The original handwritten diary of Celia L. E. C. Peebles Bailey was photographed and transcribed by William Waylon Jacks in 1979.

Celia L. E. C. Peebles Bailey’s actual handwritten words from her diary, as noted by Mr. Jacks in his original transcription, are presented in bold print in this edition.  All other notes and comments by Mr. Jacks that were included in his original transcription are enclosed in parenthesis in this edition.

Mr. Jacks’ original typed transcription was retyped for this presentation by Mildred Earline Wood Bailey.

Gene Marie Grainer Bailey and James Wiley Bailey, Jr. edited this edition of Mr. Jacks’ transcription.

The following begins Mr. Jacks’ transcription of Celia L. E. C. Peebles Bailey’s diary:
 
 

(William R. Bailey’s Family)

(One of the first families to help settle the territory in and around what is now Stewart, Mississippi, and then Choctaw County.  He was no doubt the first Bailey in this part of the country, and is the Daddy, Granddaddy, Great Granddaddy, etc. of all the Baileys-as far as I am able to find out-in this part of the country.)

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(The following was taken from a Diary written by his patient, wonderful wife, who was a Peebles before she married him.  In the Diary it looked like she spelled her last name “Peebles.”  This is the way she listed her family:)

William R. Bailey was born Sept 20, 1810, died.............................…........…..
Celia L. E. C. Bailey, his wife, was born May 28, 1821, died..........…......…..
Mary Ann Bailey (girl) was born Dec 1, 1839, died...........………....…....…..
Our unnamed son, was born July 10, 1841, died, (probably stillborn)………
John H. R. Bailey (boy) was born April 22, 1843, died......................…….….
Caroline E. E. J. Bailey (girl) was born Nov 10, 1845, died...................…….
Abram D. P. Bailey (boy) was born Aug 31, 1848, died .....................……....
James E. A. Bailey (boy) was born Feb 20, 1852, died..........................….….
Elizabeth Ann Armanda Bailey (girl) born Apr 7, 1854, died...........……....
William D. J. Bailey (boy) was born May 22, 1857, died....................……....
Mary V. ? Bailey (girl) was born July 2, 1859, died.............................……...
Pleasant S. H. Bailey (boy) was born Sept 29, 1862, died....................……...

(There are 4 girls, 5 boys, and one boy died at birth.)

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(Before we get into the Diary, I need to give you a foundation for it.  The story has been handed down that William R. Bailey was born in North Carolina, probably, as that was where he said he come from.  Leslie Bailey, his Great Grandson, said he was told that by his Granddaddy, and that he rode down into Mississippi on a horse looking for a place to settle.  Little Jim Bailey, a Grandson, said that he was told William R. Bailey rode down on a horse with William Martin Jacks, my Great Granddaddy, and two of the Redding brothers who were brothers to William Martin Jacks’ wife, “Tempy” Redding.

Then the story was, they all went back and those who were married sold out, loaded everything up in covered wagons, and come for Choctaw County, Mississippi.  Now when they first rode down on horses, William R. Bailey was not married.

He rode up to perhaps the only house around, in that part of the country, which was the Peebles farm, and was invited to spend the night.  Most any one traveling through was welcome and of course the “carrier” of some news.  His horse was put up and fed, he was invited in and fed, then while he told them he was single and looking for a place to build a home, and any other news, Mrs. Peebles and the girls were in the kitchen talking things over.  A good eligible man to marry was few and far between; so one of the girls was sent out to look his horse and saddle over, if it had not been abused, if he had not abused his horse, and it was well kept, he surely would make a good husband!  This was done without him knowing, and everything met their approval.  So the rest is history.  Celia was very pretty, and she played “hard-to-get”, and he was caught with a big smile on his face.  Now isn’t that just like a woman?  There is no way you can win against a smart, good-looking woman!

So he rode back with a smile on his face, a song on his lips, and the lovely face of young Celia on his mind.  He sold out, loaded up his wagon and hurried back to Choctaw County, Mississippi.  Just what he had in the wagon was not mentioned, but “old pa” or Little Jim Bailey, said there was some “Indian” corn. And it was kept for 101 years.

