FEBRUARY 1902
Sat. Feb. 1st. Dark cloudy and no sun and rained all day till late in eve and quit then. We didn't work on account of rain. I walked to Wiley's at 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 in eve to get 4 eggs and Nellie and Minnie cooked some cakes in eve. I packed Bernice back with me and carried her back late in eve.
Sun. 2nd. Bright and sun shined most of day and a cold wind from N and dried ground a good deal by late in eve. Wiley went to his Pa's in morn and I walked to Wiley's and Rena and Bernice came back with me in morn and they and Gordon and West here most of day.
Mon. 3rd. Cloudy and a hard freeze in morn and no sunshine all day but calm and warmer in eve. Wiley rode Goulden and Henry drove Frances and Ella to wagon and carried Wiley's load of cotton seed to town in morn and they returned late in eve. Rena and Bernice here all day. I walked to Cohen's and back at 9 1/4 to 12 1/4. Seymour here at 12 1/4 to 1 1/2 and Willie bought his hand mill. I helped Henry to unload some plank at Wiley's in eve.
Tue. 4th. A slight freeze in morn and cloudy some all day but sun shined most of day and a chilly breeze from NE all day and began to sleet at 7 at night and changed to rain and lasted all night. Willie rode Joe and Henry drove Frances and Ella to wagon and carried a load of cotton seed to town in morn and Willie sold them (something over 1700) at a rate of $13 per ton and he got a bbl of flour and some other things and they returned at 2 in eve. Bernice here most of day. I have a cold in my head and throat and had a dull headache all day and night too.
Wed. 5th. Dark cloudy all day and rained and misted most of day and ice on everything early in morn but turned warmer after sunrise and all melted off by 1 in eve. We didn't work today. My headache got better early in morn and left me late in eve and my cold was better then too. Dan and Buddy and Gordon and Tigner and little Bud here in eve awhile.
Thu. 6th. Cloudy all morn and wet and chilly but bright some in eve and warmer and drier. Willie rode Joe and Henry drove Frances and Ella to wagon and carried 1970 of cotton seed to town and sold it at rate of $13 per ton and Willie got some things and they returned at 2 and carried wagon to Clara's in eve for Buddy to haul his seed to Cohen's. Lucy Banford washed here today and I got wood and water.
Fri. 7th. Cloudy some but bright and cool from N and no rain. Willie and Henry knocked down cotton stalks in back of our field most of day. I carried a red fig tree and some Calacanthus sprouts to Wiley's early in morn and he set them in his yard and Bernice came back with me and here all day and I repaired little gate toward Sims' by putting in a new post and cut up some wood by 12. I cut a locust gate post in old road and mended 2 rocking chairs in eve.
Sat. 8th. Cloudy all day and a cold breeze from NE but bright most of day and dry. Willie and Henry threshed cotton stalks all morn and didn't work in eve. I walked in woods S of our field hunting some mulberry timber to make a gate but didn't find any (early in morn) and I cut up good deal of wood by 11. Buddy and Gordon and John and Minnie McMahon and Effie here awhile in eve and had music and some sugar cane.
Sun. 9th. A freeze in morn and bright and a cold breeze from N all day but sun shined all day and pleasant in sunshine after 10 in morn. Nellie walked to Clara's in morn and Willie went part of way with her. Wiley and Rena and Bernice spent day at Seymour's. Willie and Minnie and Carmell went to Lewis' in eve. I walked to Clara's in eve and Nellie and I returned late in eve.
Mon. 10th. Clear and cold and dry from N - a hard freeze in morn -and ice in shade all day. I walked to Wiley's in morn and Bernice came back with me and here all day. Willie and Henry and I threshed peas most of day and we were cold all morn for ground was frozen.
Tue. 11th. A hard freeze in morn but a breeze from S and sun shined and all melted away by 2 in eve and cloudy some late in eve and all night. Willie and Henry and I threshed peas till 11 1/2 in morn and finished last of them and we threshed about 60 bu in all. Willie and Henry packed our planting cotton seed from shed room on W side of barn and put them in cotton house at 1 to 2 1/4 in eve and Henry rode Jack mule to town in eve and returned at dusk. Willie fired some dead trees at back of our field in eve. I packed and cut up some wood in eve. I had a cold in my head and throat and a cough and had a dull headache all day and night too.
