SEPTEMBER 1886
Wed. Sept. 1st. Clear and pleasant - quite cool early in morn. Willie , Rena and I picked cotton in cut by front and finished that cut by 10 1/2 and picked little in new ground by 11. I put the ears of yellow corn on gallery shed to sun. Willie and I picked cotton most of eve in Willie's cotton by road. Mr. D came home at 2 from Pine Woods. I grabbled some potatoes at 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 and Nellie carried some of them to Mr. D's in eve.
Thu. 2nd. Clear and pleasant - quite cool early in morn. Willie and I picked in his cotton on poor end of Gate cut and finished there by 10 3/4 and we picked by front gate on E side in eve. Cousins Maggie and Clara and Dixie and Rena went to Pa's in morn and Nellie rode old J there after dinner.
Fri. 3rd. Bright and warmer and some clouds. Willie and I picked cotton in cut by front gate on E side till 10 1/2 in morn and hauled all of corn from Dewberry cut and from watermelon patch (not quite a cart body full in all) by 12. Willie and I walked squirrel hunting in fields and thickets in eve but killed nothing.
Sat. 4th. Clear and pleasant - wind from NE. Willie and I picked 70 pds cotton in cut by front gate on W side by 10 1/2 in morn and got young J from cow pasture by 11 3/4. I rode old J to Cohen's and got some things and returned before sunset.
Sun. 5th. Bright and pleasant - wind from E. Cousin Maggie stayed here last night until eve. Dixie, Willie, Rena and I went to Sunday School and all came home to dinner. Cousin Clara came with us and here all eve. Willie, Rena and I got some muscadines by new ground in eve and Willie and I walked all over our fields late in eve.
Mon. 6th. Bright and warm, some clouds and wind from E. Dixie and Rena helped Willie and me to pick cotton in cut by front gate till 10 1/2. Willie and I picked till 11 3/4. I gathered all of "Giant Normandy" corn in Willie's cotton by road at 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 in eve. Willie and I picked cotton on W side of new ground balance of eve and took in all of cotton from sheds and gallery late in eve.
Tue. 7th. Bright, warm and dry - some clouds and wind from E. Dixie, Willie, Rena and I picked some cotton in cut by front gate and some in Willie's cotton on poor E end of Gate cut in morn. Willie and I picked in new ground most of eve N of sugar cane.
Wed. 8th. Bright, warm and dry - wind and cloud from E. Dixie and Rena helped Willie and me to pick cotton till 10 in morn. We picked some by front gate and some in Willie's cotton on poor E end of Gate cut. Nellie rode old J to Pa's in morn and back by 11. I shelled about 1 1/2 pks of white Giant Normandy corn for seed and put it out to sun in morn. Willie and I picked cotton in new ground in eve.
Thu. 9th. Bright and warm - wind and some clouds from E. Appearance of rain in eve. Dixie, Rena, Willie and I picked some cotton in Persimmon cut and some by front gate in morn and Willie and I picked in new ground all eve. Bev Sims came late in eve to get me to go and see Wig S - he thinks that he has mumps. He gave me some papers and I returned at dusk.
Fri. 10th. Bright, warm and dry. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton in Persimmon cut till 10 1/2 in morn. I took cartwheels to branch to swell at 10 1/2 to 11 1/2 (just below springs). Nellie and Dixie washed some at spring early in morn. Dan came at 2 1/2 and here all eve. I sat in house most of eve.
Sat. 11th. Bright and quite warm till 2. A dark cloud came up from NW at 2 1/2 and rained a slow shower till 4 but not enough to wet ground any for it is quite dry. I took cart to Cohen's at 8 to 11 1/2 in morn and got a bbl of flour, and a coal oil bbl, 2 spools thread on credit. Clara S here all day and night. I walked to Sims' at 1 1/2 to 3 and borrowed old Dun mare and Willie and I got her up late in eve and got some corn and wood. Bud came at 3 1/4 and here for supper.
Sun. 12th. Bright and very warm till 1 and cloudy and showered around from 1 till night and rained a good little shower here at 3 1/2 to 5. Nellie and Rena rode old J, Dixie rode old Dun and I rode young J and Clara S rode Larry to chapel in morn. Willie stayed home. Sadler preached. I came home at 3. Nellie and Rena went to Pa's, and Dixie to Mr. Batey's. I sent Willie on old J for them late in eve. I had headache most of day and bad late in eve and all night.
Mon. 13th. Cloudy some all day and rained enough to run at 3. I lay in bed till 2 with headache and vomited some last night and till 12 today. I drank some coffee and ate something at 2 and 3 and got up then.
Tue. 14th. Cloudy and rain from 6 to 7 in morn and cloudy all day. Rained again in slow shower from SW at 12 to 1 and again late in eve and some at night. Willie and I cut and hauled 3 cartloads of wood from pasture at 8 to 10 in morn and we grabbled some potatoes in orchard and Willie carried some to Mr. D's. Willie and I brought home 2 sacks corn at 11 1/2. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton by front gate all eve.
Wed. 15th. It began to shower from SW at 8 in morn and rained in slow sprinkles till 11 and quit till 1 1/2 and we had 2 hard showers at 1 1/2 and 2 1/4 and bright and pleasant with SW breeze all eve. Willie and I picked 1 sack cotton apiece early in morn and rain stopped us. We fixed cowpen gate and front gate and gathered 2 sacks corn by 11 1/2. Willie and I went to Pa's in eve to see Mary. She has been there since last Friday. I altered 3 pigs at Pa's in eve.