Anyway, William R. Bailey “staked” out his homestead just about 1 mile east of what is now called Stewart, Mississippi, on Highway 82, about 800 yards off the road on a hill in a beautiful oak grove, built a log cabin, and married lovely young Celia Peebles.

At this writing, I have no way of knowing just what year they were married.  My guess is about 1837 or before.  Their first child was born in December 1839.

He kept books on his business, which was farming as far as I have been able to find out.  But, in this he bought and sold, etc.  Some of it was in the pages of the Diary.  I will give you a copy of what I found.

When I was given access to the Diary, at least half of it was missing.  Mr. Claude Hearod had it and let me look at it. His wife said she did not know how or why the pages were missing.  They gave me permission to photocopy each page that was left.  This I did and Helen Jacks, my wife, now has the copies of it.  When Mr. Claude’s house burned down, the Diary burned with it.  I had to use a magnifying glass to read it.  Most pages were very hard to make out; some were faded so bad I could not make them out.  I soon learned her style and method of expressions, and what I have down, you can be sure it is true!  Where there was a doubt, I put a ? for a word or ??? for a sentence I could not read or did not put anything.  I will copy it now as I have it.

Let me say first that the County of Choctaw was laid out in 1833, according to Judge J. P. Coleman, and I believe William R. Bailey was here on his first trip some time around 1835, because there is an entry in his book dated either June or January 21, 1835.  I will try to write it as it was.)

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(At the top of the page was written:)

Edward Bailey, this Book,
     52
J  21, 1835    12
     520
     18
     15
     45
             ====
184
    30
   $215
    70
             ====
     284

36 pounds of Bacon one dollar for ???
to 3 dollars to Noble ??? 5 Bales
Sugar Mr. Noble 2 pounds of coffee
? Sugar 50   5’ Bets for later
 

(Notes about preceding page:

Note 1:  Now let me say, the Edward Bailey must have been William’s Daddy’s name, because at the date 1835, his son James Edward had not been born.

Note 2:  I did not check the arithmetic on this.  I don’t understand it.  I’m sure the one who wrote it down did.

Note 3:  I do not understand this.  I wrote down as it appeared to be.  I do not know what kind of bales, the words “Bets for later,” may not be that at all, but something else!  It was faded so bad it was hard to even see that.  So you can make of it what you want to, I guess.)

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January 11th, 1837

Received of Gregary Mill 150 Bushels of corn at $1.50 a bushel.
Received of F. H. Ribhley (or Rigbley?) 24 Bushels of corn at $1.61 a bushel.
Received of Joel Mabuary 30 Buxhels of corn at $1.50 a bushel.

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On or before the first of January, 1839, William  R. Bailey ??? I promise to pay William R. Bailey ???  $100 for value received of him January ??? on or before the 1st day of January. Next I promise to pay William R. Bailey, or bearer one hundred dollars for value received  April 30th, 1839.

       William R. Bailey

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 There is a world of trouble here and often we are caused to shed many a tear
 But we must try not to let it pester our mind
 And try as well as we can and pass off the time
 At times a person gives away to trouble too much
 But we should try to guard against all such
 As this is a troublesome world here
 We should try in Peace before the Lord to appear

(This is a poem Celia made up and wrote in the Diary on July 15, 1841.)

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 William R. Bailey   Edward Bailey

William H. Moorhead, Engrs.
 March 12, 1841, his name and pen he may be good but you know when ???

 W  53 on the 5th of April 1851 we bought some cabbage plants ???
 L  33
 J  31
 R  36
 W  56
 J  74
 J  32

(I have copied it down just as she did.  I do not know what she meant by the “W 53,” etc. at the left or what she meant by “his name and pen may be good,” etc.  Perhaps she did not intend for anyone else to know.  When you see a blank space with a ? mark or ??? marks, it a was word or a sentence that were too faded to read.  William H Moorhead no doubt was some kind of engineer.  I would think a survey engineer. I would think the name Edward Bailey would probably be William R. Bailey’s Daddy, as the only other Edward Bailey mentioned in her diary was one of her sons, and at this date he had not been born, 1842.  He was born February 20, 1851.  Anyway, it’s just a guess.)

