Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1863 Novr 4th Since 24th Oct I have been from home a great deal they have been sewing wheat etc. got up lot corn & this week John Clark has been here pulling down & putting up little room chimney that he put up more than a year ago that fell from the House & would not do, finishing sowing wheat here to day Sewed about 20 Bus. here & 31 Bus at The Plantation in a Ring 50 in^{Set Mr Moorfield to sewing again & will 5 Bus more.} all We have here 10 or 11 Stacks fodder here & 3 stacks Oats & 14 at Plantation & 9 stacks Oats in all.

6th got home last night. John has been putting up chimbleys this week to little room & New House, little rooms smokes got to make it higher to day, stealing Corn out of our fields on Creek & next to Beens [Ben's?] Halling up now off creek Sent Smith to mill.

11th Getting up Corn etc etc

20th Carried ^{Carrd 1 more same purpose}4 Logs to Keens Saw ^mill this day for floors of negro House began sugar corn & Rain put us out Sent Smith to Post office sent 3 letters 1 to Allan 1 to Jerry 1 to Sallie

13th Rained hard till 12 Oclock & then broke off Cool, we did do much out this day

14 Housing Tobacco & shoemaking

15 gone to Mr. John D Hunts to get apples to put up for winter = ground still full wet to sew wheat — = Picking out cotton

16th Sewing wheat in fresh ground next to orchard - spreading f[l]ax to rot 16 Sewing wheat in fresh ground next^orchard

17. D^o D^o & spreading out flax cutting down corn stalks next to middle^barn

18. Sunday S.S. meeting clear fine day

19. Finished sewing wheat in Granary lot & Killed Beef. weighed 200 lbs

20 Digging sweet Potatoes large frost & up for seed 1 Bbl in closet & Box & Bbl in stack ——— Top stack

21. Sewing wheat in fresh ground & putting up apples & Irish Potatoes

22nd Finishing fresh ground^sewingwheat & Pulling corn & halling wood

23. ^{sewed square opposit[e] to middle Barn}My wife taken sick before day this morning & about 8 Oclock in morning had her second children ^{Doct Sutphin & Mrs. Neal here} Girl Pulling & halling corn out of Big field left hand side of Path towards Barns —

24 Halling up corn etc —25th Sunday

26 Halling up corn & finished the big field

27. Shucking & Housing corn — & had at night a Shucking & finished

28 & 29th Finishing Housing^Corngot big corn House nearly full & short corn to Fatten Hogs & cutting down & getting up corn stalks to sew wheat —

30 Halling corn stalks & began t[o] Break up ground for wheat

1849 aprl 20 Henry going to mill with a large Log for Palings & 10 Bushels corn for meal - Hilling & Coltering in new ground Lila breaking lot on Branch —— got the meal & no Paling. 2 Large Logs at Millers mill for Palings

21st Hilling new ground, Broke up Lot on Branch, Henry gone to Mrs Colemans to Plant Corn or lay off the ground The 19 or 20th Henry Jane & Alse was there helping to Plant Corn-- very cool indeed & looks like Winter weather very dry & some times windy -

22 Weather still cool tho moderated a little Flies are eating Tobacco plants. a little cloudy to day & last night

23. clear moderate weather dry & windy & a bad time on Stock, Buds all Killed & wheat & collard Plants Bit etc etc. Hilling & Coltering Henry gone to shop with Horses to shoe etc Written 3 letters 1 Col^o Smith about by Lug Hh^d Tobacco & the articles for Mrs. McCullocks family, one to Mr Bagby for one sack sate 10 lbs steel 1 Bale Cotton one letter to Dan^l for a Bonnet for Fanny White & sent ½ Doll. for Sally a pr of Bl[ac]k [no. ?] shoes — about 5 oclock

24 This morning Henry gone to Lynchg. started with Lugs Hh^d, Hilling in big new ground began to Rain about 12 oclock this day In evening Alse shelling corn Jane spining. Lila Ann & Fed prizing Tobacco —

25 Rained moderately all night. monstrous good Rain weather moderate taking down all our good Tobacco this morning prizing & Packing in Hh^d & Bulking good fine weather in deed very good — Raining nearly all day

22nd Beautifull weather for business. nearly done Halling up our corn except Hog Corn next to orchard ——

23 Finished gathering & Housing Corn except about 3 Loads next to Orchard for our Hogs yet on stalks Housed nearly ^Bbls150

24 began to cut little growth in new ground joinging[adjoining] Mountain field Sent Henry to mill with 1 Log for Hh^d Stans[?] 3 Bus. wheat & 1 Bbl Corn —

30 Went to Lynchg this week with 41½ Bushel wheat sold at 90¢. got back in 3 days cutting all the time while we were gone little growth in new ground - quite dry & fine weather this day Halling up corn for Mr. Neal & Mr Myers came this morning to work on new House on cutting in new ground — —

Dec. 1st Covered cutting House Mr Myers & me Sent Jacob & Jordan to mill 1 of them for Mr Myers, for a days work Henry Halling corn stalks up & Lila — Balance cutting little growth & grubing in ^groundnew Rained a little in evening —

2nd Raining snowing & Hailing all day very disagreeable day indeed Give our Poeple out their winter shoes And, Malissa Henry alse Jane Ann & Jordan & Fed had Blankets

3. Striping Tobacco in middle Barn 36 33 sticks short 73 sticks Lugs. Fed Made Sally Shoes Lila spining, cleared off to day

4 - cutting little growth in new ground Henry cutting slab Timber for stable

5. Mr Myers getting Boards for Hester Anns stable Henry helping him

17th I went to Court - cold day our folks Plowing 1 Horse Balance in new ground

18th Halling wood with Cart till 12 oclock malling in new ground fine weather

19th malling Lila Plowing - Burning Brush etc alse & Jordan cleaning up in mountain field

20 Halling wood waggon & Cart with waggon myself - Henry gone to John Hunts to Roll logs Balance malling etc etc

21st Raining this morning striping Tobacco in prize Barn trying to done there to day

22 Rained tremendous hard last evening finished striping in prize Barn cleared off in night Sent to Mill 10 Bushels wheat for flour 1 Turn sold overseer for flour & ½ Barrel Corn for overseer also

23rd Moderate weather, malling & sh[r]ubing mountain field Jane sick been complaining for several days

24 malling shrubing & Plowing for corn

26th Jane got out Jane & Lila Plowing Balance Cutting old Logs put Top on Fresh ground Barn

27 Rolled Logs had 2 companies nearly finished, had a fine day clear & warm

28 sent Henry to Mrs Colemans to Roll Logs Jane & Lila Plowing at stony point Balance cleaning out fence Row in new ground Still moderate weather warm etc

March 1st Overseer gone to Capt Fitzgeralds quarters to Roll Logs making new ground fence, ground very wet Henry halling out wood & rails round new ground & to Plant Bed near to it weather cool Winter gone & only one snow the 1st Jany 1 in the whole winter of 1850 & 51

March 2nd tolerable day for beginning of spring my wife Jacob Jerry & Sally gone to Mrs Colemans Cate has been at Mr Fitzgeralds about 3 weeks weeks next monday —

March 3rd Henry gone to Mrs Hunts to Roll Logs Fed gone to mill 1½ Bbls corn ½ Bbl wheat for chop, Plowing at stony Point. Fair moderate weather