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]

      January 4 [1725] from the above date [29 December 1724] very fine warm
weather my Daughter Harrison goes over
the river wrote to mr Jenings to mr Holloway
mr Randolph my son
Savage here Ashley Thomas here.
My Son Charles went to Colonel Pages gave [him] 20 shillings Cash
a pistole gave N.H. 2 guineas gave Mary Lucy
each 2 shillings 6 George a shillings paid the Collier Let Jack Ashley
have 40 shillings gave him a note for [omission in text] Tobo on mr
Gibson

Ja [mes] Whaley brought 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 John Connit for an Overseer
7 Smart frost W [ind] . northeast. . Gibson went away
wrote 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 weight 21 shillings 8 [pence ]
11 R [ichar] d Meeks went away yesterday would not
stay carried several things with him
12 mr Bell came here diverted me from
finishing my Letter to R [ichard] M [eeks] Major Es
ridge came here stayed all Night
13 o [u] r Court Harry [Quarry] judged for his running away
Charge in taking up &c
the Escheat of Elizabeth Husbands Land found
a very good Jury, fine weather
14 Major Eskridge lay here last Night we
went to Court together thence went to
Colonel Balls & dined came home in the Night
mr Bell gave me a note 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 Letter from mr Stark dated 11 September
19 went to mr Lees delivered him Bradleys Deed
very warm weather
20 W [ind] at north weather changed mr Lomax Read
[her] e G Turberfield here he is to pay for his
. . . 2500 pound [of tobacco] besides Cask rest 2 pence per pound

-folio 28 recto -


20 January 1724 [1725]

Doctor Nicolas here promised him 100 barrels
Corn at 10 shillings sterling I promise to deliver it at Seatons
he is to pay me 6 pence per Bushel for Carrying mr
Burwell's Corn gave a note on the Mill for
his present Supply
22 Strother came here stayed till the 26th signd
Conditions with him for another Year bought his
horse Mattox gave him his
27 Stagg came here
28 Captain Cobb came [in] his Longboat wth my Goods
sent to Captain Willis 10 gallons my best Brandy
drew off the remaind [er] 3 dozen & 6 bottles
sent Colonel Page 41 bushels Salt
29 Stagg went away at Sun Rise a lovely calm day
30 mr Barber & Downman came here brought 11 plats
Febr 1. fine weather went aboard Woodward tasted
a pipe wine for G [eorge] E [skridge] . Joseph Gregory came here enters
upon his Business
2d a fine day hazy in the morning Sam Jones
brings me a Bass I gave him 5 yards fine Liverpool
1 quart rum Captain Woodward's men here mending my
sails I bottle my Ale my bricklayer begun the
Marble floor yesterday at 9 Clock W [ind] west came to northeast .
3 William Camp here went over the river in my Boat I wrote to
Colonel Page sent several Letters to go by Hopkins Woodwards men
have been here two days about my Sails
4 Charming Weather all this week Woodward's men here this day
Candlemas day Sam Jones brought me a Bass.
Killed Nomini & Poplar Neck beeves this week
5 at Night the Wind Changd came to northwest weather
grew cold my first Lamb fell tooday a black ram Lamb
mr Wormley Berkeley Whiteside here
Joseph Gregory went home came not until Night
6 Gregory begins his Voyage to Nomini carries
a pipe of wine for G [eorge] E [skridge] .
killed a fine fat [omission in text] weather yesterday
Woodward sends his Boat for my hogs at P [eumonds] End
W [ind] at northwest Cold Thomas Freshwater came here Colonel Presly
Millstones went away Birch has been very
idle for several days together has not done the
work of one day in three Gregory I suppose
was in Sight yesterday I suppose did not
get out before the east 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 -


