Nimrod Porter Papers

-111over She was brought home on Tuesday the 5 Sept and on the 7 she was broke out all over the face & body & feet The blister seemed to be a Whay colour on Wed the 13 the blisters on her face & body appeared to heal up & the scales came off but her feet has continued verry sore & swelled & verry sore yet She has not had much fever for several days of my consiquence Puss & her ) Puss & her little child is both taken sick yesterday Verry child small ) pox ) sore throat & some fever I fear it is the small pox or the same disease that Sweet has She is broke out in the face in bumps blisters & c Wed 20 William, Thomas, & Fanna went to Nashville in the 2 oclock William ) Thos & ) train this evening Fanna took her youngest child with her Fanna ) Nashville ) The boys are picking out Cotton Monk & Aleck, Ricd, Webb, West, Plim. (Richard was sick) lost half the day Th 21 Preston is at work in picking out Cotton to day It is Puss & ) turning much warmer. Puss dont appear much bad off, the same Sweet sick ) Aleck ) broke out her little child is probably worse off than the Felix ) Mother. Sweet is still mending (Felix is unwell) & Aleck worked only one half the day (to dinner) & went to Town Says he is unwell Nothing matter with Aleck Fri 22 Aleck stayed in Town last night & I hear he is sick Felix is complaining this morning Rich is better complaings of his loin (a pain) he is still going about doing arrends. Puss & child Puss is some better Sweet I think is on the mend Puss little Sweet

-113-

Wed 27 I went to Town saw Maryann there Kisser did not git from

Maryann Nashville as was agreed upon, herd that Hamilton had sold

Maryanns Cotton, & deposited the money in a house in New

York. No particular news

Th 28 William & Mag has gone to Town All hands are picking out

William & Mag) Cotton & getting along verry slow. News Jesse S.Harris appointed

J. S. Harris ) Agt Fredmans Bureau Harris went except. Dougherty appointed Dougherty ) Post Master in place of J. D. Moore

1865 It has turned verry considerable cooler last night Wind Sept ) Fr 29 ) from the North East. Puss is complaining.

I think Puss & her little child is both out of danger &

Small pox &c) Sweet is much better I think they are getting well the rest,

Lorra, Clary & Felix has not taken the disease & I dont think

Small pox ) they will, as the disease has been there from the 5th Sept

(Sweet) I think all is getting well It appears to be verry

mild cases of small pox, or verry bad cases of Chicken pox.

I am Inclined to think it Chicken pox It comes on with the

usual simptoms of small pox the 3d or 4th day it breaks out

in blisters & bumps over the face & body with high fevers which

lasts about 10 days, the blisters dryes up & leaves but little

or no marks when the fever abates. Some time they are verry

much troubled with sore throat & fevers for several days. It

was about 10 days after the 1st case before the next two cases

-114-

came on they have all stayed in one house We have kept them from the rest of the Negroes & the rest from them as much as possible Kept them byh them selves No others have yet taken it. --------------- It rained last night, or this morning rather, the Wind is Sat 30 in the West & North Caleb is taking our posts on the Turn Caleb pike road that is around our young Orchard & making a hen house

after splitting them up he must account for it some way --

Hay I made a contract with Tom McCanless (Coloured) to cut hay Tom he boards himself shocks & saves it, the one half for the

other. He is to commence next Tuesday ------------------- The morning was clear William & Mag went to Meeting Sun 1st October McCains Church

1865 This morning is clear & quite cool No frost but a heavy Oct 2d Diew the blacks are all getting along as usual No more sick

I wen t to Town Many people there I got up a petition to

alter or change the rode through Francis premises & a Jury

appointed but found the law so changed that it requires 5

days notice to Francis which is not done, have to try again

Tues 3d I went to Town found Francis angry about the rode. I let

him sweat There are a good many sick with fever

Wed 4 William & Mag went to Town She got shoes that did not fit William ) Mag ) & wanted me to take them back I stayed at home It will frost

-115-

Beef to night The Wind is in the North this evening & Cold

We killed a little beef this morning

Th 5 I went to Town but verry few people there News that Wm No such news is truth Robery Langham was killed last evening & that there was robery ^ of the Citizens of Mt Pleasant Wed night (the Jews were robed)

Frost A verry heavy frost this morning 1st frost here ------------------ Fri 6 William & Mag went to Town I stayed at home Press & Tom

William & ) McCanless & Webb are getting hay Tom is cutting one half for Mag ) the other Webb, Press, Plim & West did not pick Cotton they

cut Hay & shelled Corn & cut hay William & Mag is staying

Frost to night in Town (theater) they may come home yet Some

frost this morning ---------------- I settled up with Tom (Coloured) for his work & bought his Sat 7 Tom $5.00 ) part of the hay he cut this week, paid him $5.00 for it, he hay ) is to go on longer cutting hay & divide one half for the other

I went to Town No particular news there are a good deal of

sickness Cotton getting up to 39 cents in Nashville

1865 The weather has moderated verry much looks like Indian Octr ) Sunday ) Summer ----- (Wm & Mag) William & Mag went to Meeting (McKeans) All is getting

along only tolerable all is well except my self I have

not been verry well taken cold. Joints & limbs stiff, not able

to get about with ease.

