Saturday, June 24th, 1865

To day I succeeded in stopping the diarrhea from running in me and am consequently much better. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] with Fanny Fitzsimmons & Josephine in my buggy drawn by my horse Rob arrived safe and sound in Liberty. Frank Stewart with the little wagon & mules also arrived safe bringing down in the little wagon, Florence and Jimmy, also Louisa, Jemima, Conny and Wolf with sundry provisions etc. We all upon the invitation of Col. Jim Wrigley stopped at his house of course I left John Booths. The little woman passed my wagons on the road, they having left on the 16th with Jemima  was taken down at the residence of my old friend Dan Dailey & safely delivered of a female child on the 17th inst both Mother & child are doing well. Weather clear & hot. Ther: 96°.

Wednesday, April 5th, 1865

To day we left Dan Dailey's & rode 29 miles & stopped for the night with Mr. Alderman I being pretty well worn out expenses of the day 25$ Weather cloudy & warm with light showers of rain throughout the entire day. Hicks ground 11 bushels of corn at the mill.

Tuesday, April 4th, 1865

To day I left home on my mule John in company with Billy Roberts in route for Liberty. We rode to Crockett & stopped for dinner with Billy Stewart. We then rode down to Dan Dailey's where we stopped for the night. Weather cloudy & warm. at the mill Hicks ground 31 bushels of corn.

Tuesday, March 21st, 1865

To day Nellie* [Mary Alexandrien Sharp nee Lemaire] & I in company with Mr. Dailey rode to Crockett and put up with Billy Stewart. John worked in the field. Hicks ground 6 bushels of wheat & 4 bushels of corn. Weather clear & warm.

*This Nellie is a 2nd great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog.

Friday, March 10th, 1865

To day the boys are engaged washing some wheat and in hauling wood. Sam* [Samuel Houston Sharp] & Nellie* [Mary Alexandrien Sharp nee Lemaire] rode down to Mother's [Mahala* Sharp Hall nee Roberts] & spent the day. Mr. T.R. Dailey & I rode around to war widows and settled with them the amount donated by the County Court. I paid Mr. Dailey $246$ in new issue in full payment of the amount I borrowed from him on the 20th of December last. Hicks ground 2 bushels of wheat & 12 bushels of corn. Weather clear & cold with a frost & freeze at night.

*This Sam and Nellie are 2nd great-grandparents to the Keeper of this family history blog. Mahala is a 3rd great-grandma, and is Sam's mother, as well as the step-mother AND the mother-in-law of JMH.

Tuesday, December 20th, 1864

To day the boys went out hog hunting & succeeded in getting one. I rode up to the school house and paid Bodenhamer my war taxes, also those of Sam Sharp*. I had to advance upon Sharp's taxes or in other words loan him $256. I borrowed from T.R. Dailey $370 in old issue, which I am to pay back in new issue, with a discount of one third, or rather I am to pay him $246.⁰⁰ in new issue. Father [Joshua James Hall] came up and took Toby [Horace Oscar Hall] home with him. Hicks ground 12½ bushels of wheat & 23 bushels of corn. Weather cloudy & cold with occasional showers of rain and sleet.

*This Sam is a 2nd great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog.

Tuesday, November 29th, 1864

To day the boys are at work hauling rails. I rode over to Mr. Keen's & to Mr. Dailey's in relation to the supplying the families of soldiers with subsistance for the next year. Mother [Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts] & Nellie [Mary Alexandrien Sharp nee Lemaire] called by as they returned from a visit to Mrs. Bird's. Hicks ground 2½ bushels of wheat and 16½ bushels of corn. Weather cloudy and warm with a light shower of rain.

Wednesday, September 23rd, 1863

To day the boys are still at work putting up the walls of the corn crib. Mr. T.R. Dailey delivered 2407 lbs of lint cotton which was more than I had contracted with him for. I paid him $49 for the over plus. Billy Stewart left after dinner for Crockett. I loaned him one bushel of barley before his departure and ground it in barley flour for him. I also ground 9 bushels of corn. I rode up to see Mr. Heflin the war tax Assessor and rendered him a list of my taxable property. weather clear & hot.

Monday, September 21st, 1863

To day the boys finished hauling logs to build the body or walls of the corn crib. Mr. Dailey delivered 1635 lbs of lint cotton. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] rode hawk down to Mothers [Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts] and back after some candles, which she succeeded in getting. Sam [Samuel Houston Sharp] rode over to Mr. Keen's after my saddle which he got but it was not mended in fact it was worse broken then when I took it for repairs. I ground 5 bushels of corn. weather clear & hot but cool at night.

Friday, September 18th, 1863

To day the boys are still at work hauling logs to build the corn crib. Mr. Dailey delivered 1276 lbs of lint cotton. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] is still at work on my clothing to take to the Army. In consequence of the low stage of the water in the pond the mill could do no grinding. weather cloudy with a strong North wind blowing making it very cold for the season.

Thursday, September 17th, 1863

To day the boys are at work hauling logs to build the corn crib. Mr. T.R. Dailey delivered 3722 lbs of lint cotton. James [James Wrigley Hall] missed his chill and fever. Sam [Samuel Houston Sharp] went hunting but had no success. I ground 2 bushels of corn. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] is very busy making up my clothing to take to the army with me in the event that I am conscripted and have to go. weather changeable & rather cool with light showers of rain.

