Robert King Carter's Correspondence and Diary

   A Collection Transcribed
        and Digitized
   by Edmund Berkeley, Jr.

List of Letters | About This Collection

Electronic Text Center , University of Virginia Library

Summary

AD
1725
Robert Carter Diary, 1725

     Robert Carter records the work being done on his plantations, the prevailing winds and other weather, visitors he received including members of his family, family weddings and births, trips to Williamsburg and the sums he spent while there, arrival of ships with goods and letters from Britain, movement of tobacco and other crops from his outlying farms on his sloops and the placement of tobacco on ships bound for Britain, and frequent trips to his mill and the work done on it.


Robert Carter Diary, 1725

-folio 27v -



1725
[Kept at "Corotoman" on the Rappahannock River, Lancaster County, Virginia]

      Janr 4 [1725] from the above date [29 December 1724] very fine warm
weather my Daughter Harrison goes over
the river writ to mr Jennings to mr Holloway
mr Randolph my Sonn
Savage here Ashley Thomas here.
My Son Charles went to Coll Pages gave [him] 20 Shill Cash
a Pistol gave N.H. 2 guineas gave Mary Lucy
each 2S6 Geo a Shill pd the Collier Let J Ashly
have 40S gave him a Noat for [omission in text] Tobo on mr
Gibson

Ja[mes] Whaley brot 12 hogs
5 Thomas Ashley Whaley went away fine, warm weat[he] r
6 a smart Snow weather Savage Newg[en] t went
away Agreed wth Jno Connit for an Overseer
7 Smart frost W[ind] . NE. . Gibson went away
writ by Connit to Meeks Ja[mes] Carter Arigo
Send 3 Deeds gave out to W Newgent 6 Surveys for Deeds
8 mr Meeks here mr Ja[mes] Carter he had away 30
Deeds as per his Rec[eip] t
9 I lent mr Ja[mes] Carter a Pistol wt 21S 8 [pence ]
11 R[ichar] d Meeks went away yesterday woud not
stay carried sevl things with him
12 mr Bell came here diverted me from
finishing my Lettr to R[ichard] M[eeks] Major Es
kridg came here stay all Night
13 o[u] r Court Harry [Quarry] Judgd for his running away
Charge in taking up &c
the Escheat of Eliz Husbds Land found
a very good Jury, fine weather
14 Major Eskridg lay here last Night we
went to Court together thence went to
Coll Balls & dind came home in the Night
mr Bell gave me a Noat on mr Berry for his Land Charges &c
15 went to the Brick Yard to the Hills [Quarter]
16 fine Weather went to Buckles wolf house
17 Sunday fine weather
18 Monday my Son Charles came home
brot me a Lettr from mr Stark dated 11 Sepr
19 went to mr Lees delivd him Bradleys Deed
very warm weather
20 W[ind] at N weather Changd mr Lomax Read
[her] e G Turberfield here he is to pay for his
. . . 2500 lb [of tobacco] besides Cask rest 2d per lb

-folio 28 recto -


20 Janr 1724 [1725]

Doctor Nicolas here promised him 100 barls
Corn at 10S Sterl I promise to deliver it at Seatons
he is to pay me 6d per Bushel for Carrying mr
Burwels Corn gave a Noat on the Mill for
his present Supply
22 Strother came here staid till the 26th signd
Conditions with him for another Year Bot his
horse Mattox gave him his
27 Stagg came here
28 Capt Cobb came [in] his Longboat wth my Goods
sent to Capt Willis 10 gall my best Brandy
drew off the remaind[er] 3 doz & 6 bottles
sent Coll Page 41 bushels Salt
29 Stagg went away at Sun Rise a lovely calm day
30 mr Barber & Downman came here brot 11 plats
Febr 1. fine weather went aboard Woodward tasted
a pipe wine for G[eorge] E[skridge] . Jo Gregory came here enters
upon his Business
2d a fine day hazie in the morning Sam Jones
brings me a Bass I gave him 5 yds fine Larpool
1 qt rum Cap Woodwd men here mending my
Sales I bottle my Ale my Bricklayr begun the
Marble floor yesterday at 9 Clock W[ind] W came to NE .
3 Wm Camp here went over the river in my Boat I writ to
Coll Page sent sevl Lettrs to go by Hopkins Woodwards men
hath bin here two daies abt my Sails
4 Charming Weather all this week Woodwd men here this day
Candlemas day Sam Jones brot me a Bass.
Kild Nomini & Poplar Neck Beevs this week
5 at Night the Wind Changd came to NW weather
grew cold my first Lamb fell tooday a black ram Lamb
mr Wormley Berkley Whiteside here
Jo Gregory went home came not till Night
6 Gregory begins his Voyage to Nomini carrys
a pipe of wine for G[eorge] E[skridge] .
Kild a fine fat [omission in text] weather yesterday
Woodward sends his Boat for my hogs at P[eumonds] End
W[ind] at NW Cold Tho Freshwater came here Coll Presly
Millstones went away Birch hath bin very
idle for sevl daies together hath not don the
work of one day in three Gregory I suppose
was in Sight yesterday I suppose did not
get out before the E W[ind] on Sonday
9 I agreed wth Freshwater to be my Miller
at Dickesons Mill his time is to begin
from the going my Mill The Smith [made]
for him 4 Mill Pecks 2 hammers 3 Chisels
a Gouge

-folio 28 verso -


Feb 10th 1724/5

Our Court very warm Ch Grimes D Lee came
home with me staid till Saturday morn
Wm Jones came for my hot Press
Capt Woodward
had 4 hoggs at 30S per
Bisco had 3 more Woodwd is to pay for them
Cha Grimes undertakes mr Wormley shall pay
my Sons Fees in Bills of Exche at 20S per hundred weight
Jones is to pay me 40S a year for the use of my
Press to pay me by dressing my Cloth at 1d
per yard
15 Yesterday a cold day a frost hard last Night
the Pond froze over the Brickmaker goes
to Setting his kiln the Smiths hearth men
ded this day W[ind] at N.E. 26 Lambs we had
last Night Wee kill Indian Town & Changlin
Beeves Will Waugh carried Elixr to Sambo
the Doctor was with him but did nothing
to him
Tully was missing a day last week the She rif
took him away Saturday Noon
Cha goes to Mill this day is to leave 5
Bushels for the brickyard
16 Let Doctor Edgar have a barrel of Corn
also David Whaley have a barl of Corn
a rainey Night 32 Lambs.
17 Bottled of 26 doz Cydr came from Waugh
Brewd Ale. W[ind] NW cold
18 Collo Armistead came here Staid here till
monday fryday & & [sic ] Saturday rainey
Sonday went to Church R[ichard] L[ee] came wth us
Conversation very tiresom
22 Monday Stag came here The rising
Sun Capt Hall Saild by woud not stay
for my boat my Lettrs left behind
Sam Milham had a barrel Corn for
5 yds Cloth carried away [omission in text] yarn
24 a fair morning cold W[ind] at N cold
Stagg went away last Night this
day finish Setting my last kiln
45 Lambs this morning 17 at Hills 21 at Ch[anglin?]
Set my kiln on fire at Night
23 Snow Tully begins a frame for the
Sydr house.