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 May 2nd, 1844

W. H. Broomingbury to William R. Bailey
 To  50 lbs. of Bacon at 5 cents a pound
 To  50 lbs. of new Bacon at 12 1/2 cents a pound
 To  2 dollars worth of coffee
 To  3 Bushels of Meal at 50 cents a bushel
 To  1 Peck of meal
 To  1 Gal. of Mollases - 62 1/2 cents
 To  50 lbs of Bacon at 12 1/2 cents
 To  23 lbs of Bacon at 9 cents
 To  2 Pecks of meal at 50 cents a peck
 To  1 Beef at $7.50
 To  1 Dollars worth of coffee

(It seems here that Mr. Bailey bought his supplies from W. H. Bloomingbury.  He was perhaps one of the merchants at old Greensboro.  It was the closest place to buy things like that.

Now let me say here that I am writing this as I think in the order it was written in the Diary.  As I have already mentioned, half of the pages had been torn out, and I copied the rest of the pages one sheet at a time with my 35 mm camera, and in handling the pictures I cannot be sure just which page was first, second, third, etc.  So all I can do is go by the date on each page.

And that is what I am doing.  There may be some of the negatives missing.  Or I may have misssed a page or two.  The reason I say this is, that in talking to Mable Brown later, she said there was one statement about Mr. Bailey and Mr. Vernon, that they had “gone down in Big Black Swamp today bear hunting.”  I could not find it in what I copied.  Of course this is what they did, because this was wild unsettled country back then; there was bear, panther, and who knows what else.  There were still bear and panther in my Daddy’s young days.  This would have been in the late 1800s.)

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(There was no date on this page other than December 13.)

 It was on December the 13th day
  That I gave myself away
 I changed my name from C.L.E.C. to C.L.E.B.

 I have encountered many difficulties since that day
  But I will try and preserve the right way
 It is a thorny road to travel here
  And we meet with many things that is a worry to us

 But I will try and not look back
  And as much as possible keep in the right track
 Perhaps there are some who will find fault
  But I would be glad if they their own faults could be

 I am now living in the house where changes my name
  But I do not know that next year I can say the same
 I will not at present write any more
  I leave the rest for the reader to guess.

(There was something else under this that was cut off.)

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(Now we have the day-to-day Diary Mrs. Celia Bailey kept.  The first page I have is on Feb. 16, 1851.  Now if you remember the early dates we had like 1841, 1842, 1844, and my guess was they were married at least by 1837 or 1838.  We know that we have about 10 or 12 years not accounted for in this Diary.  I do not think she kept a day account these 10 or 12 years, as it would have taken almost a book a year.  She may have had a page here and there along till 1850.  I believe 1850 is the part of the book that is missing and Jan. to Feb. 16, 1851.  I have not checked to find out, but I feel like there will be some days unaccounted for through 1851.  Anyway, here it is just as she wrote it 130 years ago.  As I write this it is the end of 1979.)

Sunday Feb. 16, 1851

It is a fair and cold day.  I can scarcely walk.  My leg is very painful and has been for the last two weeks.  The rest of the  family are in tolerable good health.  Mr. Bailey was very sick last Thursday, but is better now.  He is not home today.  He has gone down on Big Black.  John’s legs were very painful too last night, but he is very “peart” today. William Hainsworth, William Vernon, and Joseph ? are here today. Mary Ann is going to her Aunt Elizabeth’s.  My children have behaved themselves today.

(I could not make out who the Joseph was unless it was Joseph Vernon. Let me also say that John is the oldest boy, and Mary Ann the oldest girl and oldest child.  And in addition to these two, she had two more children at this date, a girl named Caroline E.E.J., who was 6 years old; a boy, Abram D. P., who was 5 years old at this date; Mary Ann would have been 12 years old; and John would be 8.)
 

Sunday Feb. 23, 1851

This is a very warm day and cloudy and it has rained some.  Mr. Bailey is not home.  Mary Ann, John and Abram went to their Aunt Elizabeth’s this morning. Mrs. Vernon and her children came here this evening.  Also Cordela Philips and Gredin Philips.  Margo went home with Mr. Vernon this evening and stayed all night.  Mr. Bailey came home about sun down.  I will quit writing for I am sitting by pine light and I can’t hardly see!