February 10th 1724/5

Our Court very warm Charles Grimes Dick Lee came
home with me stayed until Saturday morn
William Jones came for my hot Press
Captain Woodward
had 4 hogs at 30 shillings per
Biscoe had 3 more Woodward is to pay for them
Charles Grymes undertakes mr Wormley shall pay
my Sons Fees in Bills of exchange at 20 shillings per hundred weight
Jones is to pay me 40 shillings a year for the use of my
Press to pay me by dressing my Cloth at 1 pence
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 northeast 26 Lambs we had
last Night We 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 sheriff
took him away Saturday Noon
Charles 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 barrel of Corn
a rainy Night 32 Lambs.
17 Bottled off 26 dozen cider came from Waugh
Brewed Ale. W [ind] northwest cold
18 Colonel Armistead came here Stayed here until
monday Friday & & [sic ] Saturday rainy
Sunday went to Church R [ichard] L [ee] came wth us
Conversation very tiresome
22 Monday Stagg came here The rising
Sun Captain Hall sailed by would not stay
for my boat my Letters left behind
Sam Milham had a barrel Corn for
5 yards Cloth carried away [omission in text] yarn
24 a fair morning cold W [ind] at north 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
cider house.

-folio 29 recto -


February r 2 [4?] th 1724/5

Birch the boatbuilder has been an idle
rogue ever Since he came here the work
he has done has not answerd the flat [boat]
he sheathed proves extremely leaky
never caulked the upper works, he has
bin 12 days getting a sloops mast &c
bringing it to 16 squares he is so
false he does next nothing has spent
2 days 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 lies idle for want of iron
Bricklayer does no work this day
a very cold Snowy hail day
26 a rainy day mr Bell here
27 a cold day rained in the Night
28 Sunday rainy 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 cleared up at Night
March 1. a hard frost last Night W [ind] at north
sent my boat over the river 2 fires last night
Sawney [sic ] brot me the good News of my daughter Page
safe delivery on Saturday 20th of February had a fever
lasted 24 hours brought me a Letter from mr Ran
dolph
3 snowy rainy my Sloop came home
about 9 Clock from Nomini brings 39 hogsheads [s]
Tobo 6 hogsheads Corn 6 hogsheads Salt 4 hogsheads Wheat
8 Cask [s] cider 1 hogshead Apples 5 Tubs Butter 222 pounds
2 pots from LL 16.31. old iron 344 pounds
Captain Watkinson came here wind blew
hard at northeast snow & rain all day at
Night Wind veerd to the north & to northwest a
deep snow fell this Night
4 I had a great Quarrel with mrs
Young about the Wenches cleaning their
doors and paths a fair day W [ind] northwest
Gregory's flat so leaky would hardly Swim
also the upper works of the Sloop so leaky
the side wch Birch trimmed 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 brought me Colonel
Pages Letter & one from mr Perry by Adam
Graves
This day foggy morning rained hard af
terwards W [ind] at east & northeast came to northwest
had spent all the cider in the outward Cellar
13 butts & a butt of Old cider filled up.
Begun a butt [omission in text] cider in the Piazza
9 W [ind] at northwest my Sons go from home I gave to Robin
a pistole 10 shillings Cash I gave to Charles 2 pistoles 10 shillings Cash
my Sloop has lain to this day cant get my tobacco out
for Continued Rains & wet Grounds no Such
thing as Carting nor rolling .
10 a cold northwest wind frost last Night the gardener puts
down 3 pales & left them down Gumby nailed up 2
pales the week before & all that might heave out his
weeds the easier
11th Carter arrived fired at Colonel Armsteads before
Sun rise at my house about 11. Captain Graves came
ashore just after rained hard all the afternoon
& all Night.
12 Cloudy W [ind] northwest mr Bells Son went aboard
Captain Gamen I gave him 2 milled 1/2 Crowns
mr Bell had a barrel Corn of me sent several letters
away by Gaman mr Stagg came about 1 Clock
13 a fine morning W [ind] southeast fresh Gale.
15 16 fitting out my Sloop to the falls
17 my Sloop went into the Carter's employ
18 went to my Mill with my Son Dr Belfield
met us
19 Major Eskridge met us went away the
same day with Eskridge
mr Bell paid me for the Barrel Corn 11 shillings
received mr Tuckers packet 4th November
Captain Eskridg had all the Papers relating
to Ludlows Ludlows [sic ] land brought me some Escheats
21 Captain Loxam came in brought [sic] my Goods & Lettrs
from mr Pemberton
22 Wormeley Captain Graves here R here
W [ind] blew hard at west southwest
23 mr Wormeley &c went away
24 my Son & I had our serious discourse
25 my Son & that Company left us W [ind] at southeast
my boat came home within Night
26 good Friday went to Church W [ind] hard
at W [est] by So [uth] . very cold
1 April very indifferent weather Whiteside here
had 560 bushels Wheat on Accot Colonel Armistead