Thu. 16th. Bright and nearly clear all day. Pleasant SW breeze and no signs of rain. Dixie, Willie, Rena and I picked about 100 pds cotton in cut by front gate in morn and Dixie, Willie and Rena picked about 75 pds in new ground in eve. I rode old J to Cohen's in eve to see about ginning but they cannot gin untill next Tuesday. I got 4 pds of lard and 3 of sugar and got home an hour by sun and had good deal of cotton to take in from shed and scaffold in front of cotton house.
Fri. 17th. Bright and warm most of day and a thundercloud came up from E just after dark but only dropped here. Willie, Rena and I dug our red pinders in Cherry cut and got about a half bushel (the crows and other things had eaten most of them) and then we picked some cotton in Willie's by road till 11 and grabbled some potatoes by 11 3/4. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton on W side of new ground most of eve.
Sat. 18th. Bright and pleasant - NE breeze all day - no signs of rain. I hoed up some of ground in NW corner of garden where I planted rutabaga turnips and replanted in white (flat) and purple tops early in morn. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton in Willie's on poor E end of Gate cut till 11 and I brought home some corn on old J by 11 3/4. Willie and I got up young J from cow pasture at 2 to 2 3/4. I didn't work any in eve. Seymour, Gus and Dickie C here in eve.
Sun. 19th. Bright, warm and thundered around - showered around some in eve but none here. Dixie, Willie and I went to Sunday School in morn and Willie and I came home to dinner. Dixie stopped at Mr. D's and Nellie and Rena went there in eve. Seymour, Gus, Dickie C and Dan here most of eve.
Mon. 20th. Bright and warm till 1 and showered then and again at 2 1/2 and again at 4 from E. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton by front gate most of morn and some in eve. Willie and I grabbled some potatoes and gathered 2 sacks corn at 10 1/2 to 11 3/4. Mr. D stopped by here at 11 to see if the plank is dry enough to dress and put down flooring in our 2 rooms.
Tue. 21st. Bright and warm all morn and showers from E at Cohen's at 2 and cloudy some all eve but didnd't rain here. Fayette and Davis came late in morn and hauled my first bale to Cohens' and they ginned and pressed it by 1 1/2 and it weighed 491 and I got Cohen to ship it. Willie and I rode old J and got home by 3 1/2. Mrs Hughes, Fannie Ida and Lula here all day. Mr. D came in morn and dressed flooring most of day.
Wed. 22nd. Bright and warm from SE till 2 and we had a hard little shower then from SE. Dixie, Willie and I picked cotton by front gate and finished there by 10 1/2 and Willie and I picked 15 in new ground by 11 1/4. Nellie and Rena walked to Pa's and back by 10 1/2 to get some milk. Mr. D came at sunrise and dressed flooring till dinner and put down new floor in front room in eve. I helped him some and didn't pick any cotton in eve.
Thu. 23rd. Bright but cloudy some all day from SE and no rain. Willie, Rena and I picked 100 pds cotton in Persimmon cut and 25 in new ground at 8 to 11 in morn. Mr. D came early in morn and finished floor of large room by 12 and leveled hearth and finished dressing flooring in eve. Willie and I took old J to creek at 1 to 2 and got some sand and Nellie and Dixie fixed back and jambs of fireplace with brick and mortar and mud in eve. Willie and I knocked nails out of old flooring and put it under house and weighed 200 pds of cotton on gallery and put it on house.
Fri. 24th. Cloudy and damp - SE wind and drizzled rain some in eve and some at night. Willie, Rena and I picked 100 pds cotton in Persimmon cut and 70 in new ground in morn and 40 in new ground in eve. I had pain in left side of my head last night untill noon today and it changed to right side in eve and I began to vomit at dark and vomited all night and slept none.
Sat. 25th. Bright till eve although it sprinkled rain some in morn and rained a good hard shower from SW at 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 in eve. I arose vomiting but ate some breakfast and headache got better and left me at noon. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton in Persimmon cut most of morn and Willie and I got some corn and some wood before rain and got up young J after rain late in eve.
Sun. 26th. Bright and warm but pleasant - S breeze all day - no rain. Dixie, Willie and I went to Sunday School. I held school. Mr. D took Dosia to Ft Adams on yesterday eve to go to Natches. Nellie and Rena stayed home and Bud came in morn and here all day. Willie went to Mr. D Chambers and Dixie stopped at her Pa's from Sunday School.
Mon. 27th. Bright and warm all morn and began to shower at 1 and rained hard at 3 to 5 in eve (a soaker). Dan, Bud and Mr. D came in morn and we cut a bay beyond Spring gate and hewed out a long and a short sill for back room by 3 and rain stopped us. I sent Willie to Cohen's at 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 for $1 worth of tobacco for boys and he got soaking wet. Chunk gave birth to 5 pigs (the first) last night.
Tue. 28th. Cloudy all day and began to rain slowly at 12 and lasted all eve and part of night. Mr. D and Bud came in morn (Dan sick) and we finished sill and rolled long one and packed short one and put them up in back room by 12 1/4 and Bud and I helped Mr. D and we laid floor and finished room by late in eve. Our old spotted sow gave birth to 6 pigs last night.
Wed. 29th. Clear and cool from N - no signs of rain. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton most of morn by front gate by E side of our road and grabbled some potatoes by 11 1/4 to 12. We picked cotton most of eve in new ground. Willie and I killed an opossum by pasture bars on ground at dusk when we were going to feed Chunk.
Thu. 30th. Bright in morn and quite cool and dark. Cloudy late in eve from N and wind from there. Willie, Rena and I picked cotton in cut by front gate most of morn and in new ground till eve. Clarissa picked 15 pds in eve in new ground. Nellie rode old J to Pa's in eve. Mr. D here in eve and put together a wash stand for Nellie. I had a pain in left side of my head all day.