Farm Journal of J. M. Woodson – Part Two (1919-1920)

**This research was first published in the October 16, 2024 edition of the Chatham Star-Tribune newspaper as part of Kyle Griffith’s weekly segment entitled “Heritage Highlights.”

A scene from the James Asa Woodson family tobacco farm around the turn of the twentieth century.
Photo courtesy of a relative, Michael Barbour.

Previously, a journal transcription from Pittsylvania County farmer James Monroe Woodson (1880-1970) was featured to show his accomplishments during the years of 1917 and 1918. For the year 1919, his major project included building a new room onto their house along Chalk Level Road. After sowing plant beds and putting in potatoes, snap peas, cabbage, tomatoes, and other vegetables, James gathered the wood for building. He hauled 34 feet of pine lumber and about 5 feet of oak, for which he paid $20.15 to saw. Together with his sons Perry and Leo, he states their work was worth $50.00 to date.

James transplanted tobacco in late May, beginning on the 20th when they planted 4,000 hills, then 6,000 the following day, and 2,000 more the next. In addition, they added over 1,000 potato plants to the garden. On May 23, he paid a visit to Galveston Mill grind flour. On June 2, he finished off the tobacco crop with 4,500 additional plants, for a total of about 16,500 hills. On June 9 he planted white and red beans, just two days before an awful thunderstorm he called the “bigest storm that ever was here. June 11, 1919 at night.”

On July 5, James carried a calf to his wife’s uncle Coleman Rowland, who lived on Gretna Road. The 1920 census lists them both as farmers living several households away from each other. On the 14th, James thrashed 48 bushels of wheat, which altogether weighed more than a ton. This amount of wheat could be sold for a substantial profit or used to sustain a farm family for the year. He visited Galveston Mill once again in August. The fall season arrived, and he drilled a bit more than 2 acres of oats. He then shipped a calf out that weighed 140 pounds. For his 6.5-acre wheat crop, he recorded that he spent $14.50 on seed, then $20.80 on four bags of “2-3-2 zills” fertilizer, $9 for three bags of “Big Joe,” and $9.00 for three bags of “Swifts crop grower.”

Around Thanksgiving James planted 24 fruit trees to form an orchard in future years. He shucked about 20 barrels of corn and purchased two pigs from Hollins Tucker for $12.00. Then, the following week, he killed three of his hogs–one of which weighed a whopping 800 lbs, and the other two were 300 lbs and 360 lbs. The following month, Haver Rowland sold him another pig for $7.50.

In late February of 1920, James finished building the chimney on the new room of the house. He “covered” the room in March, and as far as the journal details, the room was complete. He sowed his typical vegetable garden that spring. Another important milestone worthy of recording was the presence of a certain birdsong–James wrote “first whippoorwill hollered” on April 2. Later that week he made $8.13 selling “1 sholder of meat” that weighed 32 ½ pounds.

On April 19 James put out a hot bed and “planted potatoes at old house.” In addition to cabbage, beans, and corn, he planted over 36,000 tobacco plants on the farm throughout May and June. Coleman Rowland helped him cut wheat, for which he was paid $10. The following month he threshed 68 bushels of wheat and 52 bushels of oats. He also sowed about 4 acres of peas and a turnip patch. The peas were ready by mid-October and yielded 19 bushels altogether. In the following days, he sowed rye, oats, and wheat. He tallied up his spendings: “cost of sowing wheat seed value $11.00 fertilizer 10 bags $42.50 whork not estimated $53.50.” The first big frost of the year appeared on October 29, which halted his work in the fields. The only major event left in the year was hog killing time. On December 15, three hogs weighing 362 lbs, 265 lbs, and 277 lbs sustained the family throughout the wintertime.

Opened bbl of flour Jan 7, 1919

Sowed plant bed Feb 7, 1919

Sowed plant bed Feb 18, 1919

Ordered truss Mar 11, 1919 $9.00

Sowed cabbage seed March 13, 1919

Filled barrel with oil March 15, 1919

Opened bbl of flour March 15, 1919

Received truss Mar 17, 1919

Planted potatoes, peas, snap peas, & onions Mar 25, 1919
Planted snaps and beets, and sowed late cabbage seed and tomatoes, April 10, 1919
Sawed wood April 11, 1919 19 loads
Put out sweet potatoes April 19, 1919
Planted 2 rows snaps April 22, 1919
Planted corn on pealand April 23, 1919
Planted hog pen corn April 24, 1919
Planted Irish potatoes April 26, 1919
Planted early cabbage May 3, 1919
Finished hauling lumber May 8 to build room. Pine 34.07 ft oak 5.22 ft total 39.29 ft paid for sawing $20.15
Mine, Perry, & Leo work worth $50.00 to date
Planted 250 potatoes plants May 19, 1919
Planted 4000 tob. May 20, 1919
Planted 6,000 tob. May 21, 1919
Planted 2,000 tob. May 22, 1919