-folio 29 recto -


Feb rr 2[4?] th 1724/5

Birch the boatbuildr hath bin an idle
Roug ever Since he came here the work
he has don hath not answerd the flatt [boat]
he sheathd proves extream leaky
never kaukt the upper works, he hath
bin 12 daies getting a sloops mast &c
bringing it to 16 squares he is so
fals he dos next nothing hath spent
2 daies doing nothing but making
a Pump wch is good for nothing yester
day pretended to be cleaning the Sloop
but did nothing
25 my Smith lyes idle for want of iron
Bricklayer dos no work this day
a very cold Snowy hail day
26 a rainey day mr Bell here
27 a cold day raind in the Night
28 Sunday rainey went to Church a very thin
Congregation 5 holes of my kiln quite black
by the coming out of the Church the fires were
very well up It cleard up a Night
March 1. a hard frost last Night W[ind] at N
sent my boat over the rivr 2 fires last night
Sawnys [sic ] brot me the good News of my daughter Page
safe delivery on Saturday 20th of Feb had a fevr
lasted 24 hours brot me a Lettr from mr Ran
dolph
3 snowy rainey my Sloop came home
abt 9 Clock from Nomini brings 39 hd[s]
Tobo 6 hds Corn 6 hds Salt 4 hds Wheat
8 Cask[s] Sydr 1 hd Apples 5 Tubs Butter 222 lb
2 pots from LL 16.31. old iron 344 lb
Capt Watkinson came here wind blew
hard at NE snow & rain all day at
Night Wind veerd to the N & to NW a
deep snow fell this Night
4 I had a great Quarrel with mrs
Young abt the Wenches cleaning their
doors and paths a fair day W[ind] NW
Grigorys flat so leaky would hardly Swim
also the upper works of the Sloop so leaky
the side wch Birch trimd would hard[l] y
swi kept clear without continual Pum
ping
Tuesday the 2d put out my Brick kiln
burnt 200 load of wood according to their Accot

-folio 29 verso -


March 8th 1724 [1725]

Yesterday a fair day Meecham brot me Coll
Pages Lettr & one from mr Perry by Adam
Graves
This day foggy morning raind hard af
tewds W[ind] at E & NE came to NW
had spent all the Cydr in the outwd Cellar
13 butts & a But of Old Cydr fild up.
Begun a But[omission in text] Cydr in the Piazza
9 W[ind] at NW my Sons goe from home I gave to Robin
a Pistol 10S Cash I gave to Charles 2 Pistols 10S Cash
my Sloop has layn to this day cant get my Tobbo out
for Continued Rains & wett Grounds no Such
thing as Carting nor rowling .
10 a cold NW wind frost last Night the Gardner puts
down 3 Pails & left them down Gumby naild up 2
Pails the week before & all that might heave out his
weeds the easier
11th Carter Arrivd fird at Coll Armsteads before
Sun rise at my house abt 11. Capt Graves came
ashoar just after raind hard all the afternoon
& all Night.
12 Cloudy W[ind] NW mr Bells Son went aboard
Capt Gamen I gave him 2 mild 1/2 Crowns
mr Bell had a barrel Corn of me sent sevl Leres
away by Gaman mr Stag came abt 1 Clock
13 a fine morning W[ind] SE fresh Gale.
15 16 fitting out my Sloop to the falls
17 my Sloop went into the Carteres employ
18 went to my Mill with my Son Dr Belfeild
mett us
19 Major Eskridg met us went away the
same day with Eskridge
mr Bell pd me for the Barrel Corn 11Shill.
recd mr Tuckers Paqt 4th Novr.
Capt Eskridg had all the Papers relating
to Ludlows Ludlows [sic ] land brot me some Escheats
21 Capt Loxam came in brot [sic] my Goods & Lettrs
from mr Pemberton
22 Wormeley Capt Graves here R here
W[ind] blew hard at WSW
23 mr Wormeley &c went away
24 my Son & I had or serious discourse
25 my Son & that Company left us W[ind] at S.E.
my boat came home within Night
26 good fryday went to Church W[ind] hard
at W[est] by So[uth] . very cold
1 Apl very indifferent weather Whiteside here
had 560 bushl Wheat on Accot Coll Armisteed

-folio 30 recto -


[April 1725]

[1 April Captain] Woodwd came into the Creek
3 h[a] d 14 hds Tob from me
5 a [r] ainey day Tully had a barl Corn
Capt Cob Major Willis here last week latter
gave me 12£ Exchange Interest for my money
he Ows me raind very hard in the Night
6 I went to Middx Court It raind very hard in
the Evening & all Night till within an
hour of Day The Water in my Mill Dam
higher by a foot then in the Gust 3 foot deep
in my Wast at the Bridge the Water over
the Tops of the Stakes at the mouth of the
Wast .
7 my Sloop came from the falls brot 42
hds Tob of sevl Sorts, 22 hds Corn 60 midling
Bacon 104 hams 30 Jowles mrs Young saies
112 Gamons 30 gall fatt
I sent 19 hds Corn to Doctor Nicolas
I recd at Court Seven £ 2S bills of Ex[chang] e Geo Yearby
17 I take wth me to Town 40£ from Capt Carter also
in gold 16-2-6 & 4 Guinea 4-9-6 mild mon[ey]
20£ spanish beside pocket money
Taken out of the Gold 4"11"6
Sent to mr Strother 8£-"S-"d
19 I got into Town I paid away the following Sums

To J[ohn] C[layton] Clerk of Glostr 4"13" --
To Jno Pledger 14" 9" 9
To Jno Oliver 4"17" --
To Jno Blair 0"11" 9
To Doctor Blair 3"16"11
To mrs Sullivan 3" 1" 8
To mrs Countes arabian 0"10" --
To the Govrs people 1/2 Pistol 0"11" --
To the Barbar 0" 7" --
To mrs Stith 13" -- " --
To Mr Griffin 2 Moydrs 3"10" --
To the Coachman & Servts 1" -- " --
To Countez maid 0" 5" --
To mr Francis 1/2 Pistol 0"15" --
To Carters Nurse 0" 5" --
To Jno Page Nurse 1/2 Pistol 0"11" --
To Giles Coachman abt 0" 8" --
To my Daughter Page to buy
her a horse I owd 		8 Moydrs 14" -- " --
Carried Over £66"02" 1


-folio 30 verso -


May 1725

brot over [£66"02"] 1
To pd. H Bowcock 1" 3" --
To pd. Jno Vest Milld money 3" 9" 1
To mr Stagg 5 pistolls 5" 7" 6

