Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1861 March 26th. weather moderate, Mrs Coleman & family & fannie W Fitzgerald here to day —

27th I was writing letters to Bro Garret & Cousin Ch to day they finished Sewing Oats here & claiborne halling rails. this morning it rained Snowed & hailed a little & the wind blew tremendous hard, we set some trash heaps on fire early & thought they were about out, but about 12 Oclock the broke out & was soon nearly all over the new ground & we had hard work to save our wood & fencing, but none did not get burned, blew down some of our fencing fire also got out over at Mr Hunts place but did not do much damage. We planted our Irish Potatoes on road in wheat Lot & prepared ground in garden to plant Corn Snaps etc etc etc.

28th Went to Plantation to day nearly done breaking up Corn & Tobacco Land except new ground coltering that & Raking balance, 28 Lambs there & 39 old sheep at this time, - we have been fencing here to day & coltering new ground Crossing Halling stuff out of our new ground & raking Fine day. Went to shields Barksdales & mount airy for Mr Grastys business —

29 I went to Chalk Level to day got a letter from Toot stating he had sold my Tobacco in Lynchg 2 Hd^ds Halling out Trash out of new ground began to Hill, Plowing for Corn, paid off Tate to day for myself & Estate John D Hunt,

30 Plowing for ^^Corn Halling out Leaves out of new ground began to Hill yesterday in new ground next to road; took up our Irish Potatoes to day & Beets Kept very well Kate & Mr Moses Came here

31st March Sunday Fannie & Jacob came [faded] cloudy

1861 april 2nd Started at 3 Oclock in night after Sallie got to Lynchg by 12 or 1 oclock Started from there in Carrs ½ past 3 Oclock got to Institute about 8 at night stay there wednesday 3rd staid at Institute Started to Salem with Sallie in evening did not sleep much started in the Carrs at 1 Oclock for Lynchg got there about day Break, & started for home about 9 Oclock. Our folks had been plowing Hilling Halling Rails, while I was gone, fine weather, -

april 5th to day Hilling coltering other new ground Halling up Timbers for carriage House

6th april Sent Jerry Smith to Chalk Level after Papers & letters, Carr^d to Faris's mill 1½ Bus wheat for flour, - Coltering, & Hilling to day – Took down this morning of Bacon ^H23. ^S23. ^M2— like for Rain moderate weather -

7th Rained, stayed at home Mrs Hunt went to Mrs C^olemans

8th Rained again, finished striping Tobacco here Mrs Hunt Came home again –

9th drawing & fixing shingles that come of[f] our Kitchen for Carriage House & Granary ¬ I went to aspen Grove to day ¬–

10th At work On Shingles, fixing Rope works little Henry halling wood Jerry Smith Piling chip manure, did not rain much ¬

11th Halling out trash of new ground, cutting Hop Poles & slab tree & fencing this morning ground wet, & then Mr Chumney & Bob at work on shingles they went down to Creek & fixed water gap or [R]

12th Mr Christian Doct Fletcher & Aaron Simpson stayed all night. Simpson owes 50 centsbalance Paid. Hilling Coltering & Halling out manure till 12 Oclock & then Rained hard till night Shelled corn & made Brooms & spining ¬

13th went to meeting, got slabs cut down Trees at overseers House worked on shingles etc.

14th Went to Meeting pretty day Mr H went Mr Moses & Kate Came here last night, -

15th working on Road to day & Hilling I went to court Rained before got back

16th Raining this morning, cutting wood in woods after morning, dont rain much Cut down Pines in evening to stop Gulleys

17th ground too wet to do any thing with Cutting down Pines in field next to Cap^t Whiteheads for another year, I am going to Plantation to day

18. Hilling Halling out manure & Coltering in new ground, took up Bybees Sweet Potatoes Sweet Seed,

19th this morning taking up balance Sweet Potatoe Seed, working on Carriage House & Coltering & Hilling etc

