Jeremiah White Graves Diaries

1857 Oct 20th Began to seed wheat in fresh field next to Overseers House & Cutting down Corn, Halled up 2 or 3 Loads this morning to use, Mr Dan^l Hunt & Lady expected here to day - - weather much cooler - In going to Court Plenty of Poeple have their Top fodder standing in Shocks & Just finished Cutting Tobacco - & some not hung yet.

21st Housing Tobacco tho last cutting in Owens Barn Did not hold It well have to bring some away ^shortly

22. Cutting down corn to sew wheat —

23rd Sewing wheat by fresh ground Barn Smoking Tobacco & Cutting down & stacking corn sewed about 8 Bushels wheat — I went to Fannies etc Rained a little Carried Sallie to go to school,

24th done very little this but fire Tobacco & shoe make, I went to Meeting House Raining nearly all day & few Poeple there & the Election of Preacher put off till 3rd day of novr. next - Halled wood & shelled ^corn

25th still cloudy & like for Rain, (Sunday-

26th Sewing wheat, cutting down & stacking corn firing Owens Barn of Tobacco,- very windy cool day all day working Rose at Plow, Halled 2 Loads of wood & 1 Load of stalks for cows — —

27. went to Riceville after Sugar Coffee Leather etc.- wrote to Bro. John etc – Cutting down corn sewing wheat etc etc

28th Sent by Bro. Dallas 1 pr shoes to Kate ^1.37 to Sallie 1 pr made at home & to Fannie her 4 yds cloth - - sewing wheat Cutting & stacking corn clear fine weather,

29th cleared off Sewing wheat in Owen clearing cutting & stacking corn in fresh field & expect to get done to day, Jerry carried Robin to shop & went to Riceville to [water stain]

1857 Novr 28th Finished Sucking corn halled up last night, I went to Hill field yesterday for Mrs Coleman & bot wallers corn for her This morning putting shucks in cutting House Pulling corn next to overseers House & Trying to get in all in field & shuck it out to day fine cool weather - Jerry gone to Post office this morning - finished shucking

29th Fine day went to Mrs Hunts. Jacob went to Mr Haleys to see Mr Dallas - who is sick.

30th Halling & Housed corn & finished Henry went to mill car^d 5 Bus. corn & 1 Bus wheat,- Balance Housing corn

Decr 1st Beautifull day worked on primings till Dinner & Halled wood & stalks to day made cow Pen, Sandy went with me to Hillfield to measure corn for Mrs Coleman I have been twice for her to attend to her

2nd Waggon Started to Lynchg with primings after 12 oclock Car^d also 7 or 8 Bus wheat Fed shoemaking & Jacob, Halling corn stalks Began to Grass this day in evening —

3rd Killed 3 Fat Hogs Halling stalks Grubing & cutting in new ground, fine day clear —

4th Began to Burn plant Bed in slash rained at night, we prepared nearly ½ the Bed —

5. Finished Burning plant Bed in slash sowed Guano on it & tranched it out but did not fence it in,- waggon returned Saturday night from Lynchg hot 2.80 for primings only $1.10 for wheat, I owed W^m A Miller $3.43 for 2 sacks salt & ½ Ton Guano Began to Rain this evening & Rained last night & continues to rain. —

1858 March 2 went to Plowing after Dinner 2 Plows, Sent for Doct Thompson for Mr Hunts son Doran sick Jerry went,= Jacob stayed till near night. Carried Kate & Sallies shoes to make, etc ^a very cold windy weather —

3rd Weather cold & still this morning – I think the weather moderated, malling at new ground finishing burning brush, Henry halling wood this morning & a Load or Two for overseer little Henry gone to Mill for overseer to carry his corn & will get the meal when we send, Doct Thompson Came last evening to See Mr Hunts son Doran This day about 12 Oclock Henry house burnt up & every thing they had except ^what they all had on, dis= -covered first by jerry I run & Henry and Lila & Malissa but was in such a light blaze insided impossible to get any thing but one chair out how it caught nobody can tell, but I suppose accidental by Some of the children as the Beds seems to have caught first & then the floor over head was all in a blaze when I got there & seemed to have caught about the Beds, considerable loss as they saved nothing at all, weather was quite calm - -

4th Henry & Jerry & 2 or 3 of the little gang got 5 Loads & filled the Ice House & then halled leaves little Henry went to Mill carr^d 2 Bushels corn for us & brought a Turn Car^d yesterday for overseer Malling at mountain Spring; Mr. Dallas here last The Ice about 2 Inches thick & very nice -

5th Malling & cleaning Out stables I am going to Riceville to day – Halled out Straw in evening 1 Load very cold & Poeple getting Ice in Several places My Hogs came up except one Black boar

6th Ground Cobbs & corn etc this morning weather moderated a little this morning

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

1861 May 31st Chumney taken Sick yesterday taking Physic, working out his Potatoes etc this morning,- Henry Harrowing his Corn- Cutting off Tobacco Hills to plant Tobacco cloudy & like for rain, Sent 1 Colter to pint to yates shop they shod Hester Phil & Robin & steeled 2 H Hoes - this year

June 1st Cloudy & like for Rain, began to Plow on Creek yesterday, Bob finished Paling yesterday - Plowing & weeding Corn on Creek to day - chumney not out yet

2nd Sunday Clear fine day Mrs Hunt went to Mrs Colemans yesterday with her home Nannie & me went to Green field meeting I came back & went to Strait Stone at 3 Oclock nobody there at Prayer meeting - Raining a little in evening Mr Dallas staid here last night

3rd Plowing & weeding Corn on Creek Fine rain this evening planted some Tobacco on road, fine growing night

4th Planting Tobacco to day fine season Finished another new ground here in old field replanted greens etc etc

5th cloudy this morning sent to mill for Chumney thining our Corn & I am going down to Plantation this morning

6th Rained some last night. Henry bro’^t 1 Load of weather boarding last night from Millers, carried 1 Log for weather boarding & sheeting & car^d 1 Bb^l corn for meal, finished thinning corn & working out Garden Mrs Hunt came back yesterday & Bob here this morning Digging Hole & working on yard [faded] & weeding Corn on Creek