May 5th the Court rise that day pronounct the
Sentence of Jno Upshaw he bore it with
great unconcerndness, one woman burnt
in the hand
when an Injunction was allowed to
remove the Cause from Essex [County] that is
to stay proceedings Ludwell Blair
Commissary my Self agst it.
6 Thursday I did my Business came out of
Town got to Coll Pages that night
8 fryday Saturday came to mr Wormeleys so home
9 Sunday was at or Church mr Bell appoin
ted a Communion Trini[t] y Sonday
11 I gave a Noat to Danl Carter for 8 Barrl Corn 3 at Hills 5 at Mil
To Saml Millham for 1 barrel
To mr Stepto for 4 barrels at the Mill
2 barrels at Deniss
I promist mr Shapleigh 8 barl Corn at
my Mill
I lett Tho Berry have 2 bottle[s] Clarett.
19 Coll Page mr Grimes Doctr Nicolas came here
20 wee Settled Accots wth the Doctr gave him
his Bills took a discharge
21 mr Grimes Doctr Nicolas went away
22 Charles Coachman brot me home 5 Ne
gros from Aust Moore 3 went to
mrs Harrison 4 went with Camp on
Accot of mr Burwells Estate
23 Coll Page went away mr Read here
my goods in the Bonetta came ashore
yesterday
27 Jo Gregory came home from the "falls"
brings 33 hds of Corn 1 ditto for Hugh
Kelly 1 for Rowland Cornelius & Cook
35 hhds Tobo 9 from Peumds End 3 do undr Tobo
from thence, 2 hds Stemd from Lomax.

-folio 31 recto -


[May 172] 5

[ . . . ] d purchas from Strother
[ . . . ] y own from [Jphn] Lomax 2 hds 2 from
[ . . . ] 1 hds mor Secretarys 1 hds from
Skrine
Isaac Carrel pd me 12/6 towds his Corn
29 Jos Gregory went aboard the Carter with 12
hhds carried six for Loxam
was to take in Glasco k
Tobo John Webbs Tob was to go aboard Loxam to
deliver there ten hds to bring down the LL Tobo
for the Carter the rest to bring home with w[ha] t
he got for Secretary
This day I raised my Sydr house sent away my
Lettrs for the Burwell my Son goes for York
31 Cold weather for 3 or 4 days together Plants
burn Moon Changd no Sign of rain
Negro Ship came in Yesterday
June the 1st Cool morning W[ind] at NW all signs of rain
gon Robin Carter had 40S Cash 20S mild money
Carried away my new Suit of Cloths without my knowledge
3d the Glasier came here tells me there wants for
Nomini house 75 foot Diamd Glass 37 lead 3 lb sodder
the falls took up 36 foot Glass
10 lb Lead he has spent alreadie at LL house 40 lb
Lead still wanting
4 great Shows of Rain but comes to nothing
Enoch Innis goes away I gave him a Crown
writ to Strother & Savage to T[homas] Barbar took
Physick. Humphrey Thomas Enters Burditts
Land to Escheat Eliz Finley had my Noat
to W Waugh for 50 lb Wool a pr wool Cards
7 I set meeks over the river he pd a ddloon
& a Moydr weight £6"1"3 I writ to my
Sonn Coll Page
I begin to Level the Ground for my new Qrs
I recd Strothers Lettrs from Meeks of 29 May
a Dismal Storey of the Drowth
-- --
8 a very hot dry day I let Capt Cha Lee have £20"1" -- Gold
I sent my flatt [boat] Oyster Shell getting
Tho Hunton to pay me good Tobo for all the
Trash & bad Tobo I shall thro by out of his hd
this he undertook before mr Turbervile & my
Son Charles
I gave Capt Lee a Noat on my Miller fo[r . . . ]
[ . . . ] n on Accot of [M]r Shaple[y]

-folio 31 verso -


[Ju] ne 9th 1725

recd yesterday two [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] ley for 45" -- "0 on Pemberton [ . . . ]
also Coll Grimes 2 Setts of Exch Pat[ents]
40"0"0 And & [sic ] Neal Buchannan at 7"9"5
Jo Gregory came home this Night brings
down 23 hds aboard the Carter LL 6 hds
from Webs 1 ditto from Glascocks 2 of Secrs
also 3 hds Corn
14 Came a blessed rain we pitched all or
Crops
15 my Son Robin took his Leave of me
I gave him 5 Pistols 2 ddloons
16 Charles & the rest of my Children goes
over the river wee had plentifull rains
this Night I gave to Charles 20 S & a Moydr
to Mary 10S to Lucy 5S to George 5S
17 I went to Tho Wests Capt Pinkard Capn Carter
Capt Smith with me 9 Chickens 2 bottles wine
1 do rum 2 Cydr or Treat
18 Burch made his Confession
19 the whole Design came out Billy stole the
Gun out of Closet Frost recd it & Carried it
into the Woods Birch Frost Winder went
to the Gun Cleaned her Put her under the leavs
again I whipt Billy severely he brot out
1 pistol
-- --
Charles Clephen brot 6 bushels English home 3 bushls
came last week of the Mill Wheat
Gregory carried 24 hds Tobo abd the Carter from
Coll Armistead was out 9 daies
Robt Simson in Graves Sloop brot 9 hd from Stafffd [County ]
2 hds from upper Mchotuck , 4 hds purch from
Meeks 5 hds Crop from Coles Point five hds
from Northumberlan[d] 6 hds Corn from Meeks
Graves had 1 hd Capt Carter 3 barrels mrs Harwood
2 barrels the rest Lofted.
22 my Sonn Charles came home brot me abun
dance of Lettrs came in the Loyal Marget
Capt Wheaton Proprs lease came wth them
My Son Robt married the 17th June 1725.
23th in the morning I recd my Yaul again
[I] pd Shill the man for himself this Trip & last
[I] pd Shill Coll Scarburgh for his man & Shallop 45S

[The next folio, 33, is a small fragment; it was bound out of order during restoration. The numbering was applied in pencil before the diary was restored. ]

-folio 32 recto -


[Note that the first lines of this folio are missing due to water damage and similar deterioration. Much of the top left half of the page is water stained and consequently difficult to read. ]

[June 1725]

[ . . . ] bl Curr[ent]
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ] weather to this time [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] CaptGraves sent 2 hds To[bacco . . . ]
[ . . . ] Monsieur Arigo taken si[ck]
Stag was [here] Thursday & Fryday no body to let [sic ]
29th mrs Young acquainted me her time was up
I told her money was readie for her she was her
own woman she was at Liberty to do what she plsd
I was contented she should continue here still
she answerd she had rather live with me then
any other Gent the troubles of the house was
great she could not please every body I told her
little Jarrs would arise in such a Family abun
dance discourse wee had at last I seemd willing
to Continue her rather then lookout for another
she agreed to stay if I was Satisfied with her so
she went about her business & I to my reading
Len Knight was here from Stafford gave me his
Obligation for my Debt
30 a mighty rain last Night & a season for
these 3 last daies of the month
my Smith irons my new brick moulds & hath
bin 3 daies abt them the first day he did not finish
one
July [2?] d [co]ntinues rainey I this day agreed wth Ja
Bryan Brickmaker to make me two hundred
Thousand Bricks more I am to give him 3S Curr
ency per m for wellmaking & wellburning them
he is to make me as many as ever he can this Summer
& the rest next spring what he makes & burns
this Sumr I am to pay him for the Goods he hath
had to this time he is to pay for out of the mo
money he is to Earn, What Goods he has
here after I am to let him have at 50 Per cent allowing
the difference for Exchange & the Cost of the Goods
in he is to make me large sale Allowing for
loss & bad burnt Brick he is to follow his work closely
he is to pay for Corn 10S Sterl for [omission in text]
5S currt for Sugr a bit per lb
My Boat yesterday to mr Wormeleys for the
wedding folks I sent to mr Stepto Lee Pink[hard]
Smith [ . . . ] ds to Dine wth me [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] ing his w[ife? . . . ]

-folio 32 verso -


Note that the first lines of this folio are missing due to water damage and similar deterioration. Much of the top right half of the page is water stained and consequently difficult to read.

