Selections from the Diary of Jeremiah Graves

1844

March 6: Engaged with Mr. Moon to do the woodwork of a House of Brick with a Passage between Old House. The House 2 stories high with a Basement story, 4 windows over Passage. The Passage to be of wood altogether, 2 doors and shutters 1 Passage 1 door in ditto Leading down in Basement and in first Room. steps or staircase to lead up in second story out of Passage all to be finished, approved in a good workmanlike manner. The Mantel Piece in first to be a little extra, for the sum of $125. Also engaged with Mr. Sampson this 6th March 1844 to build a Brick House 20 feet square 2 stories high with a Basement story, to mould, do burning, kilning, etc.etc and then I am to pay him 2 1/4 Dolls. per thousand for Laying etc. work to be done well, that is making, burning and laying $2 1/4 per M.
March 15: Finished stripping Tobacco and Prized our Lugs and a part of our Short Tobacco. Commenced Sowing oats the 12th March but so wet only sowed 5 Bus. and now all mauling and fencing. Children started to school about the 6th March but so wet they have gone only 5 days to this day. Sowed Peas and Planted Onions 1st March. Planted Potatoes 1st and finished the Patch 14th March by the Spring. Sowed Peas Last of Feb'y or 1st March.
March 28th: Finished sowing oats this day. Sowed flax seeds also this day. Breaking up corn ground.
April 12: Sowed flax seed this day. Planted Irish and Sweet Potatoes on Hill 5th inst. and set out Yams. Began to make Tobacco Hills 11th Inst. April. Planted snaps and corn in garden this day. Tobacco Plants [Sqrain?]. Began to Plant Corn far side of John's field. Flies just begun to eat Tobacco Plants.
April 15: Planting Corn all hands this day. Weather dry and hot for April.
April 16: This day Mr. Moon and Irby came here to work to build new Room mentioned. Commenced getting shingles first. Rained this day in the night, very cool.
April 17: Rained again about [_____].
April 19: Rained this morning. Prizing good tobacco.
April 29: April has been generally warm, on last Saturday it rained hard and Hailed about Heavily but not here. Finished Plank Kiln this morning.
May 4: Finished Plowing Flat ground for corn. Tobacco plants on mountain large enough to plant.
May 13: Finished Hilling N. ground 11th inst. Planted nearly 2000 new ground Tobacco Hills this day and Hilling second years gound. Mr. Moon has been sick a week. Mr. Irby has been getting shingles that week. This day Mr. Moon came about 12 o'clock and quite unwell. Not able to do much with a bad cold for two days nearly he just would rave shingles and Irby draw them.
May 17: A Smart Hail this night and Friday the 18th. We planted our new ground Tobacco and on 19th we are planting on second years ground. Finished planting our greens in the garden etc.etc.
May 21: Finished Hilling our second years ground, weeded out our Sweet and hilled up our Irish Potatoes.
May 23: Began to weed corn this day.
May 27: Replanted Tobacco on Holiday.
June 14: Planted Tobacco on Branch this day. Replanted lot over and began the 12th June to lay by corn. Moon and Irby gone for want of Plank. Work out cotton, Potatoes and Planted Irish Potatoes for winter use. Began this day to weed down Tobacco.
June 17: Finished weeding Second years ground and this day began to cut wheat.
June 20: Replanting Tobacco this morning from a light shower of Rain last night.
June 21: Finished this morning cutting and shocking wheat and Rye. Another shower of Rain.
June 22: Sowed Buck Wheat this day. Began to Hill up new ground Tobacco. Nearly done laying by corn.
July 15: Mr. Sampson came here to make brick.
August 13: Finished making Brick and have been Kilning for several days. Barber in Vaughan's place. Weather very dry and looks like Starvation in Our Land.
August 14: A fine rain in the evening, hardly finished kilning Brick got wet some -- too late corn I think.
August 15: Sowed Turnip Patch
August 16: Succoring Tobacco.
August 19: This morning burning bricks and weeding out wheat. D. Bybe at Brick Kiln @ 3/9 per day.
August 22: Began to pull fodder.
August 26: Mr. Moon and Irby returned to work and have worked every day this week.
August 29: Yet pulling fodder. Finished this day burning brick kiln this day been at 10 days. D. Bybee and A. Compton helped.
August 30: Mrs. Burkly Died yesterday. Hardest Rain last week and Roaring from the looks of the Cloud I ever saw.