20 Planted Sweet Potatoe Patch, Seed Keep prime, & Irish too, Coltering in fresh ground & Hilling in new ground, claiborne halling out manure, very cool Sal & me & Doran went to Fannies yesterday & to Mr worshams & vaughans & mrs Hunt went up to Kates & Mr Moses

22nd Began to Plant Corn down below new Barn, claiborne & Smith Halling out Manure, little Henry & Clem Hilling in new ground, I planted Snaps myself & Simblings fine day Planted p^s Corn by Shop

23rd Nannie & all going to Mrs Colemans I am going to Chalk Level Laying off for corn & expect to Plant on to day^{Chick Corn} ^ Halling & Coltering in new ground to day –

24 Planting Corn to day & finished Chick Corn I went to Mr Pannills, & Settled up with Geo.

1861 april 30th Put up foundation of Carriage House Bob & overseer finished halling out manure Henry & Harry Bedding Corn Land on branch clem Hilling cool weather at this time & dry

May 1st Marked Calves Beding for Corn on branch Fencing next to Vaughans McHaneys & on Road & clem Hilling — cool morning began to fence this morning on Creek & they wont finish neither will they finish fixing ground for Corn, – windy & cool to day

2nd Mr Blanks came this morning & went to aspen Grove to Spay Shoats 26 in all then Came here 9 here to alter & mark 1 he said was too small to spay marked it & Turn it out to be done here after went from here to Mr Hunts place for the same purpose, overseer went to Mill to day with waggon carried 8 Bushels wheat for me & 1 Turn Corn to Richard Whitehead|Whiteheads]] 1½ Bushel wheat for Henry & 5 Bushels wheat for himself Carried the wheat to Faris Mill for flour, last night Patrolling our company – Our poeple are fencing on Creek to day & finished etc etc clem spining etc very cool windy weather & yesterday & day before tremendous winds etc dry & cold Marked 3 Calves here and at aspen Grove, 3rd May Began to Plant Corn on Creek this morning, & finished or trying to finished bed=ding & listing. Cow, Clarys younger Heifer Clary had a calf yesterday –bro^t Two 2 Turns meal yesterday home –

4th Finishing Planting Corn on Low grounds Plowing in fresh ground - Sent to mill for Henry Hester & Esau for Jerry to day I went to Chalk Level to day– [faded] meeting at Hunts place FW & Mary James here

Mr C J Williams P.O. Lebanon Russell Cty V^a

12th Sallie & me went to meeting SS –

13th E. H Doss left Plantation soon Saturday morning somebody told me he left Friday evening & gone way over in campbell, for which I charge him $5.00 Covering our Carriage House here coltering & Hilling Second years ground, I went to Aspen Grove Likely for Rain about his time corn Seems to come up badly fleas has eat the Tobacco plants very much wheat looks tolerable

14th Took down our Lugs here this morning, finishing covering Carriage House, Hilling fresh ground Plowing up for corn on Low grounds to day

15 Jacob P Graves gone on to CH to Start to war it with old Lincoln, great confusion in Our Country every thing unsettled Sent Henry to Aspen Grove & claiborne to Hall Logs We are Planting Corn this morning a little p^s on Low ground, cutting slate tree fixing Scare Crows Hilling in second yrs ground, Nannie going to CH to day

16th Henry Halling Logs from aspen Grove vz 1 Large one Hart to pay for palings sawed 2 for weatherboarding & 17th Halling again &

17th Halled up stack Oats & fodder this day Carried 12½ Bus. corn for meal & 2½ for overseer here & halling Logs – again here Hilling yesterday & to day Halled 5 good Hart Long Logs to Millers for weatherboarding & halled 1 Big one to pay for palings besides the 5. Chumbly went to Chalk Level to day, Hilling Henry began to Plow Corn, replanting corn this evening – cloudy & cool

[faded]Corn here Henry Plowing [faded] Simblings