Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 2, Book 10

10th Novr Fountain Came here to finish my Corn house yesterday friday a little after 12 Oclock & worked till Saturday Night @ $14 pr month

11th Cloudy & drisling Rain —

19th Fountain Wyatt finished Corn House & we have settled for it & we are Housing Corn

23 finished Housing all we have shach out & are halling up balance weather Cool & windy - etc –– –– Henry Federick Jordan alse malissa & Lila had Blankets this day - Sometime ago I gave Claiborne Abram & little Henry Caps & Lowry my Hat. - very dry fall & first of Decr

3rd Decemr I went to see Mr Fitzgerald last Friday & Stayed there till he Died saturday night about 10 Oclock in night, – We are Grubing Cutting wood & halling up Corn stalks last week, this morning Henry goes to Mill with log for Tobacco Barn Balance Cutting & Grubbing —

4 Halling Logs to Yates Saw Mill Grubbing Jordan cut wood at Mr Neals – James M Fitzgerald Died at his Fathers on the 1st day of Decemr 1855 about 10 Oclock in the night We have burnt & sewed 2 Large Plant Bed this week & last week Say 1st Decr 1855 got our sheep this week Killed this 12th Decr 1855 8 Fat Hogs Halling wood & Cutting & Grubing

12th We have Cold open weather very dry fall indeed so far – – – – – –

20th Cutting little growth in new ground Grubbing in Corn field on Johns branch Raising weaving House have Commenced plowing on branch for Corn fine open weather Jordan gone to with 3 Bushels screan wheat for chop 2 Bus D^o for flour & 4 Bus. Corn for meal

21 Cutting little growth in new ground getting rafters for weaving House

1855 Decr 22nd Killed 8 Hogs this morning - I went to Fannie W. Fitzgeralds yesterday - Cold weather The Toll Due John D Hunt for Thrashing wheat for me 1855 is 4½ Bushels as we only made 107 Bushels which we expect to send shortly

1856 Jany 1st Killed balance our hogs & Beef Cutting little growth in new ground Cold weather lost in X good many our pigs —

3rd Jany 1856 Sent 4½ Bushels for Toll this day to Mr John D Hunts - Henry — Striping tobacco to day & p^t of yesterday very bad disagreeable weather

5th This day it snowed all day & begun in the night I started to charlott CH but only got as far as Mortons Ferry so much Ice in River I could not cross stayed at Mr McCullocks Saturday night Snow 13 Inches deep stayed at Bro. Jones Just this side River Mortons Ferry & come home Monday night about 10 Oclock in night spending 56 cents In my Trip, clear pretty day over head, I left my Buggy at Mr McCullocks, Sunday & went on horse back, Jacob I dont know where he is - he was to be at Mr Overbys the 5th Inst to meet me ——

12th Jany 1856 This week we striped Tobacco on or 2 days then got wood Friday & Cut in new ground has been Cold & Snow has not melted very little all the week This morning Just one week since the other Snow It began to Snow again & Snowed all day in evening it rained a little & hailed some one amoungst the most disagreeable Cold days I ever saw Snow very Deep Dreadful Dreadfull time Sure, one Lamb come day before the last Snow & is yet alive,-

13th clear pretty Cold windy day Snow melts a little but not much have not from Jacob yet

1856 Jany 21 Have been to Sale at Fannies 15th there nearly all the week very disagreeable weather under foot tolerable over head till Saturday night it began to Snow again & Snowed all day Sunday & till in the night this is 3 weeks in succession it has snowed very deep Snows, this last one nearly as deep as any I went to meeting Saturday, — very disagreeable weather for Pigs Lambs & [e]very thing else,- we are doing but little to day Jacob is at Mr overbys & has been since the 5th Inst = lost some pigs chickens & Lambs

