Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1856 Novr 15 Halling up & shucking out Corn Henry Jointing shingles etcno no meeting at S S In House Saturday ^Sunday nor

16 fine day clear & cool

17. Halling up & shucking out corn Henry car^d Log to Mr Dews Saw Mill for sheeting, expect to carry ^{Large 2 & 1½ Inch there} 1 more to day If we can JD Hunt moves about this time, — — — — fair weather

18th Sent Henry to Dews Saw Mill this morning 1 Large Log upwards 16 feet flooring Putting & shucking corn filled cutting House full shucks clear fine weather Mr wyatt at work to day

19th Mr Wyatt & Henry at work on Hs house Balance pulling up & halling corn Halled up plates wood etc etc took down house

20th Shingling H^s house pulling & halling corn Went down to shop myself fine weather

21th this morning unexpectedly raining Henry & Lila Out of Door or rather had to move in Kitchen, Fed & sandy shoemaking balance spining picking cotton etc – – –

22nd cleared off & we have a beautiful day Mr Wyatt & Henry shingling House Jacob Halled up & pack down his Tobacco. Finished halling up & shucking corn Jordan & Jerry went to Mrs Hunts after Sow & Pigs. Car^d 2 plows to shop

23rd Rained in evening I went to strait stone^{pray meeting}

24 Jordan & Sandy getting wood Henry & Wyatt finished his house & went about Clems covering North side balance striped my late Tobacco in new prize barn till 12 oclock & then till night finishing Jacobs Halled 2 Loads of wood for Mr Neal

18th Jany 1857 we have had a dreadful night of it Peggy like dying all night Lester Coleman here Clem & Arch married etc & it commenced snowing some time in the night & this morning is Dreadfull on every living thing Peggy frequently inquires after her Miss Nancie, Snow drifted very much & I reckon Shoe deep or more — [?] Oclock, Same day Send for Doct Estes & Came about 11 Oclock & began to work On Peggy & She continued to get worse till Just before 2 she breathed her last while we were at Dinner tho Doct Gave her an injection of Castor Oil Spts Turpentine & soap Suds after she had a Passage in a few minutes She died, he also put on Blisters on her arms & ankles. etc, - she Died very Easy & Seemed to be pretty much in her senses to the last - paid Doct $2.00 Still Snowing hard wind blowing from N. E. & such a day I never saw in my life Snow has drifted very much

19th Snowed nearly all night & the Snow is about Knee deep generally & where it is drifted it is as deep as the fence & the wind has blowed the Snow all day like it was Snowing, the great= =est Snow Storm I ever saw allmost in my life. this morning & till nearly 12 Oclock we were cleaning the Snow out of our houses & dug the grave for Peggy But did not finish the coffin Mr F ^wyatt came & went to work on it about 2 Oclock in evening, done nothing also but Cut wood & make fires & feed, there was a bay mare came here yesterday Sunday in the storm

We put her in the stable & fed her ^nightlast being such a dreadful night, she Kicked down the stall pieces & we turned her out, but about night I saw her still round the fence at the new prize Barn, lost another pig - Rhoda etc came here Saturday night to Clems weding & she is yet here & a little girl too, &the The Snow has completely stoped up the road above the Barn back of Garden so that nothing can get along as its as deep as a horse in places & very cold indeed,

20th Tuesday. Finished Peggys Coffin & between 10 & 11 oclock She was buried weather has mo= derated a little Shoemending & making Sallie a pr Spining & Picking Cotton etc - we have to cut a road round so that we can hall wood above prize barn,Henry Bottoming a chair to day & he is complaining a little, – Sent Mr. worsham 1 Bushel wheat last week by his son Richard Worsham

21st Halled out Straw & got up 1 stack fodder bottoming chair shoemaking & mending and Spining, Picking cotton, tolerable day over head ^Sent Mrs Coleman went home to day Sent Pompy to shop & mended Cutting Blades. — I went to Court & the first difficulty of snow was here at Crews hardly got along & up at Wallers in the Lane had to pull down fence & go thru field the snow impassable & then the same at Doct Thompsons, the same above Farris s Mill & then white Thorn & at Mr Richard Jones the same the Snow filling up the road for ¼ quarter of a mile as high in the road as my horse all over the

21st Wednesday at Mr Thomas Fitzgeralds & also at Mr Whittles had to take the woods to get to the Court House got there about 1 Oclock Stayed there about 2 & then returned the same night getting home about 8 Oclock Such mountains of snow I never saw in my life neither has the oldest inhabitants, dredfull time & when I got home snowing a little, Henry & Sallie complaining a little, sore throat & Lowry has Pain in his back etc etc

22nd Bitter cold day & windy. attempted to hall wood & only got 4 Loads waggon & Cart & got the way cleared & little broke dreadful weather, making Baskets feeding & making fires, Fed making Fannies Jerrys shoes Henry took Some Pills to day —

23rd Friday clem sick. gave him some Pills Halled wood to day waggon & cart halled 8 Loads I went down to Strait Stone about new county nobody met, the road is impassable have to take the woods in several places met Mr Lewis Boy going to Millers Mill he had to go back home & take his grain on his horse & went to Yates Mill. he was going to Millers in a slide with 2 horses, such times never was Known in this part of the country. Such heaps of snow in the roads wherever There is a Lane Yates was cutting away Ice about his mill till 10 or 11 Oclock to day before he could start his mill & this morning the Thermometer was 10 degrees below zero, yesterday all day the coldest day I ever saw

24th Weather a little moderated tho cold but cloudy & like for snow, Sent Jordan and Claiborne to

to get & cut them some wood. Balance picking cotton & in the House Fed & Sandy making Mats Henry mending Baskets etc etc Desperate time yet on every thing —

25th weather a little moderated but cold yet Little Henry is about to start to Mrs Hunts to see If Bob is gone after his Mistress & Nannie in Charlotte clem better this morning Snow melts but little & I think the roads are impassable yet tho I don’t know

Sunday 25th Snow melting & water droping off the house for the 1st time since fell a week to day. this is quite a still day weather moderated Smartly, — — Bob did not go to Charlotte yesterday Saturday

26th Halling wood to day waggon & Cart. Cart halled out straw in evening Mrs Neal come over thro the snow lent her some shoe thread & she wants wheat straw Alse & Kitty cleaning Out stables —

27th Sent 103 lbs Seed Cotton to Cap^t Gilbert to get Picked alse etc Picking Kitty spining Balance chinking new Barn next to Crews. Fed making Kates shoes cloudy & cool Snow melts but little If any Jordan & Henry returned & could not get their cotton Picked till tomorrow or next day, Bob started to Charlott monday morning & they had not heard from him Since he started, it Began to rain to day 11 or 12 oclock but did not rain much, finished chinking Barn still cloudy & like for Rain yet. — Abram & Jerry Smith Jinning cotton for several days. lent Miss Neals 1 Gallon meal Alse Picking cotton all day, weather has moderated very much,–