(I take it that the “pine light” means a pine torch light.  And when she said “Margo went home with Mr. Vernon,” she must mean Margo Philips, as she did not have a child by that name.)

Monday Feb. 24, 1851

We have not had any rain today.  It has been a tolerable ??? And when he returned home, he complained of not feeling very well.  Mary Ann and Izabel are burning bush.  I wrote a letter to Louise Harllop today.  My leg has been better today than it has been in several days.

(Let me say here that Izabel must have been a girl and a slave, as later Celia uses the word “she” in reference to her.  And this Louise she wrote to, I could only guess at the last name.  It was something like that.)

Tuesday Feb. 25, 1851

It was a pretty day today.  My leg pained me worse today than it did yesterday.  Mr. Bailey commenced planting Irish potatoes today.  I have written Aunt Mary Riley a letter today.  Izabel has been plowing part of the day today. Mary Ann and John have been helping their Pa prepare Potatoe ground. Mary Ann went to Mr. Vernon’s this morning and got him some more bushels.

Wednesday Feb. 26, 1851

It was a very ? day and cloudy.  My leg pained me worse last night than it has in a long time.  It feels a little better today but I have a very bad cold and my head and eyes hurt me very bad.  Izabel has been plowing part of the day.  Mr. Bailey finished planting the potatoes today.  Izabel with the children helped him afterwards.  They built a Hobb.  Mary Ann set out her Rose bushes today.  I have cut out Mr. Bailey’s pair of pants.

(Now I do not know who Hobb is.  The word was faded, and if that is not what she said, I do not know what the word was.)

Thursday Feb. 27, 1851

This is a very warm day and it has rained some. Mr. Bailey made him a stable door.  Izabel has been plowing and burning brush.  Mary Ann and John also. Mr. Williams came by here today.  And Mr. Bailey with him to Mr. Moorheads.

Friday Feb. 28, 1851

This is a very cold day and it has rained, snowed and sleeted.  Mr. Bailey went to Mr. R. B. Vernon’s this morning.  And he went to Mr. J. O. Vernon’s this evening. Mary Ann has gone to her Aunt Elizabeth’s this evening. Mary Ann learned 28 lines of her reading and 15 lines of her spelling this evening. Izabell has been washing clothes and cutting wood today.

(I doubt there was a school any place near them then, so either Celia or her Aunt Elizabeth no doubt was doing the teaching.  The first school that I can find any record of near them was in the late 1860s, and a Mary Jane Irvin was its only teacher.  She was the Great Grandma of Leslie Bailey.  She was paid by the parents of the children going to school.  I think it was first near Mt. Vernon, then later in a one-room log house in the northeast corner of the land where Paul Box and Cary Ben built their house, which now is owned by Augusta McGarrh.)

Saturday March 1, 1851

This is a cold day.  Mr. Bailey split some rails today, and commenced making a garden fence.  Izabel went to Alpha Peebles today and got some seed oats.  Nancey Hainsworth and her brother William came here this evening.

(I think she is referring to the Ainsworths, and that she is spelling it with an H on front, but I don’t know that she is.)

R.B. Vernon--mending of shovels--75 cents--Mr. Bailey’s book.

(I do not know why this was inserted here, but it was.)

Sunday March 2, 1851

This is a fair day and tolerable warm.  Mr. Bailey is gone to Mr. Nasames; William Vernon, Joseph Vernon and William Hainsworth are here today.  Nancey Hainsworth, and Mary Ann went to Mr. Vernon’s this morning.  I do not feel very well today, and my leg hurt me very bad last night and it hurts me very bad today.

April 15, 1851.

This is a cool and cloudy day.  I do not feel very well.  The rest of the family are in tolerable good health. Mr. Bailey hauled some logs today and him and the children have been burning bush, and Izabel has been plowing.

It rained on the 18th of April, 1851 and the wind blew very hard.  It also rained and hailed on the 20th of April, 1851. Mr. Bailey drove up a cow and calf on the 5th of Feb. 1851, and also on the 8th of Feb., 1851, and on the 5th of April, 1851, he drove up Cherry and her calf.

