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DIARY OF FRANCIS TAYLOR, 1788,
1788,
November,
17, Had Greens set in Potatoe patch. Cloudy & misty weather- After dinner Jos Hawkins & Geo Porter came here to get the debates of Convention- they had been at J.Taylor's & his wife sent them here, as it was lent to me I let them have it-Finished paling all but the Gates.
18, J.Taylor came over soon in the morning ot see Jos Clark who went rolling and had passed before J.T. got here- He said he heard Mr.Gordon had lost his reason-he re'd before breakfast-Weather foggy but no rain-Frank got Mrs Burnley to cut him out a coat.
19, Had toothach bad last night-my face swelled to-day- weather warm. C.Taylor got home from Caroline this morning-I went there to dinner-J.Taylor, his wife & children there- Davy finished shoemaking.
20, Foggy until noon- I borrowed C.Taylor's bay mare & went to a Sale of R.Martin's Estate- Mr Shepherd, Maj'r Lee & J.Taylor in company from Court house-the last with Col.Madison, W Madison, Rob't Wilson & C.Taylor dined at Maj'r Madisons- Maj'r Lee, C.Taylor & myself staid next morning to Breakfast-
21, Got to Court house & waited a while for C.Taylor who had gone to visit Mr W.Beale-Got home to dinner-This day foggy like yesterday, and warm clear evening-G.T. borrowed Sledge to bring his goods from Maj'r Lees- they were bro't from Fredericksburg &c.
22, Fine warm weather, morning foggy or smoky- I went to J.Taylor's- Ben Gaines was there and said his father was very ill- he went to C.Taylor's- J.Taylor's wife went to see Mr.Gaines-I helped about the Docket & dined with J.Taylor.
23, [Sunday] Rained small before day-continued rainy all day, some heavy showers with distant thunder & warm. J.Taylor borrowed a little bason of Coffee & sent his newspaper- I dined alone- ret'd the Coffee in Dec'r- H.Taylor's waggon, from Redstone, went home last night-
24, Cloudy wet morning, cleared about 10 o'clock, warm- I went to Court, saw Mr.James Blair who informed me he left my father at M Robinson's (this side of Fredericksburg) yesterday morning, very unwell. I could hear no more of him & fear he is still ill- or he would have come home to-day- Tay'r Jones brought up & left here some Linen, Cotton &c for G.Taylor- Geo Shepherd got home yesterday from Georgia- He looks badly- had been at H.Bell's in South Carolina, where he was sick-
25, Clouded in the night, rained and turned cold-Rain & Snowed in the morning & a little all day- About 12 o'clock I went to Court house-could hear nothing from my father. Geo.C.Taylor got there and borrowed a mare from J.Taylors and set off to Capt Conways, in th evening, on his way to see my father- I lent him 7/6- ret'd 6/- the 28th. Heard that James Gaines died this morning
26, Rained all night, cold and freezing- Great Sleet this morning, much ice on the trees, grass &c- continued to rain and dark all day- turned warmer ab't noon and the ice fell from trees &c- Capt Burnley, after dinner, brought home some Shirts Mrs Burnley made for me-
27, Cloudy foggy morning, cleared by middle of the day and fine evening. I went about 10 o'clock to Court, could hear nothing further about my father. I paid 1/3 to Mr. Head, who lives with Capt Burton, for a pair of Glass Salts he sent me by Joel Stodghill to-day.
28, Cloudy morning, misty evening, but not very cold- My father and G.C.Taylor got home at noon. My father (Col.George Taylor, then 77 yrs. 9 mos old-WKA) says he is better of his complaint, but has still a difficulty of making water. He continued at Michael Robinson's from Sunday morning till yesterday, when he came to Capt. Conway's- G.C.Taylor met him about the *Wilderness, with Capt Conway's Carriage and he got to his house last night- C.Taylor called here as he came from Court & gave some [Gum?] Arabic & Nitre for G.Taylor to take-
[* "The Wilderness," so-called at that day is where the bloody battle of that [home?] was fought May 5-7, 1864. It is still a wilderness of Scrub-Oak.PFT]
From the TAYLOR DIARY, 1907-z in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.