Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1870 Jany 16 Cleared off last night & this is a beautiful morning weather very moderate like planting corn time to day Doron gone after Nannie

17 Mrs Wyatt Came here to live with my wife to cook wash iron milk etc this morning. I went to striping Tobacco in little Barn at Richards till 12 oclock Charles did not strip any at all, We fixed Bridge in new ground & cut some Caroline went out this morning Keatts at work & finished this evening Making Door putting up sta[i]r steps finishing laying the floor over head, - etc about night Came up a tremendous cloud Rained very hard till in the night & - Thundered & lightened as Severe as it does in June or July. Thundered very Severe, ended all the Branches up high - - -

18th Mr Keatts got the waggon & is moving to day Sam & Caroline is Cutting in new ground I went to old Place & shop to day & to Lain

19th I staid at Home all day Aaron Smith here at work Sam & Caroline Cutting in new ground Wyatt & Wm cut in new ground for Sam in evening Mr Keatts moving but did not finish Pride Hunt Came here at night Milly is having a Calf this morning. Raining & cloudy this morning

20th Striping Tobacco in barn back of Garden, Mr Keatts began to work to day Millie had a calf last night. Cow calf

21st Mr Keatts finished moving to day & halled up stack oats from mountain field Sam & Caroline Cutting in new ground Hired Lowry to day to work young they worked very well & cart answered very well halled 6 or 7 Loads wood & Halled out some straw in Cow rack got 3 very pretty Lambs, - clear moderate day Rich^d Hal[l]ed straw & shucks to day - from here my Hogs all good for sometime

1870 May 2 Planted about ½ my Garden in Greens to day Planted some early York in there 3rd May Raining again this morning quite cool tobacco not in order to strip Keatts fixed plows made 2 Plow handles inpart Planked Cart Body Sam fencing in morning & in evening both halling rails Cart & waggon Still Cloudy & like for rain

4th Cleaned off new ground & halled 2 Loads Corded wood & then to Planting corn Bees swarm I went to shop 1 H Hoe Rod for Dutch Plow Pretty weather;

5 Plowing second years Land to day rained at 12 oclock Grubbing & shrubing in new ground

6 Rained in evening fencing cleaning up new ground little cloudy & like for rain

7 I went to meeting pretty day

8 I went to meeting Ed & Doron

9th Keatts Harrowing on Branch in Lot & has broke the Harrow twice & done but little he has got Bill to Harrow & Bed Lot Clabe ditched for me below lot & ^{Charles Lovelace} & I have made a bargain with Clabe to clean out the Ditch below my spring from lot fence down the branch to Mr Lewis Lain^Line from a certain deep place washed out in Ditch to Mr Lewis Lane I am to find him & give him 5¢ a yard from that up the way to Lot fence I am to find him & give him 8¢ a yd & Claborn has agreed to Hilled & have hilled my new ground @75¢ a thousand hills to be made good - he owes me 3/- now Sam is cutting in new ground Nat Raking & cleaning up this side of Ditch in new ground

10 sent after cotton seed to Yates Hired [?] Planted some Corn Peas, Snaps, simblings etc etc etc

1870. May 10th Rained yesterday in evening we planted some corn peas snaps on Branch planted about ⅓ of Branch in Corn Hired Mary Smith Worked out Irish Potatoes & replanted some in Patch replanted rosting^rostining year Patch Sam finished coltering new ground & fresh ground yesterday Keatts gets along very slow & always breaking something on out offed someway Planting simblings snaps etc yesterday

11th. 11 Rained all night & this morning quite cool. Striping Tobacco in new Barn at water loo & last we have hired Clabe & Cindy

12th Sent 13½ or 14 Bus wheat to Millers Mill for flour I went to Adkinson & Wards Shop got my Horse Shod & then went Millers Mill & Keatts gone home as he could not get the flour immediately Nat Picked up Rostin in new ground pt of the day & after 12 oclock they all pulled cockle out of wheat Keatts went to Coltering in new ground when he got home Rained this evening & Halled yesterday

13 Waggon Keatts & went to Cedar Hill after Blade fodder old Plows old Irons from wheels & Plank out of Old Granary my Hh^d up there yet. Raining again to day & this evening too my Corn coming up very well this spring

14th Tolerable clear this morning ground too wet to Plow this morning I am going to Millers Mill Carry 2 turns Corn for Mr Whitehead & Sam & bring back My flour Bran etc Weather very cool for May Got all my flour meal etc for self & R Whitehead Sam Sold 1 Bbl flour to Mr Pringle

16th Hired Charles Lovelace 1 or 2 Months @ 40¢ a day Replanting Corn till 12 oclock

1870 May 16 Plowed Potatoes Irish & Corn by Patch Plowed Nannie Patch Planted Cotton to day Broom Corn Watermelons Simblings & Cucumber Clear pretty weather hired Mary Smith to day Clabe Ditching in lot

17th I went to Mr Hunts place & shop Keatts coltering Sam Hilling just began to Clabe Corn back & finished Ditching Charles Cut Hay picked up & burning roots in new ground & fresh Nat will chop out our corn by Irish Potatoe Patch

18th Coltering new ground finished 1 way & begun Second Way. Charles & Nat getting roots all day off new ground began to Hill in fresh ground

19. at work in new ground coltering rooting etc I went to fix fence around mountain field for my cattle went to Mr Woodings & Lewis's

20th Turned 6 young Cattle in mountain field marked Millys calf that makes the 6th Jacob Cut sooks Calf this morning & marked it beautiful weather at this time & warm, Clabe & his wife & Lucinda here hilling to day & Nat has been there all day - this evening he is hilling with them thundering nearly ^day all Very Warm day. Rained Twice this evening ^{a very little}but

21st Beautiful growing morning tolerable clear & warm Clabe Hilling new ground Charles Coltered fresh ground yesterday Claborne did not Come to Hill Saturday to day Charles did not quite finish plowing fresh ground above Granary Sam replanting corn Keatts finished coltering new ground & laying off I went to Coltering in corn Doron plowed his watermelon Patch & my Potatos & Plowing in Corn all day throwing dirt from Corn

22 Sunday Beautiful day and very warm Very warm Growing weather to day -