[1725 July]

[ . . . ]
[...] L enn [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] Churchill [ . . . ]
L cam[e] in the [ . . . ] a
3 [ . . . ] came Miller had a b[arrel ?] Corn
gallo Mollasses 6 lb
4 Capt Pinkard mr Bell & sd gent came
home with me
5 Capt Graves T Edwds went at Night
[ . . . ] t B went away Ed Newgent I
[ . . . ] cht Ordered him 4 barrel[s] Corn
[wrote ?] Savage Strother Lomax Gibson
[ . . . ]
7 my Boat fetcht mr Churchil his wife
[Car] ried down my Sloops Mast sent
on board 22 hds the Carter they Sett
my Sloops Mast
8 this morning went into Corotoman [Creek]
for [oyster] shells had 2 bushels meal 12 lb. bacon
Leather & Nailes for their Pump brot home
the Sloops Covering.
12 major Eskridg came here
Cha Coachman went for York to Catch Graves
he was saild my Lettrs were sent aboard B[r] adby
13 Coll Page Lettr came wth Charles
14 or Court Burch & Arch Cambel were tryed
Birch ownd himself no Carpenter that he ca[lled?]
himself a Carpenter when he was bound
by mr Perry he was adjudgd to be under the
Circumstances of a Common Servant by im
portation
15 12 Clock my Sloop in the employ of Capt
Graves went into the Creek
16 I le[t] David Haley have two bushels of
Corn at my Mill also a gallo [n] of Molasses
23 pd Shill mrs Young her Salary 12£ Sterl 6£ Currt
money
26 the Carter came before my house
28 Capt Graves came here gave me bills Lading
my Son Robert went in Barg to Rosegill Coll Page
his wife Mary, Mann Came here
29 I finisht my Letters went aboard the Carter he
fired 28 Gunns
[I] let Jame[s] Br[ay] n have 2 barrls Corn
[ . . . ] barrels Corn 6 hogs[heads . . . ]

-ff 33 recto and verso -


[The next folio, 33, is a small fragment; it was bound out of order (prior to ff. 32) during restoration. The numbering was applied in pencil before the diary was restored. The fragment bears only a few readable words, thus leaving a gap in the diary from July until December 1725.]

-folio 34 recto -


Decem[ber 1 1725]

I pay for Bunting [ . . . ] es [ . . . ] e
I pay f[o] r Frost to Rawson -- -- -- -20S
Manuel begins Tarring my dwelling
the New Cydr house & Quartrs allreadie Ta[rred]
Charles Coachman wife died he has a Co[ffin]
ma[de] by Toney & frank 1 gall rum To[o ?]
2 It raind in the Night no Season wind came to NW
I went to Mill
3 I was [at] Mill very cold W[ind] NW came to NE
4 I dispa[tched a ]way Gregory for the falls a very cold
cloudy [da] y I let Cha Clephan have 30S I sent
Dr [ . . . ] 3/10S I went to Mill all the plates
plates [sic ] put on the Water Wheel to [sic ] 3 T[o] wson
[rec] kons the the [sic ] Mill will go a Tuesday
5 Sunday a bitter day Snowd in the Night snowd
all day could not go to Church mr Luke came f[rom]
Barbados 2 days ago Capt Hall in the rising Sun from
Bristol brot me Goods from King
6 W[ind] come[s] to NW continues Snowing sevl peop[l] e
had Shoos the wenches falls Toby paid me 5S for a
pr Shoes I sent Frost to the Mill Monsieur Austin
Bunting Goes to measure Corn at 3 home Qrs
Chris has a rug Blanket Billy Hales at home
Charles carrys meat & Nails to the Mill I shut up my
[ba] ck Windows Gregory carried away the Secretarys Accots
for Stafford King Georg Spotsylvania [counties]
Sent away the Secretarys Accots to the Richmd & Westmorld
Sherifs by Peter Cassety write to Meeks Eskridg Strother
Rust [sic ] per Cassety Cassety carried up a [omission in text] of mine to
be kept at Poplar Hall
The Secys Accots brot by Chitwood from Rd Walker fryday the
3d Decemr found them when I came home in the Night.
post merediem, a clear Sky very cold W[ind] NW
7 I was at Mill a pretty warm day
8 I went to Mill had a Quarrel wth Frost he
went away abt 2 Clock I saw him not till
fryday morning he was drunk whe[n]
he left me did no work the day he cam[e]
home pretnd to be sick I reckon dru[nk]
sick for he was very drunk when
he left me see the Storey of his Behavr in
another book
9 I went to Mill mr Bell mr Edwds & hi[s]
Son Charles wth me the Mill ground [very ?]
badly
10 Went to Mill thro the rain [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] when up the Mill hung very [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] d her going she went very [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] at Kidd [ . . . ]

-folio 34 verso -


[December 1725]

Mill Sp[indle broke]
off At the Clock he ad [ . . . ]
had a flaw in it was not well w [ . . . ] ded
my Smith wrot a great part of the Night
Will Morris went away wth
the Spindle at day break the 11th
11th a very hard frost W[ind] at North[w] ar[ds]
my Son Charles taken wth an Ague had
a feavor All Night
12 Geo Sick did not go to Church met C Lawrence
13 sent my Coachmans [sic ] to Urbanna for my
Lettrs brot Tuckers & Dawkins Carte[rs misc] arr[ie] d
sends her away immediately
14 I went to the [mill] she had cleard of[f] her baggs
had ground me 12 bushels Meal she went
very indifferently but 3 bushels whereas on
Saturday when she first went she ground
by my Watch she ground 5 1/4 bushells man
hour
15 I sent Charles Clephan for 12 Bushels more
I sent H Chilton 1 qt rum a warm day
16 a hard Norwest [wind] blew all Night frose hard
17 W[ind] at W blows hard mr Turbervile her[e]
very cold Snowd
18 & 19 continues very cold W[ind] the same blows
hard Nomini hogs came down 36
20 W[ind] continues weather more moderate
Signd Conditions wth Westmd Overseers
gave them a bottle rum [James] Whaley had
a quart Morphy had a quart on their
own Accot:
Jo Cooper brot down his Hoggs signd
Conditions with him had 12 bushels Eng
meal came home last week had 24 bushels
Indian Meal
21 Harry Kelly brot down 4 hoggs I was at Mill
gave a Noat to Sam Ball on Capt Strother for 12
Barrels Corn at Ashleys he pays me the Corn
[a] t my Mill My Mill by my Watch ground
[1] bushel Corn in 10 Mints 1/2 barrel in 25 m
[2?] bushels in 20 Mints 5 Ladles off [sic ] Water
[ . . . ] my Sloop came from the falls this [day?]
[ . . . ] 60 hoggs from the falls Qrs [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] from Thomas & Ashley 6 fro[m ...]
[ . . . ] from Peumds End [ . . . ]


