Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 3, Book 2

1870. May 10th Rained yesterday in evening we planted some corn peas snaps on Branch planted about ⅓ of Branch in Corn Hired Mary Smith Worked out Irish Potatoes & replanted some in Patch replanted rosting^rostining year Patch Sam finished coltering new ground & fresh ground yesterday Keatts gets along very slow & always breaking something on out offed someway Planting simblings snaps etc yesterday

11th. 11 Rained all night & this morning quite cool. Striping Tobacco in new Barn at water loo & last we have hired Clabe & Cindy

12th Sent 13½ or 14 Bus wheat to Millers Mill for flour I went to Adkinson & Wards Shop got my Horse Shod & then went Millers Mill & Keatts gone home as he could not get the flour immediately Nat Picked up Rostin in new ground pt of the day & after 12 oclock they all pulled cockle out of wheat Keatts went to Coltering in new ground when he got home Rained this evening & Halled yesterday

13 Waggon Keatts & went to Cedar Hill after Blade fodder old Plows old Irons from wheels & Plank out of Old Granary my Hh^d up there yet. Raining again to day & this evening too my Corn coming up very well this spring

14th Tolerable clear this morning ground too wet to Plow this morning I am going to Millers Mill Carry 2 turns Corn for Mr Whitehead & Sam & bring back My flour Bran etc Weather very cool for May Got all my flour meal etc for self & R Whitehead Sam Sold 1 Bbl flour to Mr Pringle

16th Hired Charles Lovelace 1 or 2 Months @ 40¢ a day Replanting Corn till 12 oclock

1870 May 16 Plowed Potatoes Irish & Corn by Patch Plowed Nannie Patch Planted Cotton to day Broom Corn Watermelons Simblings & Cucumber Clear pretty weather hired Mary Smith to day Clabe Ditching in lot

17th I went to Mr Hunts place & shop Keatts coltering Sam Hilling just began to Clabe Corn back & finished Ditching Charles Cut Hay picked up & burning roots in new ground & fresh Nat will chop out our corn by Irish Potatoe Patch

18th Coltering new ground finished 1 way & begun Second Way. Charles & Nat getting roots all day off new ground began to Hill in fresh ground

19. at work in new ground coltering rooting etc I went to fix fence around mountain field for my cattle went to Mr Woodings & Lewis's

20th Turned 6 young Cattle in mountain field marked Millys calf that makes the 6th Jacob Cut sooks Calf this morning & marked it beautiful weather at this time & warm, Clabe & his wife & Lucinda here hilling to day & Nat has been there all day - this evening he is hilling with them thundering nearly ^day all Very Warm day. Rained Twice this evening ^{a very little}but

21st Beautiful growing morning tolerable clear & warm Clabe Hilling new ground Charles Coltered fresh ground yesterday Claborne did not Come to Hill Saturday to day Charles did not quite finish plowing fresh ground above Granary Sam replanting corn Keatts finished coltering new ground & laying off I went to Coltering in corn Doron plowed his watermelon Patch & my Potatos & Plowing in Corn all day throwing dirt from Corn

22 Sunday Beautiful day and very warm Very warm Growing weather to day -

1870 May 23 Clabe & Lucinda here this morning to Hill, Charles is also come to work Keatts Plowing in Corn Se[e]ding with cotler this morning & then throwing dirt from corn Halling my sweet Potatoe Patch this morning — below weaving house

24 Hilling in new ground & Plowing in corner Finished Hilling in new ground & finished planting it. Rained last night & we are planting Tobacco all day till evening & nearly finished New ground & fresh ground - rained hard this eve ning hard I went to S Stone this evening

25th rained last night James D Hunt gone to CH for me as Comm^r of Elections at S S. M House to get Poll Books & Ballot Boxesetc to day we are bushing Oats this morning then to Plowing Lot for Tobacco Went as far as Chalk Level & found the poll Books & Ballot Boxes there & Brought them home got back by 12 oclock, etc

26th I started to the Election by little after light got Down there by 1 Hour by Sun Stayed there till this morning 27th May Rained nearly all day 26th the day after Election, Doct Estes has to carry the Report of the Election our folks Hauling Out our manure & Plowing lot etc 28th Raining nearly all day this day too & very cool wind N W & N. East. Wind blew very hard last night etc etc