Wed. 12th. Cloudy all day and no sunshine but calm and pleasant. Henry began and plowed Dan and mule most of day in Cherry cut listing ground and Willie cleaned up ground and I helped Wiley to put up his wire fence around his calf pasture (3 strands) and we finished wire at 3 in eve and I came home and cut up wood and fed. My headache left me early in morn and my cold was better by late in eve.
Thu. 13th. Cloudy and warm and a damp breeze from SE and drizzled and dropped rain some in eve. Henry listed ground in Cherry cut and Persimmon cut and Pine corner most of day. Willie and I cut and split some sassafras timber beyond Stina branch early in morn for a big gate and Willie cleaned up ground in Luckett field till 12 and rode Joe to Cohen's in eve. I cut some sassafras poles in Sims' field for a gate for Wiley and packed them out at 9 to 10 and I cut 11 locust posts in our field by 11 3/4 and I cut down a pecan tree on E side of garden and cut it up and packed to meat scaffold to smoke our meat in eve.
Fri. 14th. Cloudy and warm and damp from S and we had a sprinkle of rain at 12 and changed to NW at 2 and we had a little shower at 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 and cloudy and quite cool from W of N balance of eve. Henry listed ground in Pine corner till 9 1/2 in morn and in Luckett field till 12 and started there again in eve but rain ran him home at 2 1/2 and he didn't go back again. Willie cleaned up ground in Luckett field most of day. I hauled the sassafras timber from Stina branch and some locust posts from our field, and carried some sassafras poles to Wiley's by 9 1 /2 in morn and Wiley kept Joe and cart there and packed some manure in his garden and plowed it up. I strung our meat and hung it out to smoke at 10 1/2 to 12.
Sat. 15th. Dark cloudy all day and a cold wind from N and a little ice all day. Willie cleaned up ground in Luckett field all morn and Henry listed ground there with Dan and mule and they didn't work in eve. I cut and split up some pecan wood to smoke meat early in morn and smoked our meat all day and I split and sawed some sassafras timber for big gate toward cow pen at 9 to 11 3/4. I set the steel trap in hollow in orchard on a dead hen, to catch a hawk, in eve, but we caught a gray cat, and had a hard time getting it out of trap.
Sun. 16th. Bright, nearly clear, and a hard freeze and white frost in morn, and a cold breeze from W of N most of day, but pleasant in sunshine in eve. Willie and Minnie and baby and Rena and Bernice walked to Dixie's in morn and spent day - Wiley went to his Pa's in morn. Nellie walked to Seymour's in eve and I staid about house all day.
Mon. 17th. Bright, nearly clear, and a frost and light freeze in morn , but a dry and pleasant day. Henry listed ground most of day in Luckett field with Dan and mule. Willie drove Joe to buggy to town in morn and bought a B plow and some other things from Metzger and Cohen and returned at 11 1/4 and he fired and cleaned up Luckett field in eve. I worked on the big gate toward cow pen most of day and smoked our meat too.
Tue. 18th. Bright, and a very slight freeze in morn, but wind from SE and pleasant after 10 in morn and dry and sun shined all day. Henry listed ground and Willie cleaned up ground all day. Minnie walked to Seymour's and carried Carmell in morn and returned late in eve. Rena and Bernice here most of day and Aunt Margaret too and Wiley dined here too. Nellie set out bushes in front yard today. I worked on big gate most of morn and finished it and patched up wire fence toward cow pen in eve and smoked our meat all day. I had a dull headache all day and night too.
Wed. 19th. Cloudy and a damp S breeze all morn, and sprinkled rain at 11 3/4 and began to shower again at 2 and we had a big rain at 4 1/4 to 5 from W and bright late in eve. Henry listed ground and Willie cleaned up ground in Luckett field till 2 in eve and both got nearly wet. I smoked meat till 2 in eve and I cut and split up 2 pecan logs into wood, in front yard, by 10 in morn and I worked on wire fence toward cow pen till 11 3/4 and I stabbed down pickets (at bottom) around front yard till 2 in eve and rain stopped me and I carried a young Dominique rooster to Wiley at 3 1/4 to 4 in eve.
Thu. 20th. Cloudy all day, and no sun, and quite cool from W of N and misted rain all morn. Willie and Henry packed some cotton seed from shed on W side of barn and put in cotton house in morn by 10 and they threshed some cotton stalks in field in eve. I helped Wiley to dig up some fig and apple sprouts early in morn and he set them out in his orchard and I finished stabbing down old pickets around front yard and cut up some wood by 11 1/2 and I patched up pickets around graveyard most of eve but didn't finish. Nellie at Wiley's all day.