-folio 35 recto -


Decr 21th 1725

one hog was smotherd in the Sloop one they
kild 76 came alive.
22 Isbel Clemts died abt 4 Clock the W[ind] conti[nues]
a NW very cold my Son Charles fit is
Changd come now every day Mary
Lucy Geo my self all have Colds
23 a fair day little W[ind] that that is at NW warm
there twas a very hard frost last Night
Charles takes the Bark
Tom Pursel had a bushel Salt Jo Gregory
had two hogs at 20S each
24 a fine day 26, 25, 27th good days
28 I agreed with Kirk & Smith kirk had a
bottle rum & 2 ells Gartering Smith
had a Noat on Meeks for 1000 lb Tobo
Capt Lawrence sent his men for my
Sloop Lawrence is to pay me 40S Sterl
per mo for my Storehouse.
This day very cold sevl Guns in Peanketank [River]
Suppose a Ship gon in there
Keiling arrivd then
smart cold weather till the 30th a fine day & 31th mr Jones mr
Turbervile here



NOTES



Source copy consulted: Robert Carter Diary, 1722-1728, Robert Carter Papers, Acc. No. 3807, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.



[1] John Savage was a surveyor, later (1734) to be employed by Lord Fairfax in his attempt to establish the boundaries of the proprietary. (Harrison. Landmarks. . . . p. 619. )

[2] Jack Ashley is mentioned a number of times in Carter's diary; he lived in Spotsylvania County and apparently was an overseer for Carter at one time although he does not appear in the 1733 inventory of Carter's estate. (McIlwaine, H. R., ed. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . . 4 [1721-1739]:254 ).

[2.4] This may have been James Thomas. surveyor of Lancaster County, since John Savage, also a surveyor was present. Thomas was surveyor of Westmoreland County after 1727. In 1736, he would be one of the surveyors involved in the work of the commission to determine the bounds of the Northern Neck proprietary. (Brown. Virginia Baron. . . . pp. 83, 92. See Carter to Peter Beverley, December 14, 1727 . )

[2.5] A pistole, often called a doblon, was a "Spanish gold double-escudo dating from the 1530s and surviving into the 19th cent.; (also) any of various coins derived from or resembling this from the 17th and 18th centuries." See the illustration on page 5 of John J. McCusker. Money & Exchange in Europe & America 1600-1775 A Handbook. [Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1978.], and discussion in note 3 on page 6. ( Oxford English Dictionary Online ).

[3] Jonathan Gipson (d. 1729) "established Gibson's Tobacco Warehouse on the Rappahannock river on the dower land of his wife, Elizabeth (Thornton) Conway Gibson"; it was located "immediately opposite Port Royal in Caroline County. ( King George County Virginia Will Book A-1 1721-1752 And Miscellaneous Notes . [Fredericksburg, Va.: Privately Printed, 1978], 237. .)

[4] James Whaley was the overseer at the Westmoreland plantations Old Ordinary and Moon's Plantation in the 1733 inventory of Carter's estate. ("Carter Papers: An Inventory. . . ." and )

[5] Dr. John Bell was the minister of Christ Church Parish.

[6] Harry Quarry, an indentured servant, had taken a canoe and run away for three days. The court sentenced him to serve "six days for his sd three days absence and Ten calendar months and a half for his offence in takeing away the canoe" plus the cost of capturing him. (Jones, Orders Book Entries . . . Referring to "Robert Carter. . . ." abstracting Lancaster County Court Orders Book 7, 1721-1725, p. 165, for January 13, 1725/26. p. 119.

[7] Carter referred to a Glasgow merchant named Stark in a a letter to Micajah Perry, July 4, 1723.

[8] Although Carter wrote "G Turberfield," he probably meant "George Turberville , of Westmoreland County.

[9] There is a Seaton property noted on the Fry-Jefferson map located on the Piankatank River in Gloucester County. It would have been a short trip around Stingray Point in Middlesex County for one of Carter's sloops to carry the corn to Seaton's. There was a ferry over the Piankatank River near Berkeley Island operated by Bailey Seaton that Carter often refers to when describing trips to Williamsburg.

[10] A Captain John Cobb would command the Willis , a ship of 300 tons with 20 men, in 1727-28. ( Survey Report 6801 on Adm. 68/194-5, ff. 4r, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[11] Captain Peter Willis commanded the Amity in 1727. ( Survey Report 6800, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[11.4] This may have been Charles Barber who had been sheriff of Richmond County in 1704 and 1715, and its surveyor in 1721. (McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 3[1705-1721]: 271,398, and 540 )

[11.5] William Downman was a justice of Richmond County from 1718, sheriff in 1722 and 1723, and a tobacco inspector in 1731 and 1732. (Ryland. Richmond County Virginia. . . . p. 504. and McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4(1721-1739): 12, 34, 238, 286 )

[11.6] Thomas Woodward commanded the Providence, a ship owned by Captain John Hyde & Company, during a number of voyages to the colony, 1723-1729. ( Survey Report 6800 summarizing Adm. 68/194 and Survey Report 6801 summarizing Adm 68/195, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, and Carter's letter to the firm, September 17,1723.)

[11.7] William Camp (Kemp) was described by Carter as "the General Overseer of Mr Burwell's Affairs" and he wrote that Camp earned a salary "£50 . . . for the year 1731." Carter and his son-in-law, Mann Page, were the trustees of Nathaniel Burwell's children after Burwell's death in 1721. Camp was a resident of Gloucester County where most of the Burwell estates lay, and he must also have supervised "Rippon Hall" in nearby York County. ( Carter to George Braxton, November 20, 1729 , and Carter to William Dawkins, July 11, 1732 . Virginia Tax Records. [Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1983.] p. 539. )

[11.8] Captain James Hopkins commanded the Mary in 1727-1728. He was then working for London merchant Robert Cary. He is mentioned in Carter's diary. ( Adm. 68/194, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[11.9] "Candlemas is the last festival in the Christian year that is dated by reference to Christmas; In the West, the date of Christmas is now fixed at December 25, and Candlemas therefore falls the following February 2. In Christian eyes this festival celebrates the presentation of Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, as Jewish custom required, and the purification ceremony of the Virgin Mary at the same time. . . . Some people believe that the Celtic Sabbat of Imbolc, which was celebrated in pre-Christian Europe (and especially the British Isles) at about the same time of year. This festival marked the mid-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The term "Imbolc" translates as either "in milk" or "in the belly," and marked the birth and nursing of the spring lambs as a sign of the first stirrings of spring in the middle of winter. It may also have been celebrated with the lighting of candles, as slightly longer days begin to be noticable at this time of year." ( "Candlemas Day" at British Culture, British Customs and British Traditions, http://www.learnenglish.de/Temp/February/candlemass.htm. 6/16/2010. )

[12] John Wormeley (1689-1727), one of Ralph Wormeley's (d. 1701) sons for whom Carter had been a trustee.