-folio 30 recto -


[April 1725]

[1 April Captain] Woodward came into the Creek
3 h [a] d 14 hogsheads tobacco from me
5 a [r] ainy day Tully had a barrel Corn
Captain Cobb Major Willis here last week latter
gave me 12£ Exchange Interest for my money
he owes me rained very hard in the Night
6 I went to Middlesex Court It rained very hard in
the Evening & all Night until within an
hour of Day The Water in my Mill Dam
higher by a foot than in the Gust 3 foot deep
in my waste at the Bridge the Water over
the Tops of the Stakes at the mouth of the
waste .
7 my Sloop came from the falls brought 42
hogsheads tobacco of several Sorts, 22 hogsheads Corn 60 midling
Bacon 104 hams 30 Jowles mrs Young says
112 gammons 30 gallons fat
I sent 19 hogsheads Corn to Doctor Nicolas
I received at Court Seven £ 2 shillings bills of Ex [chang] e George Yerby
17 I take wth me to Town 40£ from Captain Carter also
in gold 16-2-6 & 4 Guinea 4-9-6 milled mon [ey]
20£ spanish beside pocket money
Taken out of the Gold 4"11"6
Sent to mr Strother 8£-" shillings -" pence
19 I got into Town I paid away the following Sums

To J [ohn] C [layton] Clerk of Gloucester 4"13" --
To John Pledger 14" 9" 9
To John Oliver 4"17" --
To John Blair 0"11" 9
To Doctor Blair 3"16"11
To mrs Sullivan 3" 1" 8
To mrs Countes arabian 0"10" --
To the governor's people 1/2 Pistol 0"11" --
To the barber 0" 7" --
To mrs Stith 13" -- " --
To Mr Griffin 2 moidores 3"10" --
To the Coachman & servants 1" -- " --
To Countez maid 0" 5" --
To mr Francis 1/2 Pistol 0"15" --
To Carters Nurse 0" 5" --
To John Page Nurse 1/2 Pistol 0"11" --
To Giles Coachman about 0" 8" --
To my Daughter Page to buy
her a horse I owed 		8 moidores 14" -- " --
Carried Over £66"02" 1


-folio 30 verso -


May 1725

brought over [£66"02"] 1
To paid H Bowcock 1" 3" --
To paid John Vest milled money 3" 9" 1
To mr Stagg 5 pistoles 5" 7" 6

May 5th the Court rise that day pronounced the
Sentence of John 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 against it.
6 Thursday I did my Business came out of
Town got to Colonel Pages that night
8 fryday Saturday came to mr Wormeleys so home
9 Sunday was at our Church mr Bell appoin
ted a Communion Trini [t] y Sunday
11 I gave a note to Daniel Carter for 8 bxarrels Corn 3 at Hills 5 at mill
To Samuel Millham for 1 barrel
To mr Steptoe for 4 barrels at the Mill
2 barrels at Deniss
I promised mr Shapley 8 barrels Corn at
my Mill
I let Thomas Berry have 2 bottle [s] claret
19 Colonel Page mr Grymes Doctor Nicolas came here
20 we Settled Accots wth the Doctor gave him
his Bills took a discharge
21 mr Grymes Doctor Nicolas went away
22 Charles Coachman brought me home 5 Ne
gros from Augustine Moore 3 went to
mrs Harrison 4 went with Camp on
Accot of mr Burwells Estate
23 Colonel Page went away mr Read here
my goods in the Bonetta came ashore
yesterday
27 Joseph Gregory came home from the "falls"
brings 33 hogsheads of Corn 1 ditto for Hugh
Kelly 1 for Rowland Cornelius & Cook
35 hogsheads Tobo 9 from Peumds End 3 do under Tobo
from thence, 2 hogsheads Stemmed from Lomax.

