Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 2, Book 12

12th Jany 1857 little Henry gone to bring the horses back. had a pair of shoes put Fillmore at Dews shop & got 10¢ from my Nannie to pay for putting them on Henry went to Yates mill to day Carried 5 Bus Corn & got 2 Turns Meal, Carried another Log for Hh^d staves making 2 for Hh^ds staves Mr Wyatt came here this morning to sett up Hh^d & did not finish it

13 went to Shanks & sold his property for JD Hunt Mrs Coleman, Mr Wyatt fixed the crusher to day & finished Hh^d this morning Cutting big growth in new ground clear cold weather tho moderated a little, ground 2 Bbls Cob & corn to day etc,

14th Sent 1 One more Log to Yates for Hh^d staves making 3 there 2 Turns Corn for meal & Sent 1 Large Log to Dews for Hh^d staves Cutting big growth in new ground to day commencing Snowing about 12 oclock to day & snowed about ¾ hour & stoped still cloudy little has not come back yet Wednesday ^night

15th Cutting big growth in new ground fixed Cover for Cob Crusher this morning went to shop & had buggy mended etc, Cold day Thursday this day 15th little Henry got back from Charlotte a little in the night gone ^{4 days} We have one little lamb come some days ago

16th Last night about 3 oclock this morning we were alarmed by the Cry of Fire Peggy had caught a fire & with great difficulty we put it out Kitty & myself Kitty thought of the Pale of water & threw it on her & soon we

¹⁸⁵⁷Put it out She is dreadfully burnt from ^Jany16th knees up nearly to her chin & We had only one small bottle of Pain Killer & had to Send to Mr Adams at 5 oclock Jordan got back about light brought only 1 vial of P D. Killer & 2 of Roses from adams - she seem much easier than she was before day we are cutting big growth in new ground Halling wood To day waggon & Cart – my hand & thumb is burnt badly & we applied the Pain Killer only & sweet oil & a little Cream in it — Peggy is badly burnt from her Knees up I went to Anderson & settled my Acc^t & fannie whites,- all to finishing, very cold day Mr. Pannill Came here & fixed Colo Smiths matters, etc Halled wood to day waggon & Cart. Bot. & paid for 1 pr Kid Gloves of Barber & Thompson. Paid Doct Thompson for Mrs Hunt the $6 She gave me for him & took his Rec^t

17th I went to meeting & from there to Mr Tuckers take him & his wifes relinquishment for the Grand of Land whereon Joshua Shields Died - & when I got back Peggy is a great deal worse & I sent for Doct Thompson forthwith & Sister coleman also who is here at this time She had been been ^Puking off ^{& on} all night with Puking something like Black vomit. no Passage since she was burnt & Jordan returned ^{about 9 oclock}& said Doct Thompson would start here as soon as the moon was up and it Commenced Snowing & wind severe from N. E. & N. W. Severe night. no Doct Thompson this morning yet & I shall send for Doct Andrew Thompson^{Jno H Estes} in the Course of One Hour If Dr J. C. does not come

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