Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 3, Book 4

1874 Janry 12th. Cutting & Hauling wood I want to Send Ed to Mount Airy at 12 oclock to Carry Butter & 3 ^Doz Eggs & 7¼ or 7½ lb Butter Let Ed have $1 work ^{of it}

13th. Hauling & Cutting Brush for Cow Shelters cloudy & like for Snow or falling weather Did begin to Snow about 12 oclock & snowed Hailed etc etc last night till late snow & Hail about 2 Inches Deep or little more tolerable rough night and moderate & still no Cold wind

14th. Very pretty morning & tolerable clear

15th. Hung up 4 first Killings Hogs very cold & doing but little Wm W Moses here Here yesterday clear day. Richard Whitehead & Geo E Coleman Came here about night this evening Very Cold

16th. Left this morning thermometer down 10 12^Degrees Clear & Cold pd G.E. Colemans Vaughan 2 old Debts

17th. Still very cold & clear. Made a Bargain with Wm H Talley to live with me this year 1874 as pr agreement, - Ed Fixing Hog Pen & Pig Pen

18. Sunday Mr Moses & Kate Came here yesterday Went away this evening weather More Moderate

19th. Ed Halling wood to day Sent Jimmy to the P Office & Mill Sent 4 Bags to put flour Seconds Bran etc in weather still moderating,

20 Put my Sow up yesterday to fatten Ed & Jim Hauling wood Put straw in Cow Rack yesterday Jere & Mosses came here last night gone to Banks Sale to day weather moderate Ed gone to Yates Mill with 1 Turn Corn for Meal for us Some for hominy & some for chop for cows & 2 Turns for himself to day -

21st. Sent Jimmy to Mill after Meal Hominy etc Ed Cutting in new ground cloudy & like for rain

22 - Cloudy & Rained last night Ed Raking leaves & will Hauling leaves to day -- put up Sow to fatten several days & got up 2 of her Pigs for House Pigs in pen

1874 Janry 23rd Hauling leaves in Stables Milch Cow Pen Steer Stable Big stable on Hill & farm pen

24th Made an attempt this morning to Carry hart Log to Mr Millers Mill & could not do it Carried it out & left it and went on to Mount Airy & sent Cart to Mill after flour from 9 Bus. wheat left there by Mr Waddleton toll for thrashing his wheat got it & got some Iron etc etc at Mr Creaseys very cold to night

25th Sunday Clear cold day & windy --

26th Ed, Hauling wood to day clear fine morning

27 Cloudy & like for falling weather Ed & Martin Cutting wood for Plant Bed very Cool Wind this morning Cut ½ day & rain

28 Rained all night till this morning cleared & this evening gone to striping Tobacco like for Rain again weather more moderate

29th I went up Mr Josep M Moses Jeres & Richards & Sallies Saw the Carrs Had Bill Shod all round at Henry Dillards owe W W Moses Iron for 3 Shoes & Henry for 1 Shoe, Ed Dews burning plant Bed yesterday & day before & finishing to day towards Martha Neals Cloudy & like for falling weather

30 - 31st Finished Sewed & fenced in plant Bed.

Feby 1st Cloudy & like for falling weather rained a ^{little in evening}

" 2 Hailing last night & all day to day very Cold indeed. Jacob P Graves here last night Still cold & very disagreeable weather

3rd Rained last night Cleared off this morning Hail about 3 Inches Deep melting pretty over head Edd striping Tobacco

4th Hailing smartly melting to day Ed gone up to Archer D Worshaw on his own business loss day tolerable clear day Hail melting

5th Clear pretty morning. Moderate weather Ed cutting Jimmy Hauling wood - shelling^corn

6 Snowed last night Ed gone to Mill for himself Caried 1½ Bushel corn for me - quite cold & Bad weather - Snowed & Rained nearly all day

1874 Feby 7th Snow melts but little very disagreeable weather ^{for S. Stone meeting to day} Jimmy gone to Millers Mill after Meal Ed Cutting up wood this morning Still cloudy & like for more falling weather there has been about 7 Snows this winter like for falling weather

8th Cloudy & Gloomy weather I did not go to Meeting Saturday nor Sunday on acct weather

9th Cutting & Hauling fire wood cloudy & cold -

10th Wind blows & clear & Cold this morning W[ind]. NW Hauling wood this morning awhile & then Cutting wood for plant ^Bed in slash towards E G Lewis's

11th Cloudy & like for falling weather quite cool Cutting wood for plant above Johns's Spring in wood