-folio 31 recto -


[May 172] 5

[ . . . ] d purchased from Strother
[ . . . ] y own from [Jphn] Lomax 2 hogsheads 2 from
[ . . . ] 1 hogsheads more Secretarys 1 hogsheads from
Skrine
Isaac Currell paid me 12/6 towards his Corn
29 Joseph Gregory went aboard the Carter with 12
hogsheads carried six for Loxam
was to take in Glascock k
Tobo John Webbs tobacco was to go aboard Loxam to
deliver there ten hogsheads 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 cider 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 changed no Sign of rain
Negro Ship came in Yesterday
June the 1st Cool morning W [ind] at northwest all signs of rain
gone Robin Carter had 40 shillings Cash 20 shillings milled money
Carried away my new Suit of Cloths without my knowledge
3d the glazier came here tells me there wants for
Nomini house 75 foot diamond Glass 37 lead 3 pouds solder
the falls took up 36 foot Glass
10 pound Lead he has spent already at LL house 40 pounds
Lead still wanting
4 great Shows of Rain but comes to nothing
Enoch Innis goes away I gave him a Crown
wrote to Strother & Savage to T [homas] Barbar took
physic. Humphrey Thomas Enters Burditts
Land to Escheat Eliz Finley had my note
to W Waugh for 50 pounds Wool a pair wool Cards
7 I set Meeks over the river he paid a doubloon
& a Moydr weight £6"1"3 I wrote to my
son Colonel Page
I begin to Level the Ground for my new quarters
I received Strothers Letters from Meeks of 29 May
a Dismal Storey of the drought
-- --
8 a very hot dry day I let Captain Charles Lee have £20"1" -- Gold
I sent my flat [boat] Oyster Shell getting
Thomas Hunton to pay me good Tobo for all the
Trash & bad Tobo I shall throw by out of his hogshead
this he undertook before mr Turbervile & my
Son Charles
I gave Captain Lee a note on my Miller fo [r . . . ]
[ . . . ] n on Accot of [M]r Shaple [y]

-folio 31 verso -


[Ju] ne 9th 1725

received yesterday two [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] ley for 45" -- "0 on Pemberton [ . . . ]
also Colonel Grymes 2 sets of exchange Pat [ents]
40"0"0 And & [sic ] Neal Buchannan at 7"9"5
Joseph Gregory came home this Night brings
down 23 hogsheads aboard the Carter LL 6 hds
from Webs 1 ditto from Glascocks 2 of Secretary's
also 3 hogsheads Corn
14 Came a blessed rain we pitched all our
Crops
15 my Son Robin took his Leave of me
I gave him 5 pistoles 2 doubloons
16 Charles & the rest of my Children goes
over the river wee had plentifull rains
this Night I gave to Charles 20 shillings & a moidore
to Mary 10 shillings to Lucy 5 shillings to George 5 shillings
17 I went to Tho Wests Captain Pinkard Captain Carter
Captain Smith with me 9 Chickens 2 bottles wine
1 Ditto rum 2 cider or Treat
18 Birch made his Confession
19 the whole Design came out Billy stole the
Gun out of Closet Frost received it & Carried it
into the Woods Birch Frost Winder went
to the Gun Cleaned her Put her under the leavs
again I whipped Billy severely he brought out
1 pistol
-- --
Charles Clephen brought 6 bushels English home 3 bushels
came last week of the Mill Wheat
Gregory carried 24 hogsheads Tobo aboard the Carter from
Colonel Armistead was out 9 days
Robert Simson in Graves Sloop brought 9 hogsheads from Stafford [County ]
2 hogsheads from upper Machodoc , 4 hogsheads purchased from
Meeks 5 hogsheads Crop from Coles Point five hogsheads
from Northumberlan [d] 6 hogsheads Corn from Meeks
Graves had 1 hogshead Captain Carter 3 barrels mrs Harwood
2 barrels the rest Lofted.
22 my son Charles came home brought me abun
dance of Letters came in the Loyal Margaret
Captain Wheaton proprietors' lease came wth them
My Son Robert married the 17th June 1725.
23th in the morning I received my yawl again
[I] paid shillings the man for himself this Trip & last
[I] paid shillings Colonel Scarburgh for his man & Shallop 45 shillings

