Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1845 August 20th. Raised barn at new ground this day 22nd Henry this day gone to Doct Whites Mill with wheat corn & a stack & is to bring my Palings Home Fed sick yesterday & day before — Succoring & toping Tobacco this day

26th Picking Turnip Patch & finished Hilling up Lot at Henrys house My wife son Jerry & nurse Ann started from home on yesterday Sunday to go to Charlott cty V^a on a visit to Mr Overbys & Moseleys with Mrs Hunt - Fanny White sick - fine rain yesterday Sunday

Monday ²⁵26th. Clear fine day for travelling

Tuesday 26. clear fine morning Grubing & Phil cutting Henry & Fed gone to Mr L to raise houses — —

27. cutting on Branch & grubbing Mr Lewis spayed 14 shoats & cut six & Turned out 2 young sows & 1 boar Mrs Scrugs put cloth in the loom - My wife did not start to Charlott till Tuesday morning & Pleasant came here same day about 12 & stayed till next evening making ladden etc etc

28th Grubbing & cutting Henry getting slab timber I went to Jno D Hunts & Mrs Hunts, my dear Nanny been gone ever since last Sunday to charlotte, — time seems long

29 Topping succoring and worming Tobacco today - started a letter to Colo Smith about over our

Cartersville etc & arrived home Saturday night after dark^{the 13th Nov}& found all well & doing ^{staying at Mr Overbys all night}well being from home about 3 weeks. Sewed 19 or 20 Bushels wheat in Johns’s field ^{& all} while we were gone^{sewed 6 Bus.}, Our friend Mr John G Lewis attended to our business while we were absent all the little growth cut in our new ground

15th began to get up Our Corn —

16. puling up Irish Potatoes & Greens this^day weather very good Henry & Jacob gone to mill —————

22, Shucking & Housing corn most of last^week this morning Killed Bull,

24th Rained all night last night & most of the day yesterday. Striping Tobacco & shoe making - Killed a Beef Harry monday

22nd Let Mr. Myers have 81 lbs weighed about 375 lbs have not finished our corn yet —

Dec 1st Rained to day & nearly Halled up all Our Corn - Shoemaking & Spining etc etc —————

2nd Rained all night & this morning Striping Tobacco & shoemaking

Dec 6 Last Friday 3rd Fed went to shoemaking at Mrs Hunt shucking & Housing our corn & finished this day & began to put up Our Turnips

8. Killed 6 Hogs this day & began to cut big growth in new ground & Grubbing & Halling wood

11 Striping Tobacco, been cutting big growth in new ground 2 days [unclear]. weather warm, & cloudy let Mr. Crews have ½ Bus. salt for 100 lbs fodder to salt his Pork

13th Striped Tobacco, cloudy & Rainy

14 Striping D^o & Cloudy & Rainy

1855 Decr 22nd Killed 8 Hogs this morning - I went to Fannie W. Fitzgeralds yesterday - Cold weather The Toll Due John D Hunt for Thrashing wheat for me 1855 is 4½ Bushels as we only made 107 Bushels which we expect to send shortly

1856 Jany 1st Killed balance our hogs & Beef Cutting little growth in new ground Cold weather lost in X good many our pigs —

3rd Jany 1856 Sent 4½ Bushels for Toll this day to Mr John D Hunts - Henry — Striping tobacco to day & p^t of yesterday very bad disagreeable weather

5th This day it snowed all day & begun in the night I started to charlott CH but only got as far as Mortons Ferry so much Ice in River I could not cross stayed at Mr McCullocks Saturday night Snow 13 Inches deep stayed at Bro. Jones Just this side River Mortons Ferry & come home Monday night about 10 Oclock in night spending 56 cents In my Trip, clear pretty day over head, I left my Buggy at Mr McCullocks, Sunday & went on horse back, Jacob I dont know where he is - he was to be at Mr Overbys the 5th Inst to meet me ——

12th Jany 1856 This week we striped Tobacco on or 2 days then got wood Friday & Cut in new ground has been Cold & Snow has not melted very little all the week This morning Just one week since the other Snow It began to Snow again & Snowed all day in evening it rained a little & hailed some one amoungst the most disagreeable Cold days I ever saw Snow very Deep Dreadful Dreadfull time Sure, one Lamb come day before the last Snow & is yet alive,-

13th clear pretty Cold windy day Snow melts a little but not much have not from Jacob yet

1856 Jany 21 Have been to Sale at Fannies 15th there nearly all the week very disagreeable weather under foot tolerable over head till Saturday night it began to Snow again & Snowed all day Sunday & till in the night this is 3 weeks in succession it has snowed very deep Snows, this last one nearly as deep as any I went to meeting Saturday, — very disagreeable weather for Pigs Lambs & [e]very thing else,- we are doing but little to day Jacob is at Mr overbys & has been since the 5th Inst = lost some pigs chickens & Lambs

22nd Another very Cold day & we are doing little or nothing but feed & make fires, very Cold & wind high from N W. & cold enough to freeze any thing almost, lost 2 more pigs at House,- - Snow melts but little any where Chip Came this evening to start to Mr Overby & for Jacob to Come home but the weather is so disagreeable I would ^not let him go = 23rd weather moderate a little halled up some wood & halled one waggon Load of wood for Mr Neal 1 little Lamb living yet all my pigs Dead but 7 in the woods We have Fannies Blackey here trying to break her to the waggon & Henry Clay up there Since about 10 or 15 Jany Inst. This day I wrote to Emond D Johns some time before X & this day I wrote to Dan^l R Hunt Rich^d & John Graves Green city V^a Ruckersville P.O 24th clear & cold Halled up a little wood worked Blackey & Pompey She done only tolerable one more Lamb Dead, we have put all our Pigs in a pen here at the house to try & save them, -

26 Halled wood for ourselves & Halled ½ day for Miss Neals, weather Cold & like for snow, Rough sure enough

1856 22nd Oct Sewing wheat cutting down corn Mr Wyatt & Jacob at work on Barn fine weather

23rd I moved Mr. Adams this day & took nearly all Balance sawing shingles Blocks & hanging Succors & Sandy & wyatt at work on Barn

24th Sawing shingle Blocks Sewing wheat Sandy & Mr Wyatt at work on Barn balance cutting down & shucking corn the 21st this months I agreed to give him at the rates of $80 pr year for him to atten[d] closely to the hands —like for rain

25 Sewing fresh ground in wheat next to Johns Spring, cutting down & stacking corn next to orchard halled up Load corn for Hogs & then Halling wood etc

26th I started for the fair at Richmond this morning & arrived at Mr Overbys left my horse & started 27th for Richmond where I arrived Just before night stayed in Richmond that —

28 In Richmond at Fair grounds --

29th In Richmond at D^o said to be near ^Poeple 15,000 at night about started for Orange & Green got to Gordonsville at 12 that night

30 Hired horse at $1 pr day went to see Cousin Charles Graves found him sick went from there to James W Graves & found him Just alive, went from there to Bro Johns stayed ^night that

31 Returned to James - went to see cousin charles & went to Gordonsville that night. —

Novr 1st started from Gordonsville at 12 Oclock & arrived in Richmond at 4 Oclock in morning stayed in Richmond at James Hunts & uncle Crenshaws till Monday morning & then started for home got to Mr Overbys 12 Oclo[ck] got my horse went to Mr McCullocks that night