Diary of Jeremiah White Graves, Volume 2, Book 6

June 1st Finished Thining corn yesterday except some drill Corn in bottoms & on branch Planted Tomatoe Peach screan & Goards ^hill on to day replanting tobacco in new ground weeding Corn & shearing sheep fine Growing weather. ground very wet

2nd Ground very wet Rained last evening Henry returned from Lynchg for Mr Lewis last night in 3 days, - we are this morning spining making Bars. shoemaking & then for finishing shearing our sheep marking & cutting our Lambs & Planting Tobacco - done our new ground Hills except, ^{100 Hills}about Planted little second years ground Plants are small

4th Plowing & weeding corn to day, weather warm & seasonable fine growing time

5. Plowing & weeding^{by middle Barn} Corn Halling out manure on Tobacco Lot clear day Went to Mr Hodnetts & Mrs McCullocks

6 Finished last evening Plowing by middle barn Weeding there & Harrowing this morning Plowing fresh ground next to orchard. Covering potatoes & corn on Hill Halling out manure again to day cloudy — Sent Bit & calf to Mrs Colemans & 3 of hers is in my pasture

7 Planted fresh ground with plants from Bro Sampson, starting to fix lot & began to Rain & stop us sent for plants to Plant it

8 Beding & Planting Lot to day -^wetground Finished planting all except 6 Or. 8000 on branch fine season clear fine weather —

9th Plowing & weeding corn, this day over^nearlyonce

10. Rained this evening hard shower

11. Plowing corn over once weeding corn by^barn middle nearly done.

1849 June 12th Went to S. S. M H. to try Tho^s East for stealing Stephen Redgrages oats. got clear from evidence, - Plowed Peas & corn Plowed ^drillcorn second time by middle barn, & below Plum bushes Weeding drill corn next to orchard - Cloudy damp weather -

13. Plowed out Garden Sweet Potatoes cotton Irish Potatoes, begun to lay ^{for tobacco}of[f] Lot. weeding & Plowed fresh ground next to orchard

14. Beding Lot this & thining drill^{Just Plowed} corn

15. Finished Planting Tobacco & Replanted all new ground & little second yrs ground weather warm & moist - Working cotton & branch corn to day Plowing & weeding. Finished weeding cotton this 12 oclock & gone on branch Hot weather about this time —

16 Rained a little last evening. Weeding & resetting corn on Branch where missing. Planting watermellons simbling^Pumpkins Potatoes setting out some Beet, Turnip, screan the seed of which Mr Tucker said came from ^DenmarkDenmark

17 Fine clear weather, Finished yesterday weeding out Branch. Corn, not quite done weeding corn yet. began to Plow Hill next to orchard, second time also next to ¹⁸woods by middle Barn, replanting corn on 19. Branch Lower part, - done weeding & Plowing our corn second time one this side branch & began second time on the other side branch runing 4 Plows, weeding or Hilling up Sweet Potatoes etc - clear weather nights cool, great talk of mad Dogs this Spring. cholera about very much this Spring Mr C. A Hunt Died of it at Independence Mo. on his way to California, - its now in Richmond V^a Extra session Legislature moved to^{to finish}Fauquier Cty

1849 June 19 Hilling up Sweet Potatoes & Plowing then choping & thining corn second time on branch by middle^Barn Weather fair & warm, - wheat nearly ripe -

20th Finished Hilling up Sweet Potatoes & late Irish Potatoes this morning. Plowing corn next to woods by middle Barn. weather clear & warm, Begin this morning to weed our new ground Tobacco

21st Clear & fair Hot days expect to nearly finish Plowing our corn second^{to day}time began big new ground yesterday — Doct Lynn hear, Mr Sheltons examination

22 Finished our corn Plowing second time weeding our new ground Tobacco Sent Henry to mill ——clear & Hot. Began yesterday runing side of the corn in fresh ground next to orchard for last time & sewed near a peck of Peas & Plowed them in

23. Plowing corn on Branch second time Finished weeding new ground Tobacco & Began Second yrs Land, weather clear & Hot Cut Hill side wheat in Lot which ^ripewas Mouse had a Heifer calf 22nd or 23rd^Inst

25 Cutting wheat this morning ground very dry & hard, - every thing but wheat needs rain I am weeding down little second yrs ground Kitt cut wheat here to day nearly all day

26th cutting fresh ground wheat towards stony pint began yesterday in that field — A little cloudy this morning, weeding Tobacco from time yesterday Kit came we were all in wheat field - weather warm

27 Finished in fresh ground next to stony pint gone to mountain field this morning

28 - Kit cut again from 9 or 10 oclock till it rained about 3½ Oclock in evening Finished mountain field & began at home

28th June 1849 replanted Tobacco over & began to cut wheat again at home weather very Hot, Keen lightening yesterday Jane Laying by^corn in fresh ground to day

29 Fed & myself cut wheat at Mr. Neals. Henry gone to Mrs Colemans to cut wheat. 3 Plows Laying by corn in fresh ground & drill corn to day ——

30 4 Plows Laying by corn this side branch Henry went to shop to have Plows sharpened Sewed Peas worked with Hoe & Plowed Pea Patch, on Branch, Planted cucumber seed in Plant Bed, weeding Tobacco in big second years ground. weather very dry & warm My wife & children going to Edge Hill

1st July quarterly meeting – – = " cloudy & likely for Rain, my wife & children 1849 gone to Edgehill meeting this day Lila & Ann^{to Green field} July 1st In the Evening we had a fine Rain

- 2nd Rained hard yesterday little cool this morning wind N. E. fine weather my wife did^{not get} home last night from Edgehill Replanting Tobacco again second or 3rd time, Corn & Tobacco Small for this time,

3 weeding second yrs ground Tobacco. Laying by corn below House & drill corn

4 Laying by corn left side Path this field, been laying by ever since friday last. weather cool at night days warm. Pulled up flax yesterday Finished weeding new ground & second yrs land laid by a p^t of branch corn yesterday — Weeding Branch Tobacco below, spring weather clear & nights cool etc etc etc

Celebration at Riceville this day etc & has been very cool ever since 1st day of the month

5th Finished weeding Lot on Branch Laying by corn big middle Barn left hand Path thro field. Weather very cool & we are sitting by fire This morning we begin to Hall up our wheat - etc. little cloudy & like for Rain in evening, Halled up 4 Loads by 12 & 4 after

6th Laying by corn, sent to mill^{with cart} this morning 1 Barrel corn. nights & morning cool. weeding Lot Tobacco this morning Plowed & Hilled cotton, Halling wheat again

7. went to Mrs Colemans to see Harriet & then on to Meeting at Bro. Plunket did not come Prayer meeting^{gave negroes Holiday from 12 oclock}

8 Raining a little, Bro. Plunket came here on his way to meeting, ^{I say at home & Cate}Henry sick not quite done weeding down our Tobacco In the Evening Rained hard before & after my wife etc returned from meeting & at night^again fine growing weather - at this time —

9th Hilling up little new ground Toba. Treading out a floor wheat this day ground quite wet - - cloudy morning

10 Rained hard last night replanted second yrs big fresh ground Raining this morning. Halling up new ground If it stops raining on new ground being too wet we have not finished laying by our corn yet.

11 Plowing corn & Hilling up big new ground Henry runing boards this morning, Jacob gone to mill 1½ Bus new wheat - &

12 Halling up wheat waggon & cart Did not get done good day —

13 Sent Jacob to Mill 1½ wheat for common use. Cutting oats, Ennis here from Mr. Panillos