Diary Volume Two

Saturday 14th Jany 1843. The weather since X has been quite changeable some very cold days. Sunday 15th the weather moderated now warm.

16th warm. 17th warm. 18th warm. 19th warm. 20th warm. 21st Still warm, from 10th to 15th Jany sowed the two Plant Beds on Branch above House.

20th Burnt & Sewed one Plant Bed in new ground. Began to Plow for corn 17th Jan'y. Began to mall Rails about middle Jany finished cutting down new ground, 16th Jany.

21st alse been sick one day. Bled her.

25th Fine weather yet, Sandy & Lowry both taken sick also Clementina.

27th Henry sick on the House — Morris & Jane also sick — still plowing for corn & malling. Mark Lain Hewed Plates for Kitchen Have 5 lambs to this date.

30th Jany 1842³ Lowry very sick & Doct Thompson here to see him. He came to see me. ^{Morris died.} I think every when I was sick for one week & [ached?] to see Jacob last fall & This day snowing. Wednesday 1st Febry snowed very little warmed to rain & then turned off very cold. lowry a little better & Jane sick. Morris taken sick & Died about dark, dont know what was the matter with him.

2nd Morris Burried. Doct T. here again 1st & 2nd clear & tremendous cold.

3rd moderated a little. Cutting & malling up dry wood. 4th began to snow & Rain in morning. whether weather quite moderate some snow on ground. 5th

5th Sunday weather moderate snow. Yesterday Malissa laid up with a pain in her knee.

6th Clear & very cold & windy. Jno Tucker & A Waddel here getting shingles at $2½ per m for hart. ¾ of Inch after being drawed. We heard Mrs Hunt's fox one of her carriage Horses Died at Mrs James Browns on 3rd Inst.

17th From the 6th a few days moderate but for several days previous to this day very cold & windy & this day cloudy & snowing a little, Mr Lain putting up or fixing to put up garden. Cox & Irby getting shingles at $2½ per m. ¾ inch thick after being[?] drawed, all Hart.

March 1st 1843 Most of Feby very cold & disagreeable. This day we Rolled our Logs

March 3. Making our new ground fence this day sprinkled a few more tobacco seed on our plant beds for fear the seed have sprouted & killed by cold frozen weather. Sent to Mr Hunts second time to rolled logs.

On the 4th at night snowed.

5th snow about 1½ inches deep. weather moderate.

8th Snow almost gone this day. Burnt our logs in new ground.

10th Cloudy & rainy. Stripping tob. & prizing lugs. Ezekiel East came here yesterday at 12 oclock to work.

13th Still cloudy & rainy. Stripping tobacco.

16th Cloudy & snowing a little. Began to sow oats yesterday ^{the 15th} which was a pleasant day. Burnt & sowed plant bed on branch about 1st March.

1843 March 16th Began to snow about 9 oclock this morning. Snowed all day & a little in the night. Snow about 6 inches deep & very cold. Wind rather N. W. stripping tobacco. This is really winter weather

20th It has been cold ever since the snow & the snow has melted but little as cold as it has been any time in the winter, indeed Jany. Surpassed any thing I ever saw for business being clear & moderate all the month yet very cold & wintry.

This night we see a phenomena in the firmament. It is a streak in the South rather under the Ellen[?] yards pointing rather south west, not extending quite where the sun sets. Between 7 & 8 oclock quite bright, but about 8 it's getting a little dim, & about 9 oclock it disappears. It has been seen for some time.

22nd yet quite cold & cloudy. The snow melts but slow.

23rd Real winter's day in spring. Snow on the ground & hard frozen & really cold.

24th Cold & windy & real winter weather and snow in many place 6 & 8 inches deep when it drifted.

25th yet cold but the weather is moderat ed a little. Sent ^{F & Phil} to Mrs Buckleys to roll logs Henry hauling wood etc etc. Sent to Capt Stone's Wednesday week to roll logs.

26th A fine day -- not melted the snow entirely.

27th Commenced snowing raining & hailing. Rained pretty much all day & it is what I would call a sleet -desperate on every thing.

28th Raining yet, snow almost gone weather a little more moderate creek & branches ^full

Mar. 29th & 30th. Tolerable moderate but ground wet.

---- 31st Rained all day & cold.

Apr. 1 Tolerable good day but windy ---- 2. D^o- D^o- ---- 3. This morning snowing & we have sewed only about 1 1/2 bushels oats. Have not made a tobacco hill & not done breaking up corn ground. Prizing tobacco & doing but little else. Rained all day mainly slowly.

4th Raining this morning.

8th There has been two or three good days for business & we are sowing oats at Stony Point.

9th Still good weather.

10 Still good weather.

11th Ditto Ditto.

12th Began to rain about 12 oclock & then rained a while & ceased. We are making up our crop fence in field.

13th Raining hard this morning. Doing but little. Not done seeding oats yet neither have we made a tobacco hi[ll.]

14th Pretty good day. 15th Saturday a good 17 Rained a little, but not enough to stop work begun A good day. Went to Strait Stone but Mr. James has not been there for 2 months.

18th Began to hire yesterday. Sowing oats yet.

19th Very good day. 20th yet good weather. Finished dewing oats this day & sewed flax seed.

21st Began to plant corn on right side of the path going thro field & went to He[nry] House with some drill [corn].

22nd Still planting corn.

23 John Waller hung himself with a hickory at Wm Wallers his brothers.

24th Still planting corn & fine weather. Oats seems to come up well, wheat looks only tolerable. Tob. Plants but few square at the time.

26th Planted Sweet Potato seed. Our Irish Potatoes Planted the 1st March last. All rotted & we Planted over again at Easter Holiday.

27th Finished planting corn on the side of Branch to day about 12 oclock, little more than 1/2 done planting — wind commenced blowing hard between 10 & 12 and in the evening of this day the wind blew tremendous hard blew down our fence Smartly in four or five places. This day is the Election for Legislature & Congress — 1843

28th A fine clear day after being so windy yester day. Began to Plant corn this day after putting up fencing which blew down yester day next to wood on left side of the Path thro field.

11th May The weather has been generally good since 28 April. Went to asso. at upper Banister last week. myself & my wife went to Lynchbg 1st May Sold our Toba. for $3.05 2.15 & 5.90. Had our likeness taken. Selam came on our trip back. returned the 4th may & went to asso. the 7th may 1843. Sewed Oats this 11th May in our cow pen.

17 Replanted corn this day, - my wife gone to see her sister Coleman.

Planted corn on Hill in Lot the 17th Inst planted Tomatoe s[?] & some Collard plants this week. Wheat & oats & Tobacco plants yet look badly- fine rain 16th began to plow in our corn 12th Inst.

18th Rained all day. Thinned a little corn in evening.

19th cloudy, Mr Lain began to hew.