Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1853 March 26th Capt Fitzgeralds practice with his overseers to If they Carry there themselves with horses & hand under him while he is overseer not to charge any thing but corn toll etc meal & meat,- that he finds

28th Went to Mr Jno D Hunts fine day —

29. Sewing Oats & fencing Corn field fence & finished, fencing at Lot - fixing for Lynchg. went to Mrs McCullocks her waggon goes too Sent Fed to Millers Mill 7½ Bushels corn Sent by Jacob to Mr J B Nowlin for 1 Bbl Plaster 2 or 300 lbs of Guano, 4 Bales Cotton ^{25 lbs Bro sugar -} noC & 1 D^o no 12 & a little runlet of whiskey to Mr Cobles for 20 yds Cotton cloth & ½ Bbl allum water - to Colo Smith to Sell my Tobacco & Mrs McCullocks –

30st waggon gone to Lynchg this morning Fed Halling wood out of new ground balance Raking & fencing Jordan part of day plowing & Bushing in Oats Black cow with first ^Died calf

31. Raking & Halling wood Jordan Plowing for Oats at Mr Neals — Rolled Logs ^{2 heaps} to day

April 2nd Waggon got back last night a little in the night while it was raining Heavy Thunder & hard Rain in 3 days, from Lynchg Car^d Lug Hh^d & some Loose succor

6. Turkeys & 10 Doz Eggs & Jacob got cheated out of $1.50 in Selling Turkeys, & bot 1 pr Hams paid Henings for doing up Cates Bonnet last fall pRec^t & [ab ?] Bot of DR Hunt 3/9- we have been sewing Oats at Mr Neals, coltering in new ground burning Logs Heaps raking etc etc 16 Lambs to this day

3 Raining this morning sewed only 3 & 4 Bus at Mr Neals yet, ground too wet to finish Pied Had a cow calf Thursday 31st March & Dundenah Jerrys young cow with her first Calf Died on wednesday

1853 Decr 3rd Given out all the negroes their shoes, Fed alse Jordan, Henry & malissa had Blankets this year or to day – clear & fair day weather very cool Brought Filmore Home this evening, Mr Miller School Broke up last evening

7th Sent 2 Logs to yates for scantling 16 went to Mrs McCullocks after Plows etc Balance Cutting & Grubbing in new ground

8th Henry Halling 1 Log to Yates ^{for sheeting}this morning Balance Cutting Snowing this morning Haled another & then went to Mrs McC

9. Halled 2 this morning for sheeting plank & then an oak one for Box Plank & now one for Hh^d Staves, Balance Cutting in new ground very cold to day look like for snow

12 Halling Rails Round fresh ground Cutting & Grubing in new ground fine weather John D Hunt & Lady here last Saturday night. Mrs Overby Died in Charlotte as we hear on morning between 5 & 6 oclock in morning the 10th Decr 1853 Elder Plunket Preached his last Sermon on Sunday & I paid him in behalf of the Church $65–00

15th Decr Begun to Burn Plant Bed on branch above House over 20 yds square took us 3 days nearly

17th Sent Henry to Farris Mill 1 Bbl Corn & 1 Bbl wheat.

19 went to Court stayed 2 days about Decree to Divide McCullocks Est.

1853 Decr 20 & 21st Cutting wood for Plant Bed etc Sent for Steer at Mrs Hunt got from John D Hunt. 25-6 & 7th cold & fair, finished striping Our fresh ground barn Tobacco Saturday before X, Just began to ^{for Corn} Plow

29th Snowed all day yesterday, Snow about 4 Inches Deep Cate & Jacob gone to Mr Fitzgeralds Mrs Mosely & overbys 2 children here yesterday & to day. My nannie gone with her to John D Hunts. clear & cold to day —