[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 [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] Captain Graves sent 2 hogsheads To [bacco . . . ]
[ . . . ] Monsieur Arigo taken si [ck]
Stagg was [here] Thursday & Friday no body to let [sic ]
29th mrs Young acquainted me her time was up
I told her money was ready for her she was her
own woman she was at Liberty to do what she pleased
I was contented she should continue here still
she answerd she had rather live with me than
any other gentleman the troubles of the house was
great she could not please every body I told her
little jars would arise in such a Family abun
dance discourse we had at last I seemed willing
to Continue her rather than look out 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 days of the month
my Smith irons my new brick moulds & has
bin 3 days about them the first day he did not finish
one
July [2?] d [co]ntinues rainy I this day agreed wth James
Bryan Brickmaker to make me two hundred
Thousand Bricks more I am to give him 3 shillings Curr
ency per 1,000 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 summer I am to pay him for the Goods he has
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 10 shillings sterling for [omission in text]
5 shillings currt for sugar a bit per lb
My Boat yesterday to mr Wormeleys for the
wedding folks I sent to mr Steptoe 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
gallon molasses 6 pounds sugar
4 Captain Pinkard mr Bell & said gentlemen came
home with me
5 Captain Graves Thomas Edwards went at Night
[ . . . ] t Bell went away Ed Newgent I
[ . . . ] cht Ordered him 4 barrel [s] Corn
[wrote ?] Savage Strother Lomax Gibson
[ . . . ]
7 my Boat fetched mr Churchill his wife
[Car] ried down my Sloops Mast sent
on board 22 hogsheads the Carter they set
my Sloops Mast
8 this morning went into Corotoman [Creek]
for [oyster] shells had 2 bushels meal 12 pounds bacon
Leather & nails for their Pump brought home
the Sloops Covering.
12 major Eskridge came here
Charles Coachman went for York to Catch Graves
he was sailed my Letters were sent aboard B [r] adby
13 Colonel Page Letter came wth Charles
14 our Court Burch & Archibald Cambel were tried
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 Captain
Graves went into the Creek
16 I le [t] David Haley have two bushels of
Corn at my Mill also a gallon [n] of Molasses
23 paid shillings mrs Young her Salary 12£ sterling 6£ Currt
money
26 the Carter came before my house
28 Captain Graves came here gave me bills Lading
my Son Robert went in barge to Rosegill Colonel Page
his wife Mary, Mann Came here
29 I finished my Letters went aboard the Carter he
fired 28 guns
[I] let Jame [s] Br [ay] n have 2 barrels 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 -- -- -- -20 shillings
Manuel begins Tarring my dwelling
the New cider house & quarters already Ta [rred]
Charles Coachman wife died he has a Co [ffin]
ma [de] by Toney & frank 1 gall rum To [o ?]
2 It rained in the Night no Season wind came to northwest
I went to Mill
3 I was [at] Mill very cold W [ind] northwest came to northeast
4 I dispa [tched a ]way Gregory for the falls a very cold
cloudy [da] y I let Charles Clephan have 30 shillings I sent
Dr [ . . . ] 3/10 shillings 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 on Tuesday
5 Sunday a bitter day Snowed in the Night snowed
all day could not go to Church mr Luke came f [rom]
Barbados 2 days ago Captain Hall in the rising Sun from
Bristol brought me Goods from King
6 W [ind] come [s] to northwest continues Snowing several peop [l] e