(It would appear that to her on April 5, the “bring up Cherry and her calf” was something to be proud of.  But she no doubt forgot to write it down, then that reminded her she forgot to mention in February the big event of two cows having calves.  How well do I remember the birth of calves, pigs, mules, horses, etc. It was something to go look at them while they were so young.  I would think Cherry was one of her favorite milk cows.)

April 21, 1851

Louise Peebles came to see me.  Mr. Bailey went to Mr. Chappel’s this morning.  He met Louise when she was coming here and she was very badly scared.  She saw a Negro man going across the woods and she reported him to be a “run-a-way”, and she  “laid the whip”  to the horse and left the place.  When she came here she said she was scared very bad.  But as it happened, it was not a run-a-way negro.  He belongs to Mr. Bufhines and he came by here to tell her he was not a run-a-way.  The negro was hunting horses.  He laughed very much at her for being afraid of him.  She told him to come by her house and she would make him pay for scaring her, and for coming by and telling her he was not a run-a-way ----Louise is as full of mischief as anyone can be.

April 12, 1851

Mr. Bailey commenced sowing oats the 3rd of March and on the 1st of March, he commenced planting corn here at the house.  He planted corn on the 20th  of March on the Mitchell place.

(I’m sorry I put this in here.  It should have been before April 15.)

April 22, 1851

This is a cloudy day and tolerable cool.  I’m in tolerable good health.  I went to Mrs. Elizabeth Vernon’s this evening.  This day John is 8 years old and I have made him a birthday cake.  Mr. Bailey and the children have been sowin cotton seed, and Izabel has been plowing.  Mr. Bailey went to Mr. Philips this evening.

April 25, 1851

It was a tolerable cool morning this morning, but is warmer this evening.  Mr. Bailey finished planting cotton today.  After he finished planting cotton, he plowed in his corn here at the house till dinner.  After dinner he commenced harrowing his corn at the Mitchell place.  He says the worms are cutting his corn very bad.  He was 17 days bedding up his cotton ground, 4 days planting it.

April 26, 1851

This is a pretty day and warm.  Mr. Bailey and the children “hilled up” the Irish Potatoes this morning.  Mr. Bailey is gone to Mr. Rushings this evening.  There was 3 of my little chickens caught last night.  Mr. Bailey commenced Skemin his Skemp on the 18th and finished on the 19th.

(Now don’t ask me what that is, and if that wasn’t the word, I could not make out what it was.)

He bedded out his sweet potatoes on the 31st of March.  I commenced taking medison on the 10th of March.  At that time I could not walk but very little without my crutches.  My leg is gradually better now than it was then.  I can walk very well now.  I planted some beans this evening.  Mr. Rushing and Mr. Alpha Peebles came home with Mr. Bailey tonight, and they went a “fire hunting” and hunted till in the night.

(Now I don’t know what “fire hunting” is, but that is certainly what she wrote down.)

Sunday April 27, 1851

This is a very pretty day and tolerable warm.  I went to see Elizabeth Vernon today and she was very sick.  Dr. Johnson was there.  He came here the 9th time on the 30th of April.

(Now here is something interesting to know about this Dr. Johnson.  He no doubt was the Dr. “Jaybird” Johnson of Old Greensboro at that time.  Now remember Old Greensboro was the only town near at that time.  Here is what the record shows on Dr. Johnson of Old Greensboro.  I’m quoting Sam T. Scott, a noted history teacher, of his history of Old Greensboro.  E. F. H. “Jaybird” Johnson was one of Greensboro’s most widely known characters.  He was a doctor, preacher, and merchant.  He was born in London and came as a “stowaway” to the United States when sixteen years of age.  He settled at old White Field in Choctaw County and there killed a man and was involved in serious trouble.  He managed to get out of that and moved to Greensboro.  One night a group began to throw rocks at his house.  He was a fighting man and resented the stoning of his home and came out shooting his Winchester at his assailants.  They shot and killed him.  Nobody ever bore the mark of Cain for this; although rumors had a sub rose circulation, and it is still told in whispers.)

Monday April 28, 1851

This is a pretty day.  I do not feel very well.  Izabel finished harrowing the corn at the Mitchell place this morning.  She was 2 days harrowing it.  She then commenced here on the corn at the house.