[13] Carter omitted words at this point, but left no space in the text for them.

[13.3] The two references to "Whiteside" here and on April first are interesting and puzzling. Carter does not use the honorific of "Captain" either time as he is usually careful to do with ship's captains. Thus it is unlikely that he refers here to Captain William Whiteside of the Lucy who, in any case, first appears in Carter's papers in 1727. Yet this Whiteside arranges with Carter on April first to buy 560 bushels of wheat on behalf of "Coll Armistead," presumably Henry Armistead of "Hesse," GloucesterCounty. This was a very large quantity that would have filled some 160 barrels or roughly eighty hogsheads, probably a load larger than one of Carter's sloops could have carried.

[13.4] This was probably Barnabas Burch "the boatbuildr" with whom Carter would have problems often in 1725 that would cause him to describe Burch as "an idle Roug ever Since he came here the work he has don hath not answerd" in his diary entry for February 2nd. In June, Carter would learn that Burch and several others had stolen a gun and hidden it in the woods. In July Carter won a judgement against Burch for running away, and because Burch confessed "that he is totally ignorant of and unable to perform the trade & misteries of a house carpenter for which he entered into Covenant with his sd Master in Great Britain." The court would add time to Burch's indenture, and order that he receive no salary during his term. (Jones, Orders Book Entries . . . Referring to "Robert Carter. . . ." p. 120 abstracting Lancaster County Court Orders Book 7 1721-1729, page 181. )

[13.5] These were tools that the new miller would need to operate Dickenson's mill properly. "Mill bill-a chisel ended tool used for dressing or sharpening the grinding surface of a millstones. Also called mill chisel." ( Theodore R. Hazen & Pond Lily Mill Restorations. "A Glossary of Mill Terms." online at http://www.angelfire.com/journal/pondlilymill/glossary.html#anchor249736. 6/29/2010. )

[14] Charles Grymes (c. 1692-1743) was the son of John Grymes of Middlesex County, but lived at "Morratico," Richmond County where he was sheriff, burgess, etc. ( "The Grymes Family." Virginia Magazine of History and Biography . 28: 90-96, 187-94, 283-85, 374-75. and Ryland. Richmond County Virginia. . . . pp. 500, 504, 514.

[14.5] A hot press was "originally: an appliance for pressing cloth or paper between glazed boards and hot metal plates, to make the surface smooth and glossy." ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[15] Robert Biscoe (1699-1748) was born in London and educated at Chrst's Hospital school. He became one one of Carter's clerks about 1716, writing letters and keeping accounts for the busines. He completed his indenture in 1724, prospered modestly as a merchant and farmer, married Elizabeth Lawson, and in 1743, wrote a book, The Mechant's Magazine; or Factor's Guide. (See the lengthy sketch of Biscoe in Brown and Sorrells. People in Profile. pp. 45-56.)

[15.5] Charles Grymes (c. 1692-1743) was the son of John Grymes of Middlesex County, but lived at "Morratico," Richmond County where he was sheriff in 1724 and 1725, burgess, etc. He was a member of the Council ( "The Grymes Family." Virginia Magazine of History and Biography . 28[1920]: 90-96, 187-94, 283-85, 374-75; McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]:66, 85; and Ryland. Richmond County Virginia. . . . pp. 500, 504, 514.

[15.6] John Wormeley (1689-1727), a younger son of Ralph Wormeley (d. 1701) for whom Carter had been a trustee in John's youth. When his older brother, Ralph, died in 1714, John inherited all of their father's considerable estate in Middlesex and York counties. He married Elizabeth Tayloe and had six children. (See "Letters Concerning The Estate Of Ralph Wormeley" in the opening page of this web site ; and Edmund Jennings Lee, Lee of Virginia 1642-1892. [Heritage Books, 2008 reprint found on Google Books, 9/10/2009], 147. )

[15.7] A bill of exchange is a kind of check or promissory note without interest. It is used primarily in international trade, and is a written order by one person to pay another a specific sum on a specific date sometime in the future. If the bill of exchange is drawn on a bank, it is called a bank draft. If it is drawn on another party, it is called a trade draft. Sometimes a bill of exchange will simply be called a draft, but whereas a draft is always negotiable (transferable by endorsement), this is not necessarily true of a bill of exchange. ( "Dictionary of Financial Scam Terms" at http://www.fraudaid.com/Dictionary-of-Financial-Scam-Terms/bill_of_exchange.htm. 8/22/2005 )

[15.8] Dr. Alexander Edgar's inventory was recorded in Lancaster County February 10, 1730. ( Ida J. Lee. Abstracts Lancaster County,Virginia, Wills. 1653-1800. [Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2004. Reprint of the original 1959 edition.]) p. 76.

[16] This entry records the birth either of Carter Page or Matthew Page, two of Carter's grandsons, whose birthdates are uncertain and who died unmarried. (Carleton. A Genealogy. . . of Robert Carter. . . . p. 252. )

[16.4] Carter's diary entry for March 20, 1724, notes "Coll Pages man Sawney came here." Apparently a trusted slave, Sawney frequently traveled to carry messages to the Page home to Carter's.

[16.5] Watkinson was captain of the Vine, a ship that may have been owned by Micajah Perry. (Carter to Pemberton, March 25, 1724 . )

[17] Adam Graves (d. 1726) was the son of Captain Thomas Graves, long a captain of vessels trading to Virginia, and a special friend of Carter; Graves commanded the Bailey .

[18] A butt was a "cask for wine or ale, of capacity varying from 108 to 140 gallons. . . . a measure of capacity = 2 hogsheads, i.e. usually in ale measure 108 gallons, in wine measure 126 gallons; but these standards were not always precisely adhered to." ( Oxford English Dictionary )

[18.4] Pales were "originally: a pointed piece of wood intended to be driven into the ground, esp. as used with others to form a fence; a stake." ( Oxford English Dictionary Online ) [

[18.5] "Hesse," Henry Armistead's home, was in Gloucester County (today, Mathews County) on the south bank of the Piankatank River near its mouth. The name "Armistead" appears on the Fry-Jefferson map in this location. The Carter would have passed this location as she sailed up Chesapeake Bay toward the Rappahannock River.