Monday, August 31st, 1863

To day Hicks is engaged attending to the tar kiln. The other boys are at work hauling logs to build a cotton house. Mr. T.R. Dailey delivered 1636 lbs. of lint cotton. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp], Mother [Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts], Father [Joshua James Hall], Roberta [Berta Downes Halyard nee Hall] and Fawn [Florence Mahala Hall] went down to Hall's bluff to attend the funeral of Capt. Stubblefield's child. Toby [Horace Oscar Hall] came up and spent the day. Roberta came home with the little woman at night, bringing Fawn who had a fever upon her. Thus I close my jottings of events around me for the month of August, and as it closes the summer, so I shall close noting the stage of the Thermometer until next summer, should I be spared until then to keep a record of the same as well as the jottings of the passing events that take place around me. weather clear and hot. Ther: 84°.

Friday, August 28th, 1863

To day the boys went with the wagon to get a load of pine to run some tar. Mr. T.R. Dailey delivered 1385 lbs of lint cotton. Sam [Samuel Houston Sharp] ground two bushels of corn. I went fishing but had no success. Rachael came by on her way from Crockett with her cart broken down. I had to loan her my horse Hawk to ride home upon. weather changeable and warm. Ther: 91°.

Thursday, August 27th, 1863

To day the boys was compelled to quit chopping logs in order to work on the mill levee in consequence of a small rend made in it last night. John succeeded in finding his oxen. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] rode Hawk down to Mother's [Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts] and back. Mr. T.R. Dailey delivered 3590 lbs of lint cotton. In consequence of the low water in the pond, the mill could not grind. weather very changeable. at 7 o'clock A.M. the Ther. stood at 60°, and at 3 o'clock P.M. it stood at 92°.

Saturday, July 18th, 1863

To day the boys are at work picking peas. Sam [Samuel Houston Sharp] rode my horse Gladiator up to Mr. Dailey's and back. The little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp], Nellie [Mary Alexandrien Sharp nee Lemaire] and I went fishing with pretty fair success. Capt. Stufflefield came up and also went fishing. Fawn [Florence Mahala Hall] is still sick but I think slightly improving. I ground 3 bushels of corn. weather clear & warm. Ther: 88°.

Monday, June 29th, 1863

To day I quit everything else and commenced with my own hands assisted by one from Mr. Beasley, 2 from Mr. Dailey and one from Dr. Murchison to repair the mill levee. After working all day, the high water from the upper mill destroyed our labor for the whole day, leaving me just as I commenced in the morning. Sam [Samuel Houston Sharp] rode down to Mother's [Mahala Sharp Hall nee Roberts] and kill a ? beef. My daughter Fawn [Florence Mahala Hall] was taken sick with a fever. weather changeable & hot, Ther: 84°.

Tuesday, May 26th, 1863

To day we left Daniel Dailey's and took up our line of march. after driving 29 miles and passing through the town of Sumpter we arrived at Mr. Alderman's where we stopped for the night, and there learned that my wagons had passed about 10 o'clock A.M. I also learned that Dr. Stanwood & wife of Liberty had stopped there the night before on their way up to Crockett, we however did not meet them on the road and must have passed each other at Sumpter. we found the roads very heavy & considerably washed up making the travel exceedingly fatiguing. expenses of the day 4$. weather clear and very hot.

Monday, May 25th, 1863

To day after bidding the little woman [Margaret Hall Stewart nee Sharp] & babies and all others on the place "good bye" I left in company with Nellie [Mary Alexandrien Sharp nee Lemaire] in the buggy drawn by my horse Rob in route for Liberty. we arrived in Crockett for dinner, and while there I collected from L.E. Downes $1200. I also received from him the further sum of $1500 to be invested for him in goods at Houston. After dinner we left Crockett on our journey and arrived at Daniel Dailey's where we stopped for the night having driven 15 miles from home. weather clear and rather hot.

Friday, April 3rd, 1863

To day the boys are still engaged in planting corn. I drove my horse (Gladiator) and buggy to Crockett in order to carry Margaret Hall [his daughter?] home after her visit out on the Elk Hart for the past two weeks. while in Crockett I paid Messrs Gorley, Smith & Co the sum of $104.54 upon which they had sued me. I also paid Hall's estate $232. To John Miller $65. To Kenneth Murchison as J.P. the judgment that Miller & Collins obtained against me and Daniel Daily amounting to 58¢. To S.A. Miller as atty for C.G. Forshey a Judgment that he obtained against me for $70.53 principal & interest up to this date. I also collected from W.A. Stewart on a/c of a claim I hold against Cummin's Estate the sum of $197. I returned home in the evening in Company with W.A. Stewart, Wm. Wingfield and Joseph A. Wright. Sam* [Samuel Houston Sharp] ground 21 bushels of corn. weather clear & pleasant.

*This Sam is a 2nd great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog.

Friday, March 20th, 1863

To day the boys are still splitting rails at the lower field. John is still up at John Williams' hauling cotton to the gin. Sam* [Samuel Houston Sharp] ground 42 bushels of corn. I paid T.R. Dailey for 21 bales of cotton, weighing 9279 lbs. also for 15,000 lbs of lint cotton. I drove my horse Gladiator & the buggy to Crockett in order to carry Margaret Hall home. while in Crockett I purchased some cow bells 4 in number. I also sold my office in town to Mr. Downes for the sum of $1200. I also sold to Mr. Harlan my yoke of steers running up at Parkers for the sum of 50$. weather clear & pleasant.

*This Sam is a 2nd great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog. He is also the brother-in-law as well as the step-brother of JMH.