30 Went to CH about Decree, Rained & snowed all day

31 Done but little disagreeable weather,

Jany¹⁸⁵⁴1st Snowed again shelling corn all day

2nd Halling Logs to Yates & Paid & over paid the Logs I owed him, he is to give some difference in Logs in Plank & the Oak Plank for Boxes he is to allow me 1½ $ pr Hundred I have carried 1 Large Log for that purpose —

3rd Cutting etc etc

4 Halling wood waggon & Cart, Just Hitched Our young steers to day

5 all Hands Cutting Nannie & Cate gone to Mrs Hunts & Jerry & sallie — I expect to go to D P Millers to day ¬

6 Sent to Farris Mill 2 Bbls grain & 3 D^o for chop 3 Bags Cotton Picked Hired Out McCullocks negroes

9 Snowed again 5 or 6 Inches Deep

10 Halled up Ice to day - cold weather Snow melted but little

11 Striping Tobacco wrote to my Papa Raining all day Henry bottoming

16 Cutting in new ground & Plowing

17 Raining taking down prize Barn & Striping - etc etc.

15th March 1854 Sent Henry to Mr Hunts for 1110 lbs Guano fencing around Corn field Halling wood out of new ground =Sewing Oats this evening 4 Plows

16th worked On Road in the evening towards night there came up a thunder cloud & a tremendous Gust of wind Rain & Hail Blew down great deal of fencing etc etc, Doct Johns very Sick & Died

17th we are putting up fencing manuring Plant Beds in Stash, prizing Tobacco Halling out Leaves in Corn field & Halling wood with waggon till 12 then sewing Oats = 24 ever since last week have at work in new ground burning Logs etc etc Breaking up Corn ground Potatoe Patches etc etc — Sewing Guano back of Johns field for Oats this day Fed coltering in new ground alse & clem Grubing for corn Halled stack fodder this morning

27. Very Cold clear & windy ground so hard frozen one can scarcly plow sowing Oats Sewed 2 Bags Guano last week weighing 268 lbs & sewed 2 this morning weighing 274 lbs Coltering & fencing Sowing Oats 28th Sewing Oats Jordan Coltering ^28thSet clem Plowing - Fed & the balance cleaning up new ground

29th Thrashing Oats & Rye croping in new ground to Hill nearly done Sunday Oats finish to day -

April 3nd Very Cold night. Plowing for Corn Fed gone to Mill 4 Bus Corn 2 Bus. wheat & 1½ Bus. Rye, Nannie gone to Mrs Hunts,

1854 aprl 26 Planted Snaps from Mrs Hunts in fresh field first this Side first Ditch Same Side next is speckled from Mr Lewis on the other Side first is some from Mrs Hunts towards Bars at at new ground planted Mr Lewis White Sort next to Mr Neals between Ditches, planted Rice Berry this evening & went to mountain field & began to plant & it rained, & we come home before night, Fed halling wood this morning the 28th Henry harrowing Sandy laying balance of planting at mountain field — Several of my Hogs died from spaying I reckon

29 Rained stoped us & we went to Striping Tobacco this evening & keep on Saturday the 29th & Finished Saturday evening at night, Corn coming up very well - -

31 Very cool this morning & yesterday —

May 1st A little frost this morning clear & cool We are picking our plant Bed above House halling wood laying off & Beding Garden Harrowing mountain for corn etc etc etc ——— Finished planting corn this evening

2nd Beding Cotton & Potatoe ground Collering & Hilling in new ground clear & cool

3. Halling Rails to fence in cotton Patch etc

4 Halling Rails etc Hilling in new ground trying to finish collering to day, quite cool altered by calf myself 2 days ago

5 May My Nannie Set 2 Turkey Hens Finished Hilling new ground Halling Rails & Henry & Sandy Coltering 3rd years ground -

6. Planted Peas Cotton & Corn on Branch in fresh making Cotton Patch finer & upset Lot fence Henry Carried his Tar to Mr John Hunts clear fine weather at this time - 7 Lambs this morning is all we have Our Tobacco Plants in 2 Beds very good flies eat up the mountain Bed.