Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1851 Oct. 13th Sent Henry to Colo Smiths plantation to Exchange 6 Bushels wheat to sew, in fresh ground Tobacco Land on mountain, We are this evening Hanging last Cutting there & Plowing up Tobacco Hills to begin to sew tomorrow Clear this evening & windy this morning was very like for Rain, still warm —

15th Finished mountain field fresh ground Tobacco Land Digging Irish Potatoes

16th day of the month, sent to Mr Grastys to Raise^barn Clear & moderate weather

18. Finished Housing Tobacco, Dug our Sweet & Irish Potatoes yesterday & day before also sent 2 Hands to majr Grastys to Raise Barn Killed a little Beef this morning — cutting down Corn going to sew wheat If it does not Rain Henry Halling wood & Land

19 A Fine Rain ^Rain last evening & night fine weather, - Sold Jane yesterday morning to Mrs Mary Moseley of Charlotte for $600 fine weather about this time

20. Plowing Lotts for wheat cutting Corn cleaning Out stables firing Tobacco Halling leaves etc

21 & 22 Sewed 2 Tobacco Lotts in wheat one at prize barn & one by new Barn, sewing in fresh field to day 22nd firing Tobacco in 2 Barns Sewed about 24 Bushels at Mrs McCullocks to this day – – no rain, cleared of

30 went to CH as school Com. Aff[airs] Rain this day not quite done seeding wheat - cleared off stayed all night Mrs McC

31 Finished seeding wheat in fresh field Sewed now between 25 & 30 Bus. weather still moderate & arm Bot at Rob^t McCullocks Sale 1 Calf $1 & 1 chest 25¢ — Seeding rye at old Mrs McCullocks Jeremiah Pallison Fitzgerald son of F.WF. Born 20 Oct 1851 Turn backward as thats Blank

1852 aprl 9th Finished laying off 1 way fresh ground for Corn Jordan coltering Balance Hilling, there till 12 oclock, then we sewed flax at overseers House, Planted Sweet Potatoe Patch this evening = aprl 10th Halling wood waggon & Cart till 10 oclock my wife Fannie W & Child & Cate went to CH

12th Rained Sunday & monday so much that my family did not return till Tuesday morning stay at Mr Johns all night

13th Striping Tobacco in new Barn back garden

14. Laying off left side of Path by middle barn & fencing around Corn field fence & finished

15. Rained hard last night Sent 4 Bushels Corn to mill yesterday & this morning for meal Shelled 3 bushels Corn to Plant Planted Irish Potatoes by Henrys old House & began to Plant Corn this Evening right side of Path by middle barn late in the evening — — Henry & Lila laying off Mrs Neal very sick Doct Walkup thinks from taking Laudanum Grased my wheat on mountain by Hester^{to day -} till yet Grazing my Rye Lot - by her[e] —

16th A fine day we are planting corn & laying off Borrowed of EG Lewis 4½ quarts sats. lost 2 old Sheep lately — — Bets calf a Bull calf little over one week old now

20 It has been raining every day & night¹⁸⁵² since last Saturday this is Tuesday & still cloudy & Rainy, we have planted but little corn, Striping Tobacco in new Barn back garden & trying to Finish but cant, ^{do it}quite Wind N.W. quite cool bad on stock

21. Finished striping Tobacco about 8 oclock Halled wood Turned out Lug Hh^d Tobacco uncover =ed mountain & one below fresh ground plant Beds Rained a little to day, & cleared off cool

1957 Sept 11 & 12th worming & succoring Tobacco Tying up Blade fodder got all Tyed up and this morning

13th Raining a little fodder hanging on stalks only 1 stack up balance shucked & Piled in field, Rained a little the 12th, Jerry went up to Fannies yesterday evening to go with her to Doct Mahans with her Jerry, but to day is Rainy & they will not go I Reckon,- Still cloudy & Raining a little On Saturday the 12th we finished Toping & worming our Tobacco & set in 5 Poles to stack Blade fodder - etc etc etc

14th Monday made fodder [s]tack fram[e] gathered Blades together in the field sett in some poles to stack to & then Pulled till time to shuck & stack put up 2 stacks finishing fodder stack fram[e] This

15th Tuesday worming & succoring Johns’s branch Setting in poles to stack fodder fine morning Pulling to day all in fresh field except some late & this evening put up stacks Blades cloudy & like for Rain

16th Did not rain cleared off worming & succor Tobacco over & gathering fodder to day —

17th Finished worming & succoring Tobacco at new ground Gathered fodder stacked 2 more stacks & some of them went to meeting — Lila I expect will go to day 18th worming &

18th Succoring Tobacco at Crews’s this morning & Pulling ½ mountain field Fodder & then cutting tops, stacked 2 stacks fodder more

1857 Sept 19th & 20th Went to meeting our folks Tyed up fodder & cutting tops till it rained & wormed & succored Tobacco till night on Saturday Fannie WF. & Kate S & Jeremiah W Graves gave in their experience & on Sunday the 20th was Baptised by Bro Mason, Little Jerry got a fall after carriage & hurt himself very much and sick very Ill & on Monday^{Funeral Preached by Elder JB Hardwick 2nd Saml 12 Ch _{23rd V.}} 21st Died about 2 Oclock

21st. Wormed & succoring Tobacco Cut tops p^t of day

22nd Rained nearly all day carried Jerry to Cap^t Fitzgeralds, worming & succoring Tobacco

23rd Began to Cut Tobacco & attended to fodder at mountain, cleared off very pretty & Mr Hardwick Preached Jerrys Funeral & he was Buried Cutting Tobacco & Hung all Jerrys & Nannies & began to Cut at Johns Branch Cut 950 stacks ^{Johns branch} opened Fodder etc

24th Cutting Tobacco on Johns s branch Henry took all day to go to carry Fannie home stacked only 1 stack fodder - last night

25. Worming & succoring at new ground opened Fodder Jordan gone to mill 5 Bus corn Sandy Cutting scaffold at Johns branch Henry & claiborne fixing new Barn to put Tobacco in

25th Finished this morning cutting & hanging Johns branch first cutting wormed & succored Tobacco at mountain in morning Sent to mill 5 Bus corn for meal, stacked fodder last night & sent Robin & Clay to shop etc

26th moving Tobacco from old prize Barn to new wormed & succored at new ground Sent Fillmore to shop greased horses for snits this day Calf has got his Leg Broke