn Raining this morning Bot Corn of Wm Vaughan @ $2.90 pr Bbl to settle Executive & Bond Due J Due J D Hunts Est upwards of Twenty five & not quite $30 Rained & the negroes done done but little