Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1847 Feby 1^st Memorandum of an agreement made & entered between J. W. Graves & Benj. F. Lain both of Pittsy^a County V^a Wheras the said Lain has agreed to do Carpentry work for said Graves, and the said Graves agrees to pay the said Lain 3/- pr. day for every day the said Lain shall work. Given under hands this the date & year above written

J . W. Graves Benjamin F. Lain

Commenced 2^nd Feby 1847 & worked this week 5 days " 13 " " & worked this week 5 ½ " " came 14 & worked continued on Book to his credit " 20 " " till Saturday this week 5 days. " 25 worked till Thursday 10 @ 3 " Came 8 March to work again " 10 worked 2 days this week 2 -- Came 16 came to work this morning- ^{4 or 4½ days}_{10 oclock} } 4 ½ " 20 work from Tuesday till Saturday 9 or " 22. came again this morning 2 Two days this [?]

Dr My Negro Man Fled Cr 1846 Dec 25 Molasses 9c Honey 9c - 0.25 1847        .13 Feby 13 1lb cotton 9c Mar 29 2lb Bn Sugar 1/6 0.37 June 3 yds cotton cloth @ 10c/ 30 _____ F c. This sum in full 1 - 05 R 17 --------- $ 1 - 22 --------

1846 Dec 10 Cr by Amt ^Cr forward $1.22

Memo of cotton sent to Machine 1848 Octr 1 Bag weighing 30 ¾ bag toll

W W W W W &H

1847 Oct 4 Stacking our tops Talton here finishing chimney — weather fine^businessfor

5. Housing lot Tobacco this day. —

6th Raining this day —

7 Thundered & Rained nearly all day & in the evening the most sever Thunder & lightening I most ever saw –

8th Turned cooler & the sun shining this morning ground very wet - etc etc

9 Went down with Talton to see Land cutting Our Buck wheat & housed Tobacco Second cutting - weather still moderate Our new ground Tobacco still standing nearly ½ of it.

11 began to Pull fresh ground corn, this morning cloudy & like for Rain, warm, Halled up 5 loads Corn yesterday, made 11 in fresh ground

15 Frost this morning cut all our Tobacco yesterday Hanging & Housing this day

16 sewed second years Tobacco Land in wheat - 3 bushels. Choping round the stumps & cutting off Bushes Housed 20 Barrels Corn

18 Plowing for wheat Housing Load corn fresh ground. Made 25 Bbls Digging sweet Potatoes this morning

19 weather fine about this time,-

23. 59 Bushels cleaned out, sold, in 2 Hh^ds & used together to this day

26th myself & wife & Jacob Jerry & Henry started for Orange went on by the way of Lynchg & Charlottesville had a good trip & got to my Fathers in Orange on Saturday before night. Jacob & myself went to Capt Boxleys on the 9th Nov 1847. We started back for home by the way of Louisa CH

1851 June 13th To Day went to Mrs McCullocks not done weeding there yet a fine Rain this day about 12 Oclock Capt Fitzgerald & myself looking at Mr. Sam^l Fitzgerald’s Land where Crews lives Replanting Tobacco here this evening – Fresh ground On mountain ——

14th Replanting Tobacco this morning fine ^weathergrowing then Plowing in corn at stony pint & weeding Tobacco Plowing up & planting Turnip Patch in Tobacco & Plowing Pea Patch & Turnip Patch Cutting Rye at Mrs McCullocks this day & finished Laying by first planting Irish Po[ta]toes Plowing in corn not quite done weeding corn at Mrs McC — no Rain There friday, quite ^ ^cool this ^{Plowed Celam to day}evening

15th quite Cool & Clear Kate gone to Harmony

16th A little shower this evening went to Court weeding down lotts of Tobacco - Plowing at stony pint - etc Halled up Stack 17th of Fodder this morning — Red, Suck & Rose had calves lately 1 Heifer^only

Memorandum of an agreement made with Geo. Cothran this 17th June 1851 to wit I sell Mrs Sarah W Colemans Old Barauch to Said Cothran for forty Dollars, the said Geo. has already agreed to repair a waggon for said S W Coleman for $14. makes a Large waggon Body, which body is for Mrs E McCullock for the sum of $10 Plank a body for said Graves for 1.50, making 25.50 worth of work & get more work If possible for said Cothran on a/c said Trade, & whatever Balance may be Due of the $40 the Said Geo. Cothran is to pay said sarah w Coleman at Christmas in money — — very cool at this time

18 - went to Mrs McCullocks finished weeding corn set up Hh^d for Mrs R McC cut little Lot wheat prizing Tobacco & working out Truck Patches etc very cool yet

1854 Jany 28th The past week nearly the whole of week been at Mrs McCullocks with Surveyor Graves & Commissioner Dividing Land & the 7th of next is the sale & Division of the negroes of Jeremiah McCullock Dec^d we have a cold & part of the week wet, Our folks have been Cutting & striping Tobacco, Henry began to Hew down Barn but Did not finish, He is gone to mill this day to Millers 1 Bbl wheat for meal 3 Bushels of D^o for chop & 1 Bbl Corn for mean – Turned very cold last night, & is so to day

30th Halling wood waggon & Cart alse & Kitty stacking wood. Fed & Sandy Cutting, Jacob getting shingles – clear pretty weather – –

Feby 3rd Burnt^{& sewed} Plant On mountain & Covered it, Snowed a little

4th Halling wood waggon & Cart,- Turned quite Cold, went to Mrs Hunts to day

= 8 Rained nearly all day striping Tobacco nearly done prize Barn, finished yesterday Hewing down Barn nearly Burnt & sewed yesterday & the day before plant Bed in the Stash —

14 Since the 8th had sale & Division of Land & negroes at Mrs McCullock Paid E D Johns for his Int. in Jer. Eliza [?] & Elizabeth McCullock Jr Est. as refereed by Jno F. Patrick for me & Colo V. Dickinson for Mr Johns, Mr James M Fitzgerald attended to it for me Plowing for Corn malling in new ground This day striping Tobacco in prize Barn & trying to finish Raining to day 8 Lambs to this day - etc etc

1855 Augt 5th Johnson is very Sick Doct Thompson has been to See me once for bleeding at nose & Johnson once very Sickly times about & good many Dying with Typhoid Fever etc etc – Fine growing weather at this time Lost Our bull sometiming lost at Capt Fitzgeralds plantation – got a letter from Jacob to day – Fine Rain this evening & to night

6th Plowing up Turnip Patch expect to sew it to day Put 3 Basket fulls of Guano on it Firing Plank cleaning out wheat yard sawing off Corn House Logs etc etc

7th working Out Johns branch Tobacco hand weeding etc sawing shingles clocks - cloudy & like for Rain —

8th Henry arnold & Bro. at work this morning @9/- pr day - on my granary shed etc worming Lot Tobacco this morning choping Tobacco on John’s branch, halling up Timbers for Corn house barn sho[e] making makers shop etc etc –

9th cloudy & like for Rain Henry & Jordan Halling up Timbers for Granary & Tobacco House sewing Turnip Land On Johns s Branch yesterday choping Corn this side of Branch Towards Orchard

10 Rained in evening, worked out Lot Tobacco, Toping new ground in evening

11 Tobacco Toping in new ground & Johns Branch Finishing Hilling up Lot– like for Rain, –– went to John D Hunts & Capt Clements to day to see about machine Plowing & Hilling up 3rd years land next to Orchard, did not quite get down with Ho[lost in margin]