had shoes the wenches falls Toby paid me 5 shillings for a
pair Shoes I sent Frost to the Mill Monsieur Austin
Bunting Goes to measure Corn at 3 home quarters
Chris has a rug Blanket Billy Hales at home
Charles carries meat & Nails to the Mill I shut up my
[ba] ck Windows Gregory carried aw ay the Secretarys Accots
for Stafford King Georg Spotsylvania [counties]
Sent away the Secretarys Accots to the Richmond & Westmoreland
sheriffs by Peter Cassety write to Meeks Eskridge Strother
Rust [sic ] per Cassety Cassety carried up a [omission in text] of mine to
be kept at Poplar Hall
The Secretary's Accots brought by Chitwood from Richard Walker Friday the
3d December found them when I came home in the Night.
post merediem, a clear Sky very cold W [ind] northwest
7 I was at Mill a pretty warm day
8 I went to Mill had a Quarrel wth Frost he
went away about 2 Clock I saw him not until
Friday morning he was drunk whe [n]
he left me did no work the day he cam [e]
home pretended to be sick I reckon dru [nk]
sick for he was very drunk when
he left me see the story of his behavior in
another book
9 I went to Mill mr Bell mr Edwards & hi [s]
Son Charles wth me the Mill ground [very ?]
badly
10 Went to Mill through 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 wrought 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 feveer All Night
12 George Sick did not go to Church met C Lawrence
13 sent my Coachmans [sic ] to Urbanna for my
Lettrs brought Tuckers & Dawkins Carte [rs misc] arr [ie] d
sends her away immediately
14 I went to the [mill] she had cleared of [f] her bags
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 bushels man
hour
15 I sent Charles Clephan for 12 Bushels more
I sent H Chilton 1 quart rum a warm day
16 a hard northwest [wind] blew all Night froze hard
17 W [ind] at west blows hard mr Turberville her [e]
very cold snowed
18 & 19 continues very cold W [ind] the same blows
hard Nomini hogs came down 36
20 W [ind] continues weather more moderate
signed Conditions wth Westmoreland County Overseers
gave them a bottle rum [James] Whaley had
a quart Morphy had a quart on their
own Accot:
Joseph Cooper brought down his hogs signd
Conditions with him had 12 bushels English
meal came home last week had 24 bushels
Indian Meal
21 Harry Kelly brought down 4 hogs I was at Mill
gave a note to Sam Ball on Captain 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 minutes 1/2 barrel in 25 minutes
[2?] bushels in 20 minutes 5 Ladles off [sic ] Water
[ . . . ] my Sloop came from the falls this [day?]
[ . . . ] 60 hoggs from the falls quarters [ . . . ]
[ . . . ] from Thomas & Ashley 6 fro [m ...]
[ . . . ] from Pewmonds End [ . . . ]


-folio 35 recto -


December 21th 1725

one hog was smotherd in the Sloop one they
killed 76 came alive.
22 Isabel Clements died about 4 Clock the W [ind] conti [nues]
at northwest very cold my Son Charles fit is
changed come now every day Mary
Lucy George my self all have Colds
23 a fair day little W [ind] that that is at northwest warm
there was a very hard frost last Night
Charles takes the Bark
Tom Pursel had a bushel Salt Joseph Gregory
had two hogs at 20 shillings 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 note on Meeks for 1000 pounds Tobo
Captain Lawrence sent his men for my
Sloop Lawrence is to pay me 40 shillings sterling
per month for my Storehouse.
This day very cold several Guns in Piankatank [River]
Suppose a Ship gone in there
Keiling arrivd then
smart cold weather until the 30th a fine day & 31th mr Jones mr
Turberville 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.