Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 2, Book 2

1846 ¹⁸Saturday 1⁷8th Meeting at Str. Stone M.H. Fenced in plant Bed on mountain this morning went to cutting & cleaning out stables & Halled leaves This day Halled up stack oats & Hay

18th Fair cold winter days

20th Another Fair cold day — cutting in new ground & Halling^wood Bro. Lovelace here my wife ^{& girls} gone to Mrs H

19 Tolerable fair & cold cutting in new ground & Halling wood

20 Cutting in new ground between 10 & 11 Oclock it commencing snowing quite cold — Dreadful cold night Just about night it rained Hailed & freeze

21 Snow Hail etc about 4 Inches Deep severe weather, striping Tobacco

22 Fair & cold striping Tobacco Snow between 4 & 5 Inches Ice on Tops We have 7 Lambs lost 2 at Stony point

23 Fair & weather tolerable, we are striping Tobacco in Middle Barn Trying to finish that House this night

24 We cutting in new ground not quite done, weather moderating

25th Snow melting very much to day

1846 Jany 26th Finished cutting I expect to day & then striping Tobacco ———

27 Began to mall in new ground Phil & Fed Henry gone to shop with^Cart Lila & alse finishing striping in the Middle Barn

28. 2 Hands getting gate Post Fed malling alse & Lila stacking wood Mr Myers came here last night & set in this morning to set up Tobacco Hh^ds my wife & F.W. at Mrs Hunt last night & went to Doct Sutfins Beautifull weather about this day

29 Weather moderate, cloudy - Halling up gate Post towards granary Malling in new ground & Piling wood

30 Malling & Henry gone to mill & got 74 feet Hh^d heading

31 Henry & Phil gone to Shields to roll Logs Balance took down Tobacco nearly all day Feby 1st cloudy this morning & like for falling weather my wife gone to Prayer meeting Mr Myers set up 2 Hh^ds & gone home 17 Lambs in Jany lost 5 —

2nd Malling Halling up Tobacco – 3rd Henry Halled wood this day

3. Malling & Prized Tobacco

4th Still fine weather clear Lila been Plowing all this week, Prizing^{to day} Lugs _Lugs malling in new ground — Halled a stack oats yesterday 3rd

1846 Feby 5 Commenced burning Large Plant Bed on Branch before Spring

6th Sewed Plant Bed this morning & fixing plan for sallet Patch Covered small Bed on mountain Henry & Lila plowing for corn Prizing Lugs about this time — Halled up stack straw this day

7th Commenced Raining last night soon the night snowed some, this morning Hailing & snowing, & we are striping Tobacco at New ground, - weather not very cold 19 Lambs to this day — times very hard Tobacco Lugs I am told is selling well Lila complaining & I bled her

8 Tolerable good day I went to Mr McC.

9 This morning very unexpectedly we see the ground covered with snow Striping Tobacco & finishing at new ground

10 Malling & Halling wood etc

11 Malling at new ground 2 hands Henry helping Mr Myers & halling wood Lila Plowing fixed a place to burn sallet Patch

12 Henry Fed & Phil gone to Mr Lewis to roll Logs Lila Plowing alse Digging holes for _ga[tes]

1846 Feby 12 Mr Meyers finished silling up Hh^d this day he is pidling about gates Tu[bs?]etc etc trying to get 13 done this day

14 Saturday Plowing for corn 2 Plows & commenced malling on Branch, worked out till 11 oclock then it began to snow rain etc Very disagreeable evening I went to meeting and striping that day -

15. Trees Hanging with Ice not much snow on ground

16. Court Day Went Sunday evening to Bro Stone on my way to CH. Malling on Branch, Lila & alse cutting old Logs in new ground - Phil cutting on branch Henry & Fed malling commencing snowing soon in morning & we went to striping Tobacco about 10 Oclock all hands Snowed all day & continues on in the night very fast very rough matter

19 Last night a Dreadfull night Rained Thundered & Lightened & freezed, Trees hang=ing with Icicles this morning, striping Tobacco, broke off in the night & quite clear & weather moderate

20 clear & tolerable moderate weather

1846 March 21st. Fed made our waggon Britching, sewing oats back Garden

22nd Sunday. very pretty day —

23 began to make Tobacco Hdls on Branch. Jane doing up Beds and Garden 3 Plows sewing oats Phil coltering in new ground, fine weather, Tobacco^Plants up in mountain Plant Bed

24 Rained & we are striping Tobacco

25. This day finished Striping Tobacco 12 Oclock, & then plowing for corn & Tobacco Lot. Hilling on Branch & Phil to mill Twice — done prizing lugs & prizing short tobacco - took all our short down nearly —

26 Sewing oats Hilling on Branch & coltering new ground

27. do the same sort of work

28. went to Chalk Level myself doing same sort of work Sewed 17 or 18 Bus. oats

29. weather moderate Went to Mrs Hunt Henry Killed Mrs Hunts horse Tombury hired to do so by J D Hunt.

30. Sewing oats colter new ground, Hilling on Branch on hill sides — weather moderate —

31st Finished sewing oats except some wet Spots Shrubing Oats at Stony point