[18.6] Captain Loxom commanded a vessel named the Loyalty in 1729-1730. (Survey Report 9727, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. See Carter's letter to John Pemberton April 15,1730. )

[18.7] John Wormeley (1689-1727), a younger son of Ralph Wormeley (d. 1701) for whom Carter had been a trustee in John's youth. When his older brother, Ralph, died in 1714, John inherited all of their father's considerable estate in Middlesex and York counties. He married Elizabeth Tayloe and had six children. (See "Letters Concerning The Estate Of Ralph Wormeley" in the opening page of this web site ; and Edmund Jennings Lee, Lee of Virginia 1642-1892. [Heritage Books, 2008 reprint found on Google Books, 9/10/2009], 147. )

[18.8] A Captain John Cobb commanded the Willis , a ship of 300 tons with 20 men, in 1727-28. The ship was owned by merchants Haswell and Brooks which may have been a London firm. ( Survey Report 6801 on Adm. 68/194-5, ff. 4r, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[18.9] This probably was Francis Willis (1690-post 1749) of "'White Hall," Gloucester Co., VA. He would be sheriff of that county in 1726, and a member of the House of Burgesses in 1748. ( "Willis Family Genealogy" at http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~marshall/esmd73.htm as of 5/21/02 ; McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]:100; and "Willis Family." William and Mary Quarterly. 1st ser. 5(1896): 24-27, 171-176; 6(1897): 27-29, 206-214. )

[19] A gammon is "the ham or haunch of a swine," or "the bottom piece of a flitch of bacon, including the hind leg; also, a smoked or cured ham." ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[19.4] George Yerby (1692-1765) was a resident of Lancaster County who lived on a 220 acre tract in the eastern part of the county that he had purchased in 1719; it lay not far from today's Kilmarnock. The Yerby family was prolific, and there are many notations of them in the county records. (Sorrells. Landholders & Landholdings. p. 24, and Ida J. Lee. Abstracts Lancaster County,Virginia, Wills. 1653-1800. [Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2004. Reprint of the original 1959 edition.] pp. 236-239. )

[19.5] Williamsburg

[19.6] John Clayton (1694-1773), long-time ( ca. 1720-1773) clerk of Gloucester County, son of the colony's attorney general of the same name, botanist, and author of Flora Virginica . (Berkeley and Berkeley. John Clayton . .)

[19.7] Mrs. Sullivan ran the boarding house where Carter stayed while in Williamsburg.

[19.8] A moidore was a gold coin from Portugal (or Brazil) in use in Carter's time. See the illustration on page 5 of John J. McCusker. Money & Exchange in Europe & America 1600-1775 A Handbook. [Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1978.], and discussion in note 3 on page 6. For its value, see p. 12.

[20] Carter refers to the Council sitting as the General Court to which appeals could be made from county courts. The records of the General Court were lost when Richmond was burned in 1865. There is no reference to John Upshaw in the Council minutes for the meeting of May 1725.

[21] Carter wrote an "R" and then wrote over it to turn the "R" into an "E."

[21.5] Daniel Carter (1699/1700-ca. 1759), a son of Thomas Carter, may have been the person whose indenture to Robert Carter was acknowledged in Lancaster County court on February 15, 1711. His name appears often in the court records of later dates. (Jones, Orders Book Entries . . . Referring to "Robert Carter. . . ." p. 71 abstracting Lancaster County Court Orders Book 5 1702-1713, page 259. )

[22] Captain John Steptoe lived on land that later (about 1778) would be known as Kilmarnock in Lancaster County. ( B. Brainard Edmonds, Kilmarnock . [Kilmarnock, Va.: Little Pebble Press, 1976], 6. )

[22.5] Denis was a farm close to "Corotoman" as Carter mentions it fairly often in his diary. Apparently its overseer was named Denis, and Carter refers to the farm by that name.

[22.6] John Shapley was made a justice in Northumberland County in 1725. (McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]: 82. )

[22.7] Thomas Berry (1683-1743) of Northumberland Cunty would be tobacco inspector at Wicomocco in 1731 and 1732. An abstract of his 1743 will is online through the USGenWeb Project at http://files.usgwarchives.org/va/northumberland/wills/berry01.txt. (McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]:238, 286. )

[22.8] William Camp (Kemp) was described by Carter as "the General Overseer of Mr Burwell's Affairs" and he wrote that Camp earned a salary "£50 . . . for the year 1731." Carter and his son-in-law, Mann Page, were the trustees of Nathaniel Burwell's children after Burwell's death in 1721. Camp was a resident of Gloucester County where most of the Burwell estates lay, and he must also have supervised "Rippon Hall" in nearby York County. ( Carter to George Braxton, November 20, 1729 , and Carter to William Dawkins, July 11, 1732, and Virginia Tax Records. [Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1983.] p. 539. )

[23] This was Enoch Innis of Richmond County from whom Carter would acquire property toward the end of 1728. Innis inherited it from his father, James, who died in 1709. ( Lucy Jane Brent Palmer, "Charles Brent of Stafford County and Some of His Descendants," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography , 34(1926): 280-85 and 378-84 ; and "Abstracts From Records of Richmond County, Virginia," William and Mary Quarterly , (1)17(1908-09): 176-177, which cites records of Richmond County concerning this will, probated 25 December 1709, as from Will Book 3 ).

[24] A doblon was a coin used in Spanish America and in the British colonies in Carter's time. See the illustration on page 5 of John J. McCusker. Money & Exchange in Europe & America 1600-1775 A Handbook. [Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1978.], and discussion in note 3 on page 6. For its value, see pages 11 and 100.

[25] Charles Lee (1684-1735) of Cobb's Hall, Northumberland County.

[26] "William Forrester had been murdered on November 5, 1723, by Thomas Glascock whose son Gregory was named as an accessory." Carter had noted Glascock's capture in his diary on November 13th: "Collo Barber acquaints me me he had Seizd Glascocks who had fled for Murther his Estate Coll Tarpley in the behalf of Glascocks Heir offers to Enter the Land as Escheat " The lands reverted to the proprietors, and Carter apparently managed them for some years for the benefit of Glascock's heirs; he later acquired title to the properties which are mentioned in his will. (Ryland. Richmond County Virginia. . . . p. 101. )

[27] Isaac Currell was a resident of Lancqaster County. ( Ida J. Lee. Abstracts Lancaster County,Virginia, Wills. 1653-1800. (Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2004. Reprint of the original 1959 edition.) p. 61; Sorrells. Landholders & Landholdings. p. 9; and Brown and Sorrells. People in Profile. pp. 20, 24. )

[28] A John Webb is listed in Carter's 1733 inventory as the overseer at Morattico Quarter in Richmond County. ("Carter Papers: An Inventory. . . ." )

[29] The Burwell was commanded by Captain Constantine Cant and may have been owned by William Dawkins and Micajah Perry as Carter reported her December 1723 arrival to each of them. ( Adm. 68/194-195, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[30] "Diamond-cut glass, thick glass cut into grooves or channels of V-shaped section crossing one another obliquely so as to leave pyramid-shaped projections; a common style of ornamentation in cut glass. " ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[30.5] Thomas Barber of Richmond County was a surveyor, and would be appointed a justice of that county in 1730, tobacco inspector in 1734, and sheriff in 1736. (McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]: 215, 342, and 369. )

[30.6] The Oxford English Dictionary states that the term "physick," when used to refer to a medicine, means "cathartic or purge."