Wednesday April 30, 1851

This is a very cool day and it has rained some. Mr. Bailey and the children are thinning corn.  Dr. Johnson came by today.  I have taken a great deal of medecine this evening.

Thursday May the 1st , 1851

This is a fair day.

(And then she said something about the potato ground, and the children thinning corn again-it was hard to make out the exact words; you must take into consideration that not too much unusual happened back then.  I think her words about the potato ground was that Izabel, the girl slave or hired hand, I have no way of knowing which, bedded up the potato ground.)

Monday May 5, 1851

It was a very cool morning this morning. Mr. Bailey and the children finished thinning corn at home this morning.  My leg hurt me very bad last night.  It hurt me so bad that I slept very little.

Tuesday May 5, 1851

Mr. Bailey is not very well today.  He is complaining with his head hurting him very bad.

Wednesday May 7, 1851

This is a tolerable warm day and it has been cloudy most of the day.  Mr. Bailey and John commenced “sprouting” seed in the cotton patch this morning.  Mary Ann is not well.  She has a very bad cough.  I have only one young chicken; the owls have caught several.  I have 3 hens setting, 2 on Goose eggs. Izabel finished running out the corn middles on the Mitchell place.  She then commenced scraping off the cotton.  This was just on the 6th of this month.

Thursday May 8, 1851

It has rained part of the day today.  Izabel has not plowed any today.  Mr. Bailey, John and Izabel have been setting out tomato plants.

Friday May 9, 1851

This is a warm day.  Mr. Alpha Peebles came by here today.  I went to Mr. Vernon’s today.  The baby died about 11:00 o’clock.  Mr. Bailey and Mr. Vernon sat up with it last night.  Izabel did not hoe any on the 10th of this month.  She worked with rail timber and made fence.

(It seems that this Izabel, whoever she is, could do the work of a man.)

Sunday May 11, 1851

This is a pretty day and very warm.  Mr. Bailey was taken very sick.  He had colic Monday.

(It seems there wasn’t anything else that happened on Monday but Mr. Bailey having the colic, so she just wrote it down here, but she adds.)

Monday May 12, 1851

Mr. Bailey is very sick with the colic.  Elizabeth came by today.  I planted some cucumbers and squash this evening.

(I’m sorry I overlooked May 10; I must put it in here.)

May 10, 1851

It’s a very warm and cloudy day.  Brother went fishing in Big Black Swamp this morning.  Him and family came and stayed all night.  Brother wrote Mr. Vernon a letter tonight.  Brother and family are in good health.  I have a very bad cough, also the children.  Mr. Bailey’s colic is better than it was the 1st of the week.

Louise Peebles is gone to Mr. Vernon’s, my children with her. I heard this morning that Mr. Hainsworth’s baby was very sick. I do not feel very well this morning. I have a very bad cough. I coughed so hard last night that I did not sleep but very little. Mr. Bailey and the children are thinning corn at the Mitchell place. Mr. Bailey bought his molasses jugs today.

Saturday May 17, 1851

It’s a very warm day.  Mr. Bailey and the children are thinning corn at the Mitchell place. Izabel is plowing at home.  Mr. Bailey finished thinning corn this morning.

Sunday May 18, 1851

This is a warm day.  Mr. Mitchell’s children are here today.  I do not feel very well.  My leg hurts me very much.  Mary Ann has a very bad cough.  John and Abram has a cough too, but not as bad as Ann.  The plowing has been stopped about 6 days since the 3rd of March; Izabel has plowed in the ???, planted the corn at home and broke up the ground at the Mitchell place.

June the 10th, 1851

The weather is very warm.  The family are all in tolerable good health, except myself.  My leg isn’t too bad yet, but I rested better with it last night than I have in some time. Mr. Bailey and the children and Izabel are chopping out cotton.  We had a very hard wind this morning and it rained some.  Brother Abram and William came here this morning.  We had corn sprouts and tassels the 15th of June.  We had corn silks the 16th of June.  Mr. Bailey finished chopping over his cotton the 1st time on the 19th of June, about 1:00 o’clock p. m.  On the 18th Izabel and John commenced plowing peas and on the 19th they finished.  The onions have young sprouts on them and in 6 weeks they will be big enough to eat.