September 27: This month has generally been dry. 1 Rainy day in it. Very Summer Indeed. Crops generally tolerable for the season. Hauled up bricks with 2 teams 4 days. Began to get up corn. Cut and Housed new ground tobacco and cut Lot and Second years land this week. Commenced raining last evening Friday and this 28th still raining regularly off and on. Moon and Irby not done much this week.
October 2: Sampson came to begin to Lay Brick and the foundation was dug to make a beginning.
October 3 about 9 O'Clock: Cut my Buckwheat this day.
October 9: Fine weather. Altered Mary and Pompey. Cloudy and like for rain.
October 28: Rained last week and this night. Rained harder than for several years. Putting up last story of house.
November 6: Finished laying Brick. Began to get up corn and sow wheat.
November 8: Sowed Second years Tobacco land.
November 25: Powhatan came here to work in his place on Wednesday after Tuesday 22nd. Put new logs in Mrs. Hunt's granary. POLK ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE US. Mr. Vaughan came here some time to pencil the house--came on Sunday evening from Mr. Millers stayed till Tuesday evening, went down to W. Mc.Came again on Wednesday evening, stayed till Thursday morning and in all the time only penciled the ends of the house. Rained all the time, left Thursday morning, came back here again on Monday 2nd December, stayed till Wednesday and doing nothing again on account of the rain. Gone after Breakfast. So much cloudy and rainy weather I never saw. My corn half of it in the field.
November 29: Finished sowing wheat this day and sowed 17 bushels. Getting corn out of the field. Fredrick went to Mrs. Hunt's to make shoes on Monday.
December 4: Stripped Tobacco 3rd. They are now cutting and grubbing in new ground.
December 25: Bo't of Wm. C. Grasty 1 hearth brush 23¢. 1 Pocket knife 37¢ 3 Tin cups 18¢ 1 T. Bucket 20¢ making 98¢. No Bill for. Went to Dan'l L [Hunt] for house for Jno. Hagood to live in. Went to Mr. Jno. D. Hunt's at Plantation about one week before. Son Jerre, Jas Hunt sick.
December 26: My wife gone to Mrs. Hunt's. Beautiful weather.

1845

January: Jan'y has been generally mild good deal rain and Cloudy weather.
February 4: Went to Mrs. Hunt's to get Ice this morning. Raining after awhile Showing and about 12 O'clock fair and warm before sun set same day freezing, wind from North and tremendous cold night.
February 5: Very windy and cold the Whole Earth like Rock, stripped Tobacco yesterday 4 hands cutting wood and mauling in new ground, began to break up corn ground last Jan'y.
February 7: Weather a little moderated. We are laying worm of new ground fence. Moon and Irby making staircase.
February 22: Rolled logs Wednesday last. This day stripping tobacco plowing and hauling wood. Weather very wet. Burnt plany bed on Branch last week about middle of month. This week Mr. Moon has got shingles to cover old House etc. Began to strip Tobacco in Big Barn on Hill this day. 21st Hauled logs out of Mr. Grasty's new ground this day.
February 26: Beautiful weather almost like May. James C. Hunt married yesterday Feb 15th, 1845 -- Miss Langhorne of Lynchburg. Shingling our old house this day. Burning log heaps, etc. Plowing at Mountain field. Mr. Moon left on Thursday 27th Feb'y and Irby Friday the 28th without finishing.
March 6: Children started to school this day. Fencing at Stony Point and Plowing. Planted Irish Potatoes, English Peas and onions etc. Began to Prize lugs.
March 7: I went to Riceville to Meeting.
March 8: Raining and we are stripping tobacco. Weather changed and a good deal cooler. In Jan'y 1845 made a bargain Mr. Jas. Murphy to plaster my house and white wash it to be finished off as I want it for $45.00 but I think myself the work is worth $47.50. I am to give him that sum, the two dollars and fifty cents is at my discretion which sum of $45 I am to pay said Murphy March or April 1846 this is our contract.
March 11: Hauled shocks and wood out of new ground piled up trash.
March 12: Hauled up and getting out oats to sow.
March 14: Malissa sick child born after midnight this morning.
March 15: Bud Faris sent for help to roll logs. Could not help him. Henry sowing oats. I am going to mauling. Frederick cutting gutter around Malissa's house to draw the water off. Phil going to the mill. Just commencing sowing oats this morning, they have been preparing the gound for 2 days.