27th Raining nearly ^all day, quite cool striping Tobacco all day –

28th. Rain[in]g again quite cool striping Tobacco Sam Borrowed 2 Bus. Corn & sent to mill Will finish striping Tobacco to day

29th I staid at Home all day my my bees swarmed

30th Rained a little this mornings dont Know ^{what to do} sent Mr Keatts & Nat to Mr Joseph M Moses, for a stack of Oats he gave Brot home safe a very good stack no Rain to hurt them Charles Lovelace Colr^d did not come here to work to day Sam replanting Corn

1870 June 1st Rained last evening & Raining this morning setting corn this morning Cloudy & like for Rain - set corn all day ^thined &

2nd Still setting corn & thining to 12 oclock & opened all our Tobacco this morning Cloudy yet ground very wet. I went to sale of old Buck Tuckers Land yesterday, all sold Planted some Potatoe slips yesterday fisnished Patch Put some fire in Barn back of Garden

3rd June 1870 Halling out manure Sam plowing Rained till 12 oclock oclock then Rained, Clabe shearing our sheep Rained several times sheared 10 sheep & 3 Lambs & nearly finished halling out Manure on Lot yesterday marked 3 Ewe lambs Sam thined corn in evening —

4th Finished Halling out manure waggon & cart pretty day Rained once a light Shower Halled out 6 or 7 loads chip manure on lot Keatts Halled 3 loads of & after 12 oclock Plowed up & coltered farm pen & planted it in Corn & cowpen for to Sow turnip seed shortly & then he went to Laying off & Beding lot where manure scattered Charles Hauled up poles & fixed Butter Beens & Hauled 4 loads of leaves in stable my young steer does very Well Halled Manure 1½ days with mules & Sam plow[ing] Bill ½ day & it Rained so that he could not plow

5th Sunday quite warm Nannie & Sallie gone to Mrs Colemans I went to old place & shop yesterday John Whitehead sheared 4 sheep yesterday Nannie did not come home Kate & Mr Moses come here Saturday or Sunday

6th Scattered & Biding in Tobacco lot did not get done Kates & Charles Plowed in lot all day

7th Mr Keatts finishing Beding lot & then went to drawing Charles Clabe Mary Lucinda Caroline & Nat Hilling & fixing lot & began 11 oclock to Plant it finished planting Lot & replan ted new ground & second yr land before night

1870 June 8th Keatts plowing on Branch for Tobacco coltering & plowing close so Rough & found Charles plowing in Turnips in Cow pen laying by Irish Potatoes Plowing rosten year Patch by Irish Potatoes throwing dirt from Cotton etc. Caroline & Nat Choping in cotton & Potatoes

1870 June 9th - Raining last^night & this morning doing nothing but firing tobacco Keatts attending to his own business We finished planting Tobacco yesterday Raining nearly all day & cloudy Nat up at Richards droping Tobacco plants Charles replant -ing our Lot over again here at work about half the day to day Rained hard at night ^{nearly all night}

10th. Rained all night, cloudy & like for Rain We are not doing much firing Tobacco etc etc Fixed Bridge wed corn on Hill above grave yard

11th. Keatts gone to see something land & in evening will work his little ^{lost all day}patches Charles gone home to replant his Tobacco Doron Plowing runing Colter next to apple tree Piece & on the Hill each side Nat chopping corn right after Doron little cloudy again Rained 2 or 3 times during the day I went to S S Meeting got home before the Rain in evening — My Boar got out of my Pasture & Doron saw him the other day near Martha Neales, with Sams Hogs Rich^ds sheep out too

12th Went to meeting S S Rained in evening after we returned from meeting House ground very wet —

13th Cloudy this morning firing Tobacco hand weeding fresh ground corn & choping some places, choping Irishes Potatoes & cotton etc planted some corn in Cotton Patch & Irish Potatoes, etc etc

14 Plowing Corn & weeding back of Smith Shop & fresh ground & Nat Weeding, - Keatts brot Bets Calf home & to wean- to day Cant hear of my other Boar - fair pretty day to day

15 Keatts Plowing corn for Guano Charles & Nat Weeding Corn in fresh ground & over by fodder stack Pole