Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1857 Decr 13th Sent Henry to Faris s Mill 11 Bus wheat for flour returned & could not get it Halled wood this day - Cutting & Grubbing I went to Fannies to day see her, & Mrs Hargrave etc here to day fine day

14¹³th Fine day Sunday - clear & pretty

14 Cutting & Grubbing in new ground & Halling Corn stalks from fresh field Went to Clements to finish receiving corn got 33½ Barrels 5 Bbles at $2.75. 28½ D^o @ 2.50¢ - bot & 1 Pot Rack 3/– Kate & Jacob got back

15th In^t Decr Finished Halling up stalks & Sewing wheat where corn was stacked Finished grubing & went Cutting 2 or 3 days Corn House 16 feet long 10 wide & 10 feet High — is as follows – Divide by (11) =

17th Hewing Cutting etc & in evening striping Tobacco, when it rained ——

18th went to Mount airy to see about Hogs got none at this time get Boards etc Halling up etc etc

19th Riving Boards Cutting Halling wood making Cross way at new ground — Fine weather at this time ———— Halling wood etc to day Bro Mason at Straitstone on Sunday —

21st Killed Hogs this morning Sent Fed to Clements plantation to day – or Rather yesterday Sunday – Shelling corn & striping Tobacco in new prize Barn; - -

22nd Cut [and?] salted up Pork & overseers part Jerry gone Riceville etc

1857 Decr 22nd Jacob gone to Clements plantation this day ¬– & car^d things as pr account – Henry drove waggon with Jacob things this evening Claiborne gone with Jacob. Cutting in new ground, Jordan Halling wood for Miss Neals 3 Loads this day –

23rd At work On Ice House This morning Fine morning, Jordan gone to Mill at Yates 5 Bus. Corn to bring 4 or 5 Bus meal & 1 Turn flour home – Carried 1 bus wheat for Henry & 1 for Sandy & ½ Bus. D^o for Fed. ground very wet —& quite Cool We have 2 Young Lambs at this time, & 19 Pigs

24th working on Ice House Halled wood & leaves Fixed Ice Pond above house, etc —

25th Snowing this morning & very disagreeable morning, snowed till 10 or 11 Oclock & then cleared off- I went to Capt Fitzgerald & hired Ann (F) for Fannie W Fitzgerald – etc for $25.

26th quite sloppy & wet,- Jerry gone to Mrs Hunts

27. Same sort of weather to day –

28 went to Mount airy - Still disagreeable weather Did not hire any body - at all – Lowry came home yesterday & hired Ann & 2 children for Fannie for $25. –

29th Raining this morning moderate weather

30 Raining this morning striping Tobacco in new prize Barn — moderate weather.

31st Lowry halling wood, Balance striping Tobacco cleared off, cool & windy - I went to Clements Plantation, = chumney came down here to day to see when he can move — —

Janry 1st 1858 Sent Henry after overseer Daubing Ice House & Cutting in new ground

1858 Jany 134th I went to Plantation Bybees for Mr John D Hunt. to Hillfield & to Mr shields & sent to Colo Smiths Plantation to see about Hiring a Cook for Jacob have not got her, Cutting & Halling wood Henry Riving boards & stop Ice pond on Road to day, looks very much like for falling weather –

15th Raining again this morning it has rained every few days ever since Christmas nearly the ground uncommonly wet Nannie & Jerry went to Mrs Hunt last evening, Striping Tobacco this morning -- Raining nearly all day did not quite finish the Tobacco in old prize Barn 7 Lambs to this day - Hunt Sow got Pigs 9 in number yellow sow has 6 the other Two 13 all look well

16 went to meeting House Henry & Jerry Smith gone to Jacobs to Hall wood leaves etc

17th Fannie W. & Cate came down 16th stayed at Home to day - Hunt Sow got 9 Pigs- cutting last Saturday ¬

18. Cutting wood to burn Plant Bed on Road Hitched Netty again worked by herself very well etc etc — —

19 Cutting in new ground & Halled wood 2 Plows Running - Halled up 1 stack fodder from mountain I go Riceville to settle my business with Anderson Clement & Doct Thompson

20th Burning Plant Bed on road I went Mr Kelleys Jacobs & mount airy to send letter to JDH

21st Finishing off Plant Bed on Road & Sewed & fenced & covered it to day - & then expect to work Hester to waggon - cloudy moderate weather

22nd working Netty to day ^{Halling Rails around corn field}cutting in new ground

23rd Halled out straw this morning Cutting Henry Halling wood to day Netty at work

21st All at some work here & at aspen Grove, I went to Division at Mrs Hunts Rained some & very windy - Mr Cothran House got on fire sunday morning & burnt smartly at top from bad chimney,- & monday morning sent Henry down there with [Planks] to Repair & finish chimney - etc etc

22. Sent Jerry down to aspen Grove he gave out a Bushels mean,- I went to Mrs Hunts sale, bot a Cow, out stack etc chumbly moved up here this morning,- Henry & waggon here now lowry went back, with cart,- I dont know what they are at down at Aspen Grove,- at work in new ground & moving Kitchen to Cothrans & putting it up

23rd Killed our Hogs here. Halling wood etc. fixing stables etc etc — At aspen Grove Cothran, is finishing his Kitchen chimney daubing etc - etc — Pretty weather at this time, yesterday we halled a Load of Oats bot at Mrs Hunts & some other things to day Lowry bro^t our Turkey from aspen Grove — — I was there, etc

24th I was at aspen Grove the day before give out meal flour & meat till wednes=day next —

25. at home all day - -

26 Sunday at home all day read to Negroes Christmas day & Sunday too.

27. Claiborne at home plowing Mrs Chumbly ^{in apple orchard}got my horse gone to her Fathers Sent Henry to Vaughans & then to Mount Airy, Big Henry gone down to aspen Grove getting shingles I am at home Jacob has not staid at home more than 2 or 3 nights in a fortnight he is at Johns Mrs Colemans & Mounts Airy etc etc.

21st Janry¹⁸⁵⁹ Kate & Mr Dallas gone up To Fannies Mr Dallas gone on to Mount Calvery to Bro Masons meeting & I sent Bro. Mason $20 Collected of Bro Hunt by Mr Dallas - In the evening I went to See Bro. Hunt who is sick, & while there it began to lighten I started for home rode very fast Just as I got to my stable it began to Rain & the wind blew & caught me in stable & such a Tornado I never Saw, blew off the Top of our chimny Fodder Stack of Tops & blew one Blade Stack all over the field & some in the woods & nearly all of fence from last years ground on by spring next to House blew Top off Rhodas House part of Henrys & clems 6 or 8 Trees in yard blowed down & shingles off Kitchen & Granary & some boards off stable, one Barn of clements & all of Mr Kelleys Oats stacks down, & like to have Turn Ours over Charles allen got caught Coming from Spring lost his Piggin one shoe & his Hat, & he said the wind liked to have carried him away - all of Our hands from aspen Grove & overseer & nearly all of Bro Hunts helping us fix up the fence cover the houses are here to day & will not get done I fear but Thanks be to God none of our lives are lost,-

22nd Fencing pulling up fodder stack etc etc all day had about 25 hands covered houses etc

23rd cool day -

24 went to aspen Grove, our folks cutting up Trees in yard Halling wood etc Mr Chumb went to Mount Airy to day