12th Cutting wood on Johnss Spring Branch in wood to burn plant Bed John Scruggs here

13 Raining this morning will take down & Hang up 6 Hogs Killed last ^{1st Janry 1874} weather moderate, Edmond Tucker Commencing Ditching in new ground this ^{1 day}day

14th Fine morning cleared off Ed Dews malling Jimmy Grubbing cleaning up John Scruggs here again this morning. Edmond Tucker Ditched a little this morning

15th. Cloudy moderate weather made a bar= =gain with John Scruggs to work with Ed Dews, yesterday & this morning Ed rather wants to be off says his wife & Daughter will work with & he would get nothing for it & further if either looses time I must pay it I told him I would not do it -

16th. John Scruggs wrote me he could not move here this year as Rawley Tucker said he must pay the rent of the House all the year malling Grubbing to day Edm^d Tucker Ditching in new ground, clear pretty day moderate weather at this time

17th. Burning Plant Bed on Johnss Branch in woods Martin Smith helping. I went to M^t Airy to day

1874 Feby 17 Clouday all this day weather moderate

18 Burned plant Bed on John's Branch yesterday & this morning it Began to Snow & Kepted on till near 12 oclock We went there Manured it Plowed it over Twice Hauling Rails & quit it & Come home Martin Smith helped 1½ days but it is [not] done yet got it to fence it in

19th. Cloudy & like for falling weather Hauling wood this morning quite cold Snow not more than 1 Inch deep

20th Malling Rails I went with Jimmy to Henry Dillard shop Carried 3 H to sharpen 3 Grubbing [ink blot] sharpen nose Mend ^ps of cart Kitching shear to mind 3 traces minded, mules shod before Swaped Bill off & got a Bay mare 6 years old then Swaped off her for a Gray Horse 8 years old & got $40. to Boot Mans name^Wharton_{Davy Crocket}

21 Hoed up Choping fencing in plant on ^bed Johns Branch etc etc

22nd Beautiful day moderate weather

23rd Martin Smith here to day Sets in to work with Ed Dews as pr agreement Commenced Plowing for Corn in fresh ground Ed gone of up to archibald Worshams till evening Geo Talbot here Plowing Turned Cooler this evening

24th Cloudy went to Plowing for corn & it Commenced Snowing G. Talbot Plowing

25 Hailing Snowing etc from 9 or 10 oclock yesterday Hailed all night very disagreeable Morning on every thing all got the Measles here & at Martin Smiths Still Hailing Some & I reckon about 3 or 4 Inches Deep Cleared off last evening ^{& Hail about 5 Inches deep} not very cold snow

26 Clear this morning snow & Hail about 5 Inches Deep Killed Hog in Pen to day Martin here helping Ed Dews. Hail melting^smartly

1874 Feby 27th. Tolerable Clear day Hail Melting Very Much to day Edmond Dews gone to Millers Mill Carried Corn for Meal & 2 Bushels Wheat for us ^some of that is for the Cows did not get mine Killed My Hog in Pen Salted her up

28 Cloudy & like for falling weather Geting & Hauling wood to day moderate weather

March 1st Sunday. Raining this morning

" 2 Clear this morning Edmond Dews finished this morning striping my little crop of Tobacco I am going to Mount Airy Jimmy going to Millers Mill after my wheat ground and not Bolted. Ed & Martin will go to Malling^{& Rails} wood Wood & Rails moderate weather at this time

3rd. Hauling wood Ed Splitting wood & Rails Martin Shrubing Corn Land above new ground Moderate weather will Sew Clover Seed in fresh in fresh ground above fresh ground — My Lot the Whole of it Sewed & part of Big Lot Lot Sewed Clover Seed, Edmond Tucker ditching in new ground again & on branch before dining room Door, Took every thing off of wheat

4th. Plowing for Corn in fresh ground Ed & Jimmy Martin Smith Shrubing for Corn before the Plows. I went to John Lains to work David he was not at Home Turned Cows Steers & all in fresh field towards Martins & had his Bull Two days ago for our Cows which done any good I Know not Clear & very very pretty weather to day Cooler than ^yesterday Martin clean Out Cow Shelter this morning

5th Mar. Plowing for Corn Jimmy & Ed Martin shrubing for Corn & cleaning up for Corn

6 Raining this morning & quite Cool Took down & Packed away our Bacon 6 Hogs Killed 1st Jany 1874

7 Rained all night last cleared off this morning striping plantation Tobacco in Barn back