Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1854 Friday 11th Rained a little last night & this morning it Thundered lightened & it rained more or less till 10 or 11 Oclock, ground wet, the prettiest rain we have had this Summer this evening after Dinner we went in the woods to Sawing & getting shingles - Mr Wyatt getting,- Sandy Cutting down another

12th Mr Wyatt getting shingles Fed & Henry sawing Sandy still Cutting shingles trees Jordan Plowing up Turnip Patch & going to Sew to day as soon as he gets ready

14 Rained Friday 11 & Saturday night finely, this morning we are fanning Out wheat Drying fruit worming Tobacco Plowing up Rye Lot etc Henry gone to E. G Lewis’s to Raise Barn — clear & Hot

15 Sent Fed to Farris Mill 12 Bus. wheat for flour, & got it all fine Rain this evening Henry getting Old shingles Balance gathered Queen apples & then went to work in Tobacco in corn field Mr Wyatt getting shingles in wood, Jordan & Sandy finished fallowing lot for Rye

16 Fed Toping Tobacco generally Henry getting shingles finished working Tobacco in Corn field working on Road this evening across mountain Nannie gone to Mrs Hunts — I went to Miss Sarah McCullocks Fallowing up stubble field owens clearing^{for what}

21 Augt went to Court. & to see old Bro Stone, who is very low Toping worming & succoring Tobacco

22 & finished that worming D^o again Henry & Mr Wyatt getting shingles

23 Mr Wyatt went to Blanks to Raise Barn

24 - Harrowing in & Sewing Rye in lot By Granary, Sawing yesterday again

1857 June 17th Henry Did not get back till late & yesterday & did not get my sheep from Fannies weeding & Plowing corn at Stoney pint began there last evening - fair clear morning I engaged with Mr Williams the Painter to Paint our House & Porches Out side for $45. & to Paper 2 rooms at 30¢ pr paper, about the 4th June made the bargain & sent to Richm^d for Paints & oil & Paper by Misses B. & Thomp =son etc- etc- got the Oil & Paints the 19th June _{for them}& pd

18th A Fine Rain & season yesterday to day we finished planting our new ground over & nearly done by Crews’s replanted fresh ground by Johns spring & all Nannies - Picking & manuring Plant Beds one more time,

19th Jordan gone to mill this morning carried 4 Bushels for standing Turns, to get 3 Turns meal & 1 Turn flour at mill & car^d 3 D. P Hoes Weeding Corn & mill finished Picking Plant Bed & weeding Corn etc. Henry & myself going after Paints & oil etc at Rice, fine season at this^time

20th Finished weeding corn at stoney pint weeding & Coltering at mountain -Harrowing corn in Owens fresh ground,

21st went to meeting at Strait Stone —

22nd Fine Rain last night this morning Sent to Bro. Blanks & Mr D Scruggs & got plenty of Tobacco plants to finish our lot & fresh ground next to Crews began to Bed & Plant after Dinner & Kept on till night, quite cool, I have got swiming in my head again Mrs Hunt Sent 5 Bus hils of corn to Yates for me

1859 Decr 8th Halled wood Cut & malled some in new ground Overseer & little Henry at work on Henrys House all day, fixing to Kill hogs in morning Jordan & Lowry come to help Francis Blanks came here between 7 & 8 Oclock wanted me to Hall his Oats down here in the road up to his House & I sent Henry & my 2 Grey Horse gone in the night

9 Given Out the negroes their Blankets Fed alse Sandy Jordan & Lowry & give Kitty one for her child at aspen grove, Give Little Henry & Jerry ^LilaSmith One here ^^{& Clem - had one} Sent the Blankets to aspen Grove by Jordan, Killed Hogs here 12 in number weighing 1138 lbs here aspen G. 1777 sent Henry to Mill 5 Bus. wheat got^hereoneCover_{corn at mill}1138 1 Turn wheat for 291.5 negroes Christmas bolled, fine morning, Sent 2½ Bushel wheat for Chumney – Killed at aspen Grove & Bro^t here 22 ^Hogs1777 lbs Given overseer there 3½ Hogs weighing 300 Killed here this day 12 Hogs weighing^{lacking 4½ - whichI will send}1738 Killed in all 3215 lb Still cold & cloudy Mr Blanks paid me One Dollar for last night & I gave ½ to Henry