(Don’t ask me why this is dated June 10 and why she is talking ahead of this date, to June 15, 18, and 19.  I don’t know unless she had to go back to the 10 to catch up on the 19.  Now she adds.)

Mr. Bailey went to mill on the 10th of June.  The plowing has not stopped yet, 11 days and a half since the 3rd of March.

Sunday June 15, 1851

The weather is very warm.  It has looked very much like rain today.  But it has not rained but very little, as yet.  Not enough to ??? the dust.  There has been some very heavy thunder today.  The children have goten a good bit better of the Whooping Cough.  My leg isn’t very bad yet.  I have walked some on it, the one which is very bad.  The other appears to be hurting.  My leg has gotten worse since the weather has set in warm.  I planted some cucumbers on the 12th of June.  I planted some early ? beans on the 20th of April and in 4 weeks ???

(I could not make these last six words out as to just what she said.)

Tuesday June 24, 1851

This is a very warm day.  Our family is in tolerable good health, except for myself.  My leg is always painful, night and day.  Izabel is plowing in the cotton field this morning.  I went to Mr. R. B. Vernon’s and Mrs. Philips today.  Mrs. Peebles was at Mr. Philips.

Wednesday June 25, 1851

This is a very warm day.  Mr. Bailey is helping Mr. R.B. Vernon lay board timbers.  Izabel is plowing.  Mary Ann sick.  She has a high fever.  My leg is not paining me as bad as it did yesterday.  The children are having the Whooping Cough.  Elizabeth Vernon was here this morning.  Mr. Hainsworth says that Peach Brandy, Lard oil, and Landanum is good for the Whooping Cough.  He says, mix a half pint of Peach Brandy and a half pint of Lard oil and a tablespoon of laudanum together.

Thursday June 26, 1851

Mr. Bailey and Izabel are plowing. Brother Frederick ??? and they went to ???

(I’m going to have to say that my notes are mixed up and I left out some dates in June that I did not know I had, so I will try to insert them here.)

Friday June 20, 1851

This is a very cool morning.  Mary Ann is not very well.  My leg is some better than it was a week ago.  The plowing has stopped, 12 days and a half. Since the 3rd of March. Mr. Bailey was 15 days chopping out his cotton. Izabel helped him 5 days and a half.

Saturday June 21, 1851

Mr. Bailey commenced cutting his oats this morning.  We hire ??? 2 days.  Brother Fredrick Cummings ??? Mr. Bailey commenced chopping out the corn at the house on the 21st.  He finished.

Thursday June 19, 1851

This morning it was a cool morning,  yesterday morning also.  Izabel commenced plowing the cotton the 2nd time this morning.  She has layed it off and harrowed it once. Mr. Bailey and John is chopping out the corn at home.

Sunday June 22, 1851

(There was some lines here that I could not read at all.  I will start with the next words that I could read.)

I may not have seen him in 7 years.  Brother Abram came with him.  They stayed all evening and I went to Brother’s the next morning and came home the same evening.  Pa stayed at Brother’s.  It has been 10 years since we all have been together at once before.

Monday June 23, 1851

This is a very cool morning.  I had a chill this morning.  John is picking up cotton stalks in the cotton patch.  Jack Pearson shot Mr. Harmon’s son and he died on the 22nd of June, 1851.

Mr. Bailey is setting out potato slips this evening.  Izabel is not plowing much on this, the 28th of June, 1851.

It rained on the 27 of June which was Friday.  It was very hot Saturday night which was the 28th of June.

(I’m writing this just as she did.)

Sunday June 29, 1851

We are all in tolerable good health.  Mr. Trotter and family, Brother Abram and family, Brother Frederick and Elizabeth, Joseph Vernon, An?, Ainsworth and and Elie and kids were here today.

(Don’t you know they all had one big happy time!!!)

Monday June 30, 1851

Mr. Bailey went to the Rushings this morning after some potato slips and after he went home he was ? Mr. Rushing and Mr. Mitchell ??? and Izabel thinned cotton till dinner.

