NOVEMBER 1887
Tue. Nov. 1st. Clear and cool - a little frost in morn. Dan came early in morn and he, Willie, Rena and I picked peas in hull till 11 and cotton balance of day on H ridge till 12 and in Gate cut in eve.
Wed. 2nd. Clear and quite cool early in morn but no frost. Dan came early in morn and he, Willie, Rena and I picked peas on hilltop of Persimmon cut till 11 and put up in hull. We finished cotton on H ridge by 12 and all of Gate cut in eve but bottom.
Thu. 3rd. Clear and cool but no frost. Willie, Rena and I picked peas and got 75 pds in hull on hilltop of Cherry cut by 10 3/4 and Willie and I picked over last of cotton in big field and got 20 by 12 and Willie and I picked 60 pds of cotton in new ground in eve. Carrie Chambers here all day making a dress.
Fri. 4th. Clear and cool and beautiful weather. Willie, Rena and I picked 80 pds of peas in hull on hilltop of Persimmon cut by 10 3/4 and we picked 30 of cotton in new ground by 12 and 100 in eve. I had a dull headache in right side of my head all eve and all night and slept but little.
Sat. 5th. Clear and cool. Willie, Rena and I picked 60 pds of peas in Persimmon cut by 10 1/2. I arose with headache but ate some breakfast and threw it up at 8 1/2 and came home and laid down till 1 and drank cup of tea and ate a biscuit. I laid down again till 2 1/2.
Sun. 6th. Cloudy some but bright and warmer and signs of rain. Dixie, Willie, Rena and I went in buggy to Sunday School and preaching in town and Clarissa stayed here with Nellie in morn. Nellie and Willie went to Mr. D's in eve. Dixie, Rena and I stayed home.
Mon. 7th. Cloudy and rained in slow shower at 7 to 9 1/2 in morn. Bright and nearly clear balance of day and warmer from SW. I began at 7 in morn and rain stopped me at 7 1/2 and began again at 9 1/2 and dug potatoes balance of day on H ridge and hauled them all in by sunset - about 18 bushels in all. Willie and Rena picked 30 pds of peas in hull on far end of H ridge at 9 1/2 to 11 1/4 in morn and gathered some hay in eve. Nellie walked to Clara's alone in eve.
Tue. 8th. Bright and pleasant. Willie and Rena picked 45 pds and last of peas by 10 1/2 in morn. I dug and hauled in about 10 or 12 bushels from patch on H ridge by 11 3/4 in morn. I rode young J to Turnbull's and back by Cohen's and got some things and got home by dusk. Willie and Rena picked 40 pds cotton in new ground in eve.
Wed. 9th. Bright and pleasant from N and dry. Willie and Rena picked cotton in new ground most of morn and I cut vines off 8 rows of potatoes on H ridge and barred them off with old J and plow and dug 2 of them with hoe by 9 1/2. Bud, Dick, Smith and Vandy from Morgan's came then. I walked and helped them to get Dolly's heifer out of Sims' cow pasture by 11 1/2. I dug the 6 rows of potatoes in eve and Willie and I hauled in a full heaping cartload of eating ones and part of load of seed by dark.
Thu. 10th. Dark, cloudy from S and N till 10 1/2 and clear in eve and cool N wind and dry. Willie and Rena picked cotton in new ground till 10 in morn and finished and I cut vines off last of potatoepatch on H ridge early in morn (11 rows) and plowed up 7 rows with old J in morn and the other 4 in eve. Willie and I hauled in 3 cartloads of eating ones by dusk and left about 2 loads of seed and cut ones in patch.
Fri. 11th. Clear and cool and a little frost in morn and a dry and pleasant day. Willie and I hauled in a cartload of potatoes (seed and cut ones) from patch on H ridge and last of them early in morn. I dug 4 rows with hoe in old patch W of persimmon tree at 10 to 4 in eve and Willie and I hauled a cartload of eating ones (mostly Spanish) and 1/2 load of seed and cut ones late in eve.
Sat. 12th. Bright, nearly clear and some frost in morn and dry and beautiful weather. I walked early to Mr. Sims' to alter his boar but he put it off and he promised me the loan of Pearl for Willie to ride through the winter. I came home by 8 and dug 3 rows of potatoes in patch W of persimmon tree by 12 1/2 and Willie loaded cart and we got a load of eating ones mostly Spanish and I unloaded them by 1 and we hauled about 4 bushel little ones by 2 1/2 and took all of buggy wheels to branch to swell and gathered a basket of hay and put over potatoes and got up Pearl from cow pasture.
Sun. 13th. Cloudy all day but hazy and high clouds - bright and pleasant. Nellie, Dixie, and Rena drove old J to buggy to Chapel and I rode young J and Willie rode Pearl to Sunday School in town and came out to chapel and we had 2 sermans and dinner there. Saddler preached his last for year. Willie came home just after dinner and the rest of us got home just after dusk.
Mon. 14th. Clear and cool and dry from NW. Willie and Rena picked some cotton by front gate and in new ground in morn and I dug potatoes in patch by persimmon tree (W of it) most of day with hoe and hauled in a heaping cartload of eating ones and nearly a 1/2 load of small ones. Nellie and Rena walked to Clara's in eve.
Tue. 15th. Clear and pleasant and dry. I took cart and plow to Dewberry cut early in morn and killed a turkey there and I plowed up the 6 rows of potatoes there and hauled them in (1 1/2 loads) by 12. Willie and Rena helped me. I plowed up 9 rows of old patch W of persimmon tree and last of my potatoes by 3 1/2 in eve and hauled them in 1 1/2 loads by sunset. I dug and hauled in 165 bushels in all. Willie walked to Pa's late in eve. I put my 4 sow shoats in field early in morn.