22nd Another very Cold day & we are doing little or nothing but feed & make fires, very Cold & wind high from N W. & cold enough to freeze any thing almost, lost 2 more pigs at House,- - Snow melts but little any where Chip Came this evening to start to Mr Overby & for Jacob to Come home but the weather is so disagreeable I would ^not let him go = 23rd weather moderate a little halled up some wood & halled one waggon Load of wood for Mr Neal 1 little Lamb living yet all my pigs Dead but 7 in the woods We have Fannies Blackey here trying to break her to the waggon & Henry Clay up there Since about 10 or 15 Jany Inst. This day I wrote to Emond D Johns some time before X & this day I wrote to Dan^l R Hunt Rich^d & John Graves Green city V^a Ruckersville P.O 24th clear & cold Halled up a little wood worked Blackey & Pompey She done only tolerable one more Lamb Dead, we have put all our Pigs in a pen here at the house to try & save them, -

26 Halled wood for ourselves & Halled ½ day for Miss Neals, weather Cold & like for snow, Rough sure enough

1856 Jany 27 This Day Snowing again began soon in the night last night tho not very Deep cloudy & like for Rain & Did Hail & Rain a little this day —

28th Fair this morning & Cold & snow melts but little yet & we have nothing in this month but get wood feed & sit by fire make Brooms Baskets Malls & Gluts 2 Lambs living & 2 Dead as we Know of Went to Fannies last Thursday or friday & engaged her a Overseer Dan^l Barber for 1856, etc etc But overseers House of Mr Hughes have to move it & put it up ————

29 Getting wood at stony pint quite cold & snow melts but little no more Lambs one sheep sick

30 Cutting at new ground Henry & some of the negroes Halling chaff & cleaning out Granary for Oats, very Cold to day north western wind & in shade freezing all day alse shelling Corn, etc

Feby 3rd Snowed on Sunday I was in charlotte attending to Mrs Moseleys Will etc found Jacob quite sick & stayed down there 9 days - etc our folks finished striping all the Tobacco down finished Cutting in new ground & went to malling -

12 went down to F McCullocks after my Buggy & went to meadsville after Jacob Trunk & Pay off his acc^ts etc - very rough weather indeed & yesterday very windy & cold

13 malling & spining etc etc Jacob went to Fannies yesterday or monday - - agreed with with Mr McCullocks to get Mrs Colemans negroes from Mrs Moseley & carry them to Halifax Febry Court - for $6-00 Last night it Snowed again not very deep quite Cold this morning Hung up 14 shoulders 16 midlings 16 Hams 6 Joles & 2 p^s Beef to Smoke

1856 Feby 15th This has been truly a rough Winter On me having to attend to Fannies W Fitzgeralds business to go to Charlott & to Meads ville on Jacobs acc^t & found Jacob sick in Charlotte, - & the weather so extremely rough snowy & Cold now cloudy & like for rain or Snow again, malling wood in new ground & Cutting there or rather in Second yrs ground Henry halled up little stack Oats this morning & then halling wood alse break =ing flax my wife gone to Mr Jno. D Hunts to day – –– &c. ————— Fixing this evening take down old prize Barn Tobacco - Lambs coming & Dying Sheep Dying one Sow missing this morning

1856. very cold & windy - since 15th we have been halling wood malling etc

Feby 18 went to Court Swapt Horses for Fannie Philip for Horse Top gave $25 for Boot Mrs Coleman Sow found Dead last Monday morning

22 Halled Logs to Yates Saw mill 2 or 3 days say 2 Logs for Palings & 2 for Railing etc Finished malling in new ground Raking for fence etc began to mall on mountain getting Garden Posts, Sent to Mill & got 8 Bus meal & 8 Bushel of wheat into flour Halled up stack fodder & leaves in old prize Barn & one back Garden I went to Chalk Level Colo Dickinsons etc to day, about Johns matter & wrote to A McKee about James McCullocks Debt etc

23 Malling & Cutting wood for Plant^{on Road} Bed Getting up Garden Post & halling wood Fine weather, loosing our sheep & lambs went to Riceville to day