(I would think that when Mr. Bailey got home the words I could not make out were “very sick.”  That could be the reason Mr. Rushing and Mr. Mitchell were helping Izabel thin cotton.)

Tuesday July 1, 1851

I had a chill this morning and yesterday morning also.  Mr. Rushing came by to plow some.  Mr. Bailey and Izabel are all plowing.  It was a very cool morning this morning, yesterday was also.

Wednesday July 2, 1851

Mr. Bailey went to ? this morning to borrow a cradle to cut oats.  Izabel is plowing.  Mr. Rushing came by today.  Mr. Bailey has been cuttting oats 2 days.  It rained on Monday morning which was June 30.  Mr. Bailey finished cutting oats today.

Thursday July 3, 1851

The weather is tolerable warm.  I am not feeling very well.  The rest of the family is in tolerable good health. Mr. Bailey is cutting oats.  Izabel is plowing, John is picking up cotton stalks out of the cotton patch.  Mr. Bailey finished cutting  oats this morning.

Friday July 4, 1851

The weather is very warm.  I do not feel very well today.  Mr. Bailey complains of his leg hurting him very much.  Mr. Rushing and Mr. Mitchell came here this morning. Mr. Bailey and them went driving.  Mr. Alpha Peebles came by here yesterday and he said Louise was going to the ? in the neighborhood of Mr. Armsteads.  George Rushing made this pen and it ???

(I could not make the rest of the sentence out.)

Saturday July 5, 1851

Izabel has planted her corn the 2nd time today.

(And there was a skip to the 13th of July.  I do not know if the pages were missing or if she failed to write anything.)

Sunday July 13, 1851

This is a very warm day and it has been cloudy.  Thursday, Lyda Drake, also Mr. William Hunt, also Brother ? and they rode off ???  I do not feel very well.  My leg is not paining me as bad as it did.  Izabel hoed 3 and a half days last week, and thinned cotton today.  Mary and John also hoed the same length of time.  Mr. Bailey hoed 3 days last week.

Monday July 14, 1851

It was a very cool morning this morning, but it is ???

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(There was no date given on this that I am about to write now, but if I remember right, it was near the end of her Diary.)

 I do not feel very well today,
  To grief I give too much away
 My bodily affections are very good, and too terrible.
  I give too much away here of late.
 O Lord dry up my tears
  And may I in peace before Thee please,
 And may I meet my friends who have gone before
  And parting will be with us no more.
 I have 2 Brothers who to me feel near,
  And when parted to expect to shed no tear.
 Whether we will never meet no more
  My Father has children ???
 And I want us all once more in His home to be
  It has been 10 years since we have all been there
 And when we all meet in His house at once again,
  It will be the last time I fear.
 I meet with troubles and trials, but we should fret over things?
  I hope He will assign the Great Reward,
 And then we leave the world of trouble behind.

(There was another line I could not make out.)

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Louzle City, Mississippi    March 18 ??

(The city and date was unclear.)

Celia L. E. C. Bailey is my name and with my pencil I will write this ?  I have never written my name in this ? and perhaps I may never write it any more-Besides this writing looks very bad, and if I could do better I would be glad to.

Reader whoever you are will this writing scare you I will declare. But please write me a copy to write by and to imitate it I will surely try.  I cannot at present compose much ?  This will suffice to be sure.

I believe I will quite for I am a bad writer.  I will enclose ???

(There was not a way in the world to make out that last line, and it is no doubt the end of the Diary.)

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(I have tried to write this just as she wrote it.  My spelling was bad on some things, so don’t blame her.  She seemed to be well educated for that day and time.  Schools were nonexistent in the early days of the pioneers.

I went to a good bit of trouble to get this down so it could be kept, and had I not taken the time and trouble to copy it with my camera, it would have been gone forever when the house burned down.  Now, I wonder how many will remember her for going to the trouble to write it all down, and how many will appreciate me for doing what I have done to get it down so it can be kept.  I find so many people want things like this but will not make the least effort to obtain it, but such has been my life down through the years.  And so it has been with many others.)

Waylon Jacks

The above trascribed diary was submitted by James Bailey on Oct 17, 2000 to be posted on this website. Please contact James Bailey for written permission to copy and use this information. Jackie Rhodes

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