10th Sent to Mrs Hunt for the nubbins She gave me & 2 Stirup Irons for waggon Halled wood Rails all day, little went after Chumneys Meal or flour overseer & & Smith at work on House laying floor etc etc Cutting & malling in new ground I went to meeting & aspen Grove this evening for benefit of negroes

11 I went to meeting to Strait Stone by ^{in Buggy}myself

12 Chumney gone to store Claiborne malling Little Henry & Smith cutting & stacking wood, Henry gone gone to mill with 1 Log for sheeting for stable & carr^d 1 Bus. wheat for him & 1 Bus. for Ben & to bring back

1859 Decr 12th Mr Fox came again to Dig well & his Horse, came about 12 Oclock - Mr Chumney went to store & staid till Evening I went to Fannies to see Arch, chumney at work on stables Henry & claiborne with Fox Digging well, weather moderated some, Henry bro^t from Mill 1 turn wheat Meal, for us & chumneys Turn Corn meal = Bot of Mr J Tucker 1565 shingles bro^t by Mr Blanks paid him to day for them, - -

14¹³ Come to water in well this morning & began to wall in about 11 Oclock, & got it walled about 10 feet. chumney fixed rafters to day & Halled 2 Loads Sand in evening & took till night, pretty cool day — Mr Fox has been here one day & a half to night

14th Working on well to day all hands Since morning, got a little over ½ wallked Mr Chumney Halled up Some Oats p^s Stack this morning & then framed bottom sills etc, I went to aspen Grove & little after the Cross Cut Saw, — Still cloudy & like for falling weather. Cothran has burnt 3 plant Bed, one of which next to Mr Lewis one road we have part of it. = they are plowing down there

15. Finished walling in well, to night Halling Rocks all day got to the Top I halled 8 Loads myself before dinner, & 4 or 5 afterwards –

16th working on well Layed down Stills, Hewed Corner Post. Plates etc chumny been nearly all day getting the Pieces, Layed the floor this evening have done nothing to stable this week, but my Horse to Nannie to day sent Phil to Yates Shop shod before, bot 536 Shingles of John Tucker pd him 2.15 cents for them

17th desperate morning doing nothing raining & freezing wind blowing hard etc etc.

28th Sent to Store & got shroud for Chumbly child & sent it there machine put down at shields by Ben himself Bybee sick & did not go there at all Nannie gone to Mrs Colemans again to stay all night striping Tobacco, claiborne gone to help Frank Blanks raise Barn, Finished Thrashing wheat at shields & moved machine to Mr Hunts place this evening etc etc etc

29th I am complaining to day —

30. Toping Tobacco this morning in new ground. working out the p^s next to Cap^t Whiteheads fixing down machine at Mr Hunts place Charles Complaing last night gave him some medicine Mrs Hunt complaining - fine growing weather, tho ground not wet yet. Mr Wright Came to work on yard worked till night & taken sick in the night

31st Mr Wright Sick this morning & gone from working Tobacco down below new Barn machine at Mr Hunts place fine shower of Rain last night or evening Jacob P Graves here,

Augt 1st Halled Load Rails some wood & then Plowing & Hilling up Tobacco at near new ground. Set in Poles for straw. Mr Wright Came again this morning

2nd Thrashing wheat this morning & finished by Dinner here. Cothran & his hands help us & 2 Horses cart & steers, - Finished Plowing Our Tobacco in evening Hilling up etc.

3rd Hilling up new ground Tobacco Sewed Turnip Seed this morning White & Milley Brot. home by our folks yesterday from plantation.