Fri. 21st. Dark cloudy all day, and no sun, and chilly from W of N and dropped rain and sleet some early in morn and misted rain too. Willie and Henry didn't work today - both are complaining with colds. I walked to Wiley's early in morn and brought Bernice back with me and I finished pickets around graveyard by 9 3/4 and cut up some wood and shucked and nubbed some seed corn by 11 3/4 and sat in house some in eve on account of cold. Rena here most of eve. Willie killed some robins in morn.
Sat. 22nd. Bright and sun shined all day, and a freeze and white frost in morn but a breeze from S and pleasant in eve in sunshine. Willie and Henry and I walked to Wiley's early in morn and helped Wiley to put 1 1/2 bbls molasses on wagon and Wiley and Henry drove Goulden and Ella (mule) and carried the molasses to town and sold it and returned at dusk. I brought Bernice back with me and Rena came on too later and here till late in eve. I repaired fence from Spring gate to big gate, and on to cow pen at 9 in morn to 4 in eve. Willie hunting in eve.
Sun. 23rd. Cloudy, but bright, and quite cool early in morn but wind from SE and pleasant in eve and began to rain in little showers after dark and wind high from SE and rained hard with some thunder at 11 to 12 at night. I walked to Wiley's early in morn and all of them came back with me and here most of day. Nellie was sick last night and today but up in eve. Willie and Minnie drove Joe to Union Church but no preaching there and they returned just before sunset.
Mon. 24th. It rained some slowly till 9 in morn and changed to W of N then and quite cool and cloudy and windy balance of day and no sun today, and sprinkled rain some at 12 to 1 and cleared off after dark. The wind last night blew off 2 pannels of garden pickets and I got 4 railings in old road and Willie helped me and I set 1 post and put up the 2 pannels of pickets at 9 1/2 to 12 (and part of eve). I shucked and shelled some seed corn early in morn and took floor out of shed on W side of barn at 10 3/4 to 12 and Willie and Henry took Joe and mule to Wiley's at 10 3/4 and brought wagon here and we put it under shed on W side of barn. Willie and Henry are both unwell with cold and didn't work today only to cut up wood. Buddy and Gordon here awhile in eve and Jack D came to Wiley's on yesterday eve and he and Wiley ceiled Wiley's house today.
Tue. 25th. Bright and white frost and a slight freeze in morn, but sun shined all day, and pleasant in sun after 10 in morn. Willie and Henry cut down dead trees in new ground at back of our field all day. I rode Joe to Cohen's early in morn and got some nails for Wiley, and 3 pks of Irish potatoes for us and returned at 11 and carried nails to Wiley's at 11 to 11 3/4. Jack D and Wiley ceiling Wiley's room all day. I brought Bernice back with me and took her back at 2 1/2 in eve. I had a headache all day and night too.
Wed. 26th. Cloudy and very little sun all day, and a damp wind from S all day. Willie cleaned up ground and Henry listed ground in SW corner today. I got wood for Aunt Margaret to wash early in morn, and I cut down a bay tree just below water gap, and cut off and split up 1 cut and made 21 rails by 11 1/2 and I gathered some moss and refilled and recovered a horse collar, and made 1 back band and cut up wood and fed in eve. My headache left me early in morn.
Thu. 27th. It rained in showers from S of W with some little thunder from 5 to 9 1/2 in morn and bright and windy from S of W balance of day. I made a back band by 9 1/2 in morn and Henry and I cut off 2 bay cuts by water gap and split part of one by 11 1/2 and Willie, Henry and I split up balance at 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 and Willie and Henry cleaned up in Luckett field balance of eve. Nellie at Wiley's most of day. I patched up some fence on S side of cow pen in eve.
Fri. 28th. Bright and pleasant from S of W all day. Henry broke ground in home field most of day with Dan and mule. Willie walked to Elmwood early in morn and drove Joe home and plowed up garden at 10 1/2 to 11 1/2 and broke ground in field in eve. I repaired fence on S side of cow pen till 9 1/2 in morn and worked a little in garden and cut some Irish potatoes to plant, and shelled some seed corn at 12, and put away our meat (one flour bbl full) and measured up 10 gallons of molasses for Joe Neal and worked a little in garden in eve.