Robert Carter records his suffering with gout, 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, the death and funeral of Governor Hugh Drysdale and his assumption of the post of acting governor of the colony, arrival of ships with goods and letters from Britain, movement of tobacco and other crops from his outlying farms on his sloops, the loading of tobacco on ships bound for Britain, and frequent trips to his farms and mill.

      January 1 [1726] I went to Captain Lawrence Store very cold Stood a
great while on the Sand eat heartily bread & Cheese dra nk
a bottle Southam 2 or 3 glasses white wine began to be
lame I came home
2d rise very well was Lame when I came out of my
Coach received the Com [ission?] grew lamer the Gout in my
left foot had an uneasier night rise twice my
Pain in my left foot somewhat better drank water had a
pretty good Night
3d rise easy a little Lame eat no breakfast but
Coffee eat Venison drank some wine Southam
afterwards water in the Night more uneasy the
day before my Goods from Lawrence Landed
4 rise pretty well eat nothing drank Coffee Robin
his wife [and her mother] E [lizabeth] Churchill came home brought my Letters
from Keiling & Cobb eat stewed Chicken Turkey drank
wine Southam [cyder] had a very uneasy r night got n [ot]
to sleep till near 4 slept until almost 9 rise pr [etty] [well]
but Lame
5 drank Coffee eat nothing mr Steptoe here & [r . . .]
Eat Peas drank Water some Southam [cyder] sat up late had a ni [. . .]
rise twice
6 smart frost W [ind] northwest clear had an easy day grow w [. . .]
Eat a little 12th Cake sat up until 12 drank 3 or 4 Gla [sses wine]
had a uneasy Night sharp weather wind Blows [hard?]
sent Charles Coachman to Piankatank [River . . .]