-248-

Th 16th March 1865

Webb Wilks agrees to work at $10.00 per month he finding March 9 Apl 14 his own cloathes making up all loss time & pays his Doctors May 24 June 17 bills have his bord found him & commences to day (his July 11 Augt 7 Master agrees to his hire) Webb is not to quit until the Sept 10 Oct 8 end ot the year, if he goes away he looses the time he may Nov 8 Dec 10 have worked

No D.109 May 13 Cr ----- Cash $5.00 ) Worked in all 109 days at 36 2/3 June 17 Cash 5.00 ) Cents pr day 36 2/3 Augt 26 " 2.00 ) 654 Decr 15 " Cash 2.00 ) 327 14.00 ) 72 2/3 1867 Recd Jany 13 $8.50 ) $39.96 2/3 in full of the above act ) Credits 14.00 of his work his mark $25.96 Webbs --- Webb X Wilkes 17.50 Test by his father $ 8.46 Brad W, Porter 1866 Paid Jany 17 1867 June 22 to 10 Tubs of Corn at $1.00 pr bushel) Tub holds 1 3/4 bushels) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $33 1/3 Cents per day Mon 29th March 1865

Rich Trotter commenced work at $10.00 per month according to

Contract expressed on 1st page -------------- 1865 paid Apl 8 $1.00 (June 10 Rich got to pay for Ocks ) " " May 6 5.00 (bonnet, he paid this to Ock & ) " "by ???? 13 .50 (should not be charge with it It is) Cash May 29 1.50 (charged to Ock ) 5 yds of Osen-) 4.00 Cr Sat 15 July Cash $1.00 burg at 80 cts ) 1.00 Cr 29 July 2.60 pr yd & made ) 1.00 Cr Augt 4 With 4.00 shirt & pants ) 1.00 " " 26 " 1.00 Cash July 23 Sept 14 Cash 1.00 Cash Nov 10 $1.20 Oct 14 Do 1.00 " " 27 2.00 Oct 22 Do 1.00 Cash Decr 15 5.00 Novr 27 Do 2.00

[The following words were typed sideways in the left margin] Settled & cosed See Act Book

1094

#1094 Typed vol. 4

THE DIARY AND NOTES of NIMROD PORTER Maury County, Tennessee Volume 4 [Manuscript volume 4, 1869-1871]

Personal and farm diary October 11, 1869 - August 12, 1871 with a few notes added later by another person

Copied from original manuscript volume given for permanent preservation by Frances Moore Stephenson Columbia, Tennessee,

to the

SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Diary of Nimrod Porter

From October 11th., 1869 through August 12th., 1871

-340-

agreed to allow Tom $1.50 pr day. T is to pick out Cotton for Rich'd & Jack to pay the days work

October Thu 14th / T. L. Porter / Jack P. Hay Tom McCanless $2.25 paid $1.25 Maj. J. D. Walker / Cross tyes / Wilson / J. Patton ) The morning is mostly clear Wind South Thomas is gone over the river to see E. C. Alexander about the redemption of my land. William is gone up on Fountain Creek & I to Town

Jack & Tom McCanless is helping get hay for me today. Rich is sick I paid Tom $1.25 We got done outting hay and am to credit him $1.00

I wrote a letter to J. D. Walker Nashville about the am't of my cross tye claims Am't 21,600 ytyes at $.60 each - $12,960.

I got a letter from Wilson he says that Sam'l Jones says he will fix up the Dale debt & he will see about H. Bradshaws liabilities to the bank and. let me know in a few days.

For Jacks work yesterday and half the day today I will pay Jack upon a settlement.

Fr 15 ) The morning is cold with a heavy frost. I went to Town did not get the order to settle with Clerk & Master fixed up to please me

Sat 16 ) The morning is verry cold heavy frost Huston Thomas don't do me Justice in the decree to get my settle ment with the Clerk and Master. I went to Town to get it done, but it is not right altogether.