Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 3, Book 1

& 1 Dutch Plow Hoe to […] Tobacco yesterday all day & Plan[…] the Hills we have made little new […] fresh field & fresh ground at water Loo, Lila Droped plants – –

30, I went up to old place to see Mr DR Hunt about Keatts proceeding for his Debt for Dower Land got 1 Pot Rack from Cedar Hill, Plowing & weeding Corn to day in fresh field Wed down Sweet Potatoes Lila help Billy clear & very Cool at night

31st. Tried to get up my sheep to shear & could not do it for sometime but finally got them & sheared Only 11. Marked 7 Ewe lambs & only 1 Ram, Bedded up Lot for Tobacco Plowing on Garden & Billy working yesterday & to day & Lila & expect to Plant Greens this evening. clear & cool

1st June I went to Court & got back same night Our folks plowing & weeding Corn Billy Run in Corn field part of the day friday

2 Rained hard last night & Thundered & lightened This morning soon raining still & Rained tremendous hard nearly all day till

3rd June Rained all day yesterday & last night nearly night very wet time I say Done very little yesterday Saturday, only halled 2 Loads leaves & swingled 3 or 4 Twists flax & split a little dry wood today— old Billy went home yesterday & Doran left here Carry his clothes to cut out & make –

3rd Rained nearly all night cleared this morning I went to St Andrews to [unclear] of Tho^s Dews no Preacher cloudy & warm

[…] Bushing Oats & wheat thining corn […] morning & I told Henry to fix road […] they Pulled the plant Bed, my wife […] to James East to get her to weave a p^s cloth for sheets, Raining a little to day

5th June Still raining this morning this long Season in may goes on smartly in June, we are doing but ^littlebittle Jerry & Geo Edd Coleman Came here late last night, Billy planting Tobacco & thining^{corn 1 day} Let him some Molasses & Salt for [?]ay & thining corn

6 reset Sugar Corn this morning thining corn

6. 5 & 6. & expect to finish to day I went to Mrs McHaneys Burial & funeral still cloudy & like for rain, long wet spell & Hot

7th Bedding & fixing Lot for Tobacco & planted some next to Barn, drawing &planting

8th same side cloudy weather

9 Bedding & fixing Lot to Plant yesterday & to day they have gone to Corn fielding plowing & weeding at Mountain Spring little Henry gone to CH after his License to get married Nannie & me going to meeting at S. Stone

11th Went to meeting yesterday, very warm weather weeding corn & Plowing mount spring & mountain field, Henry done plowing out there & come to fresh near Bars weeding over there & Plowing

12 weeding & Plowing corn clear & warm Fodder out & had to toat[tote?] up a stack this morning to feed on

13th Finished Plowing corn at mountain Planted out our Garden in Greens Planted some Pepper Plowing & weeding corn in fresh field near Bars clear & warm this morning.

14th I went to Yates Mill yesterday carried 4 Bushels corn for ourselves & 2½ Bushels for Henry, there came up a cloud about sun down & Rained tremendous 

Creeks got so full & so dark I did […] till this morning washed the bridges aw[ay] & now very hot & we are planting Lot Tobac[co] Claiborne give me his Jaw right smartly […] him some of my mind, he said he did not promise to work as I want him on this plantation but only in this Tobacco & corn I told him If he did not intend to work as I wanted him I wanted him to leave my premises he talked very impudent when I talked to him about our being so much in the grass & not near [smudged] done weeding corn we are not half done weeding & not more than half done plowing over first time he said he did work he did work when it was not raining & he would not work in the rain the way it begun they all started from the Lot to draw plants I was behind them all big Henry went on Strait to the plant, claiborne little Henry Milly & Ben come on the House Ben went to the Spring I came on by the Spring & house the furthest way I could to to the plant when I got there none of them there but old Henry & told them that was the way we were so behind, they were pulling back & then he begun with his impudent talk & said a good many things that I did not like etc, - they are doing but little I told him he wanted me to feed him & do nothing for me he said he did not come here to work every little patch, meaning when he was not interested, my wife gone up to Jerrys

15 working out Sorghum claiborne refused to work out my Irish Potatoes by clems old House

[…]ning little ^Henry & his daddy came […] the agreement read by Mr Moses claiborne […] went off to Corn field old Henry […] not talk right, & they went off to corn field to Plowing – & I suppose weeding Corn doing nothing much, I reckon very pretty day to day I went to Cap^t Fitzgeralds for Fannie & Riceville to Preaching

17th Raining to day & disagreeable day Fannie & Mr Moses here him & me went to Riceville yesterday heard Whittle speak & Mr Brown Preach & then went to Cap^t Fitzgeralds for Fannie, - now Raining & cloudy warm weather

18th This claiborne with the hands replanting Tobacco I went out to new ground where he was Jerry & W^m W Moses with me, I told claiborne to stop I wanted to speak to him a little, I asked him If I did not tell him to go & work out my little Potatoe Patch when he finished the Sorghum last Friday he said he did not Come here to work out Patches but to work in Corn field & Tobacco I asked him If he had determined to work on the plantation as I wanted him or as he pleased, he said he would work in ^cornfield & Tobacco ground & would not agree he would work any where else I told them to leave he went off muttering something & said he had got him a place to go to, I give him orders not to come on this plantation but Keep away & about 8 Oclock same morning Milly Ann who was engaged to be our Cook washer milker etc went off I dont know where without any provocation not a word said to her that I have heard off [of] finished replanting Tobacco & planting this the 19th & Lila started off pretendedly to Hunt Milly Ann, when I believe she Knew & perhaps Sent her off cleared off I think, still clear

1866 June 19th Charlotte moved here […] time as pr agreement. She formerly belonged […] Lewis she has 3 children - I helped re[…] Tobacco this morning & Ben & me halled out manure out of my Stable to Turnip patch, Ben weeding Corn 2 Henrys Plowing Corn Lila Bro^t back Milly Ann & Henry & says Hunts Lucy induced her to go off from here – –

20. All in confusion Milly Ann Just Come back Plowing & weeding corn –

21. getting a little Strait to business again got over Cotton with Colter Big Henry has Plowed out Garden Sweet Potatoe Patch etc Let Jerry have Robin till wednesday & they are to help me when I want them Replanted Cabbage Plants & working out Garden washed wool etc etc —clear weather

22 I went to Mr Hunts place claiborne there hired by Bybee Plowing & weeding Tobacco upon here on Road Henry plowing its fine weather It looks like Lila intends to Keep a fuss here all this year unless I could govern her I wish I could never see her again clear & a little cool of nights my wife found her Turkey Hen, but the young ones all gone either stolen Killed or something gone ^themwith

23 Plowing & weeding Tobacco crews field Henry plowing Corn after he finished Tobacco I went to Mr Banks & settled my Acc^t Current with John D Hunts Estate not quite finished

24th John Richard Whitehead Came down yesterday after Sallie & they left after Dinner to day The little child has grown very much but never has been out much fine warm weather

25th. Finished at last weeding little p^s Tobacco on road Henry Plowing in Corn I went to Susan Roarks & Bybees about my wife 600 sla[?] & beholds its at Fannies & been there ever Since last winter