Wed. 16th. Foggy and drizzly till 10 from SW and bright and pleasant balance of day. I fixed potatoes and gathered some hay and put on them till 9 1/2 in morn. Willie and Rena picked 8 of cotton in field by then. Ma, Pa and Gordon came here all day and we had the turkey for dinner.
Thu. 17th. Cloudy and foggy and showered at 10 to 11 1/2 in morn and bright in eve from W. Nellie and I rode old J to town in buggy at 8 in morn till 1 1/4 and got some things from Mrs Schaeffer and she loaned Nellie some wrappings. Willie, Rena and I picked some cotton in new ground in eve.
Fri. 18th. Cloudy and chilly from NE all day. Willie, Rena and I picked over last of new ground by 9 in morn and we hauled 4 cartloads of wood from our pasture by 12. I took cart to Elmwood and got 2 gals molasses from Dunke S for taking up his 3 pigs in September and I got 4 bbls corn from Roxanna which she owed for meat and got home by dusk.
Sat. 19th. Cloudy, foggy and damp early in morn. Hazy, though the sun could be seen, most of day. I took cart to Surgett's and brought home 6 1/2 bbls corn owing me by 10 and another 5 1/2 (12 in all) by 1 1/2. Dan here and Willie went hunting with him in eve.
Sun. 20th. Clear but very smokey and cold N wind - dry and icy. Nellie and Willie walked to Mr. D Chambers and there all day. None of us went to Sunday School on account of cold. I walked to creek with Nellie and Willie and to Mr. Sims at 9 to 10 1/4. Dixie and Rena at home most of day. They went to Mr. D's a while in eve. I fixed potatoes with quilts and grass and cut last of cane in eve and put my cattle in field late in eve.
Mon. 21st. Clear and a white frost and killing freeze in morn but wind from S all day and warmer in eve. I put our 5 milk cows in field in morn at daylight. We put heifers in on yesterday eve. I walked and took cart to Surgett's early in morn and got 6 bbls corn and returned by 10. I took 6 or 7 bushels of potatoes on cart to Dr McGehee in town in eve and I brought back 4 bbls corn from Andrew McCurley's and got home at dark.
Tue. 22nd. Cloudy all day, SE wind and chilly in morn but warmer in eve. I took another cartload of potatoes to Dr McGehee in town at 8 to 12 1/2 making about 14 bushels in all with yesterday's load and he gave me a clear receipt. I rode young J to Cohen's in eve to see about ginning a bale of cotton tomorrow. Willie and I walked in field at sunset and saw our 4 sow shoats.
Wed. 23rd. Cloudy all day but pleasant from S. Fayette hauled my 4th and last bale to Cohen's and we ginned and got through by 12 1/2. The bale weighed 499 and I got them to ship it. We returned at 2 and put away the seed and Willie and I weighed the seed cotton left in cotton house and it was 50 pds. Willie and I drove up our milk cows late in eve from field. I rode young J to gin in morn and got $6.40 and paid it to Rena for picking cotton and peas.
Thu. 24th. Cloudy but bright and pleasant from S. Willie and I picked cotton all day, scraping in Mr. Sims' new ground in big hollow SE of here and we got 75 pds. Dick D took his 2nd and lst bale to Cohen's today in eve.
Fri. 25th. Cloudy and began to rain in slow showers from SW at 8 in morn and lasted till 1. A good soaking rain for it was quite dry. Willie and I picked about 20 pds of cotton in Sims's new ground in big hollow by 9 1/2 and rain stopped us. Dick D here for dinner and left at 1 1/2 and Willie and I cut and hauled 5 cartloads of wood from our pasture in eve.
Sat. 26th. Cloudy and warm and bright some from S. Willie went hunting just before day and caught an opossum SW of garden in ground. I rode young J to Morgan's and carried 6 dresses to girls and he paid me $4.45 in draft. I returned at 11 1/2 and Willie and I walked all over field and saw our 4 shoats and got up cows and old Pearl late in eve.
Sun. 27th. Cloudy and sprinkled rain from 2 to 12 and changed to N. Cold and sprinkled from N all eve. None of us went to Sunday School but all home all day but Nellie went to her Pa's in eve a while.
Mon. 28th. Bright and cold from N all day. I had headache all yesterday eve and last night and began to vomit at daylight and lay in bed and suffered till 12. Then ate something and got better and got up at 12 1/2. I rode young J to Cohen's in eve and got some things which I paid for and got a $27 draft to pay Van Eaton.
Tue. 29th. Bright and cold, a freeze in morn, wind from N. Willie, Rena and I picked about 16 pds of cotton in Sims' new ground by 10 1/2 in morn and Reuben Brown brought 4 bbls of cotton seed and bbl of corn and got 65 stalks cane at 10 1/2 to 11 1/2. Willie, Rena and I picked 14 pds cotton in new ground in eve. Dan and Dick came at 2 1/2 and Willie went hunting with them in field.
Wed. 30th. Bright, nearly clear and cold from NE. Dixie and Rena went on buggy and drove old J and I rode young J to town in morn and they got some things and I paid Judge Van Eaton $37 on land bringing down note to $40. We returned at 1 1/2 and Willie and I picked 17 of cotton in far corner of our new ground late in eve and finished last of our cotton.