March 18: Sowed 15 Bushels oats to this night. Fed gone today to roll logs to Mr. [____]. Set Yams this morning for [________] to plant. Planted gourd seed. Paid Mr. Moon $115 in all the other $ I don't know that I shall ever pay him without being compelled because he did not finish my house at all and some he did do was not done workmanlike.
March 19: Wednesday. Very cold and windy, ground hard frozen. I am afraid Tobacco plants killed. My wife and F.W. [daughter Fanny White] gone to see Mrs. Coleman [her sister].
March 20: Really a winter morning Ground hard frozen. Can't plow. Freezing weather. Pulled down old saddle house this morning at 12 O'clock. This day the water freezes in the porch -- tremendous cold for March 21, 1845.
March 26: Weather a little moderated. Sowed flax seed, nearly done sowing oats. Sowed Plant Bed over on the Branch this day. Weather has been very cold for more than a week. Our new ground nearly half coultered.
March 27: Weather moderate finished sowing oats.
March 28: Went to saw mill paid off Mr. Miller in full to this 30%#162 in my debt.
March 29: Monstrous fire in the woods toward Good Hope, gathered a good many hands and stopped it, done no mischief.
March 30: Fire at new gound and burnt 40 panels of fence entirely for me.
March 31: Weather moderate, stripping tobacco and hope to finish this day and prizing lugs.
April 2: Finished coultering new ground this day. Plowing for corn. Planted snaps and corn in garden.
April 3: Planted snaps, cucumbers and simblings in garden etc. Weather dry and warm at this time.
April 4: Commenced making new gound Tobacco Hills. Still for corn. Ground hard and very cool, everything almost killed this morning 9th April 1845 Smart ice in places.
April 9: Remarkable dry and very cool. Henry Clay [horse] has the distemper very bad. Moon's negroes cut his wife's throat and very nearly killed her. On the 8th of April everything killed almost. Beets and all the fruit killed.
April 11: Commenced planting corn in mountain field. Weather rather warmer but very dry and windy no appearance of rain.
April 12: Still dry and cool, planting corn and snaps by Melissa's house. Very Smokey [hazy] weather. Planted Sweet Potatoes.
April 14: Planting corn at Stony Point. Looks a little like rain, weather a little cook, great deal Smoky weather.
April 15: Still planting corn at Stony Point it looks something like rain weather moderate.
April 16: No rain -- faired off today and Hot. Planted corn and snaps back of Garden this day. Fed hauling Rails to make Tobacco Lot by Henry's house. Marked my calves and turned all out this morning. Still very Smoky. Planted all our corn except where the ground is too hard to break up.
April 17: Hauling and coultering new ground.
April 18: Cloudy and drizzling rain now. Yet to do any good. Hilling new ground. Little cool this morning. Sent by Phil counterpane to Mrs. Jno. Tucker to weave flower of almond the Draught 9¢ cash dsf in trade.
April 19: Began to rain about night rained moderate one or two hours. Planted out some cabbage plants--ground yet hard in places. Sent Brother William Dews at meeting 1/6.
May 30: Engaged with Mr. John R. Taylor to paint our Houses Inside and out in a nice style for the sum of Forty-six Dollars, I furnishing the paint as per Bill.
June 17: Tuesday Mr. Johnson came here last evening and began to work for me this day at $1 six shillings per day 6/s
June 28: Mr. Johnson is this day finishing off the comb of the Brick House which Moon and Irby half done. Mr. Johnson says he thought they knew how to comb off a house better than they did mine. He took off four courses of shingles and is putting on 4 to stop the Leak which is owing to bad shingling. The Valley boards between Old House and Passage which Moon and Irby put up and the weather boarding on the Passage is taken off and done over. Mr. Johnson who says they were no Valley Boards at all, merely a little thin piece of Plank put under the shingles with a little groove in it, which is not worth a cent.
July 3: Mr Murphy's Wot Spencer and 2 whites began to plaster House or getting lathes this morning.
July 4: Mr. Johnson making door to Old House in passage upstairs. Plasterers finishing getting lathes this day.
July 12: Plasterers finishing off Dining Room and have got one coat all over House.
July 23: Plasterers finished Plastering our House last Saturday 19th July 1845 then they were nearly two days and 1/2 about two chimneys.