[30.7] A wool card is "an instrument with iron teeth, used in pairs to part, comb out, and set in order the fibres of wool, hemp, etc., one of the cards being held in the hand, and the other fastened to a 'stock' or support. b. In later use a sort of wire brush for the same purpose, consisting of a strip of leather, vulcanized rubber, or similar material, into which short steel wires are inserted." ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[31] Robin was on his way to his wedding to Priscilla Churchill which would take place "17th June 1725."

[32] In Carter's inventory taken in 1732, a Thomas West is listed as overseer of Blough (Bluff) Point plantation in Northumberland County "on Jarvis Creek about four miles from Kilmarnock in Bluff Point Neck." ("Carter Papers: An Inventory. . . ." ; and Miller. Place-Names . . . . . p. 82. ; and "Carter Papers [Robert Carter's Will]."

[33] Carter may refer to Machodoc Neck or river in Westmoreland County. (Miller. Place-Names . . . . p. 92. )

[34] A Mrs. Mary Harwood is listed in the 1716 tithables list for St. Mary's White Chapel Parish in Lancaster County. ( "Tithables in Lancaster County, 1716." William and Mary Quarterly. 1st. ser., 21[July 1912]: 106-112.)

[35] John Wheaton commanded the Loyal Margaret , an 80 ton vessel. ( Survey Report 6800 abstracting Adm. 68/194, Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia .)

[35.5] A yawl was "a ship's boat resembling a pinnace, but somewhat smaller, usually with four or six oars," and probably equipped to be sailed. ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[36] Mrs. Young was Carter's housekeeper. He had agreed with her for one year's service the previous June.

[37] Thomas Pinkard ( -1740) was a resident of Lancaster County where he had large landholdings. He was sheriff in 1710. ( "Pikard Family." Pinkard Family William and Mary Quarterly , 12[Apr., 1904]: 262-264; Ida J. Lee. Abstracts Lancaster County,Virginia, Wills. 1653-1800. [Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 2004. Reprint of the original 1959 edition.] p.177;. McIlwaine. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . , 4[1721-1739]:xxiii; and Sorrells. Landholders & Landholdings. pp. 20 21,23 45. )

[38] "Thos. Edwards, a little petty Fogging Lawyer the Clark of our County that hath as much Mettle and more cunning for Contention then his predecessor had" Carter wrote to Landon Jones, July 22, 1723. His opinion of Edwards later changed for there are more appreciative mentions of him in Carter's diary. Edwards was clerk of the Lancaster County court from 1720-1746. ( Within the Court House at Lancaster. Lively, VA: Lively Printing Services, Lively, VA: Lively Printing Services, [1976]. p. 15. ; and "Thomas Edwards, Gentleman, Clerk of the Court." Brown and Sorrells. People in Profile. pp. 94-103. )

[38.5] To "set" the mast meant "to put (a thing) in place; to fix up in the proper or required manner; to erect (a tent, a mast); in early use often = set up," ( Oxford English Dictionary Online )

[39] Captain James Bradby commanded the Micajah and Philip . ( P.R.O., Adm. 68/195, ff. 74v, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia. )

[40] See Jones, Orders Book Entries . . . Referring to "Robert Carter. . . ." p. 120 abstracting Lancaster County Court Orders Book 7 1721-1729, page 181 for the record of the trial.

[41] Carter's wording is confusing, but as the Pages did not have a daughter named Mary, this must be Carter's daughter who had probably gone to visit the Pages after her brother Robert's wedding. "Mann" was Mann Page (1718-1778), Carter's grandson by his daughter Judith (Carter) Page and her husband Mann Page (1691-1730). He would inherit "Rosewell," Gloucester County, from his father, and marry first Alice Grymes (1724-1746) in 1743, and in 1748, Ann Corbin Tayloe. (Carleton. A Genealogy. . . of Robert Carter. . . . p. 212. )

[42] By "plates," Carter probably means the "blades or enclosures formed by blades, around the rim of a water wheel, against which or into the water flows. . . . They generally called elbow buckets or buckets if they are formed from a front plate or blade and a bottom plate or bucket. . . ." ( Theodore R. Hazen & Pond Lily Mill Restorations. "A Glossary of Mill Terms." online at http://www.angelfire.com/journal/pondlilymill/glossary.html#anchor249736. 6/29/2010. )

[43] According to the on line "Glossary of Mill Terms," the spindle is "the shaft on which the runner millstone rotates." ( Theodore R. Hazen & Pond Lily Mill Restorations. "A Glossary of Mill Terms." online at http://www.angelfire.com/journal/pondlilymill/glossary.html#anchor249736. 6/29/2010. )

[44] Carter probably misunderstood "clock" for "cock" because the spindle had broken at the "cock head-a pivot point at the top of the millstone spindle which fits into the cockeye" which is "a socket at the center of a balance rynd, which serves as supporting bearing for the runner millstone and at which the point on that it is balanced on." ( Theodore R. Hazen & Pond Lily Mill Restorations. "A Glossary of Mill Terms." online at http://www.angelfire.com/journal/pondlilymill/glossary.html#anchor249736. 6/29/2010. )

[45] An ague is "a malarial fever, marked by successive fits or paroxysms, consisting of a cold, hot, and sweating stage. The name ague was apparently at first given to the burning or feverish stage, but afterwards more usually to the cold or shivering stage, as being the most striking external character of the disease." ( Oxford English Dictionary )

[46] Urbanna was a town in Middlesex County built on lands orginally owned by Ralph Wormeley who resisted the idea after the town was authorized by the act of 1680. But development began after his death in 1701 and the passage of the third town act in 1706. ( John W. Reps, Tidewater Towns: City Planning in Colonial Virginia and Maryland. [Williamsburg,VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1972.] pp . 78-9. )

[47] James Whaley was the overseer at the Westmoreland plantations Old Ordinary and Moon's Plantation in the 1733 inventory. (Carter Papers: An Inventory. . .." )

[48] Jack Ashley is mentioned a number of times in Carter's diary; he lived in Spotsylvania County and apparently was an overseer for Carter at one time although he does not appear in the 1733 inventory of Carter's estate. (McIlwaine, H. R., ed. Executive Journals of the Council. . . . . 4 [1721-1739]:254 ).

[49] "The bark of various species of the Cinchona tree, from which quinine is procured, formerly ground into powder and taken as a febrifuge [fever reducing agent]." ( Oxford English Dictionary )

[50] At this time, Thomas Pursell was the overseer at Brent's Quarter in Westmoreland County.

[51] Ell is a term defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a measure of length varying in different countries. The English ell = 45 in[ches]."

[52] Lawrence commanded the Princess Amelia . When the ship arrived the next year, Carter would note in his diary on December 22, 1726 that "Captn Lawrence drownd."

[53] The Piankatank River lies between the Rappahannock and York rivers and was the boundary in Carter's time between Middlesex and Gloucester counties (as it is today except that Mathews County has been cut off from Gloucester).

[54] Captain William Keiling commanded the Betty . ( Survey Report 6800, found in the microfilms of the Virginia Colonial Records Project, Albert H. Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia )


This text, originally posted in 2002, was revised between June 14 and August 5, 2010, to add footnotes, and to strengthen the modern language version text.