2d - Father & myself made a full day. Edgar has had a hot fever nearly all day & has it on him now. The river is rising very fast. Hyram had his tooth pulled this afternoon. That has caused him to lose time. He made a 1/2 day today.
3 - Hyram & myself made a full day. Father 1/2 day on roof. The river is higher than it was in February & still rising. Edgar has had no fever today.
4 - We all made a full day today at roof. Edgar is well. The river is still rising very fast. Tomorrow is Sunday & they are going to work at the levee & at everything else same as week days.
5 - Sunday. Stayed at home all day. Read some. I wrote letter to Uncle John. All of us well today. The river still rising.
6 - Hyram & myself made a full day. Father a 1/2 day. Finished the roof of high part of the house. That is the shingling. Tomorrow we will make a complete finish by putting on the saddle boards.
7 - Made no time today at all. Built a platform for our work bench. I got our timber out of the way of the water, fixed the canoe, & got ready to go to town tomorrow. I shall put a letter in the office for Uncle John tomorrow. The water is still rising.
8 - Did not go to town today. Put it off for 3 or 4 days. Hyram & myself worked some. Made 1/2 day each. Father is helping Mr. Hemen's* negroes to build a skiff. We are going to wait for the skiff & all of us go to town together. That is the calculation now.
9 - Father give up the skiff job this forenoon. Hyram took it after dinner. I made 1/2 day on stone chimney today. The river is still rising very fast. It rises now about 6 or 8 inches in 24 hours.
10 - Hyram had a shaking ague about 7 A.M. so I had to go at the skiff. I launched her this evening. She will be finished by breakfast tomorrow morning. I calculate to go to town tomorrow in her. If I go Edgar & Father will go with me. There was no time made today by any of us. Our platform that we built on the 7th is under this evening, so that it is uncertain when we shall make any more time.
11 - Hyram & Edgar & myself went to town today. The town is not overflowed yet. I put a letter in the office for Uncle John. I got a letter from cousin Elmira. Paid the postage of Star, Chronicle & Advocate up to the last of Sept. 1849.
12 - Sunday. Hyram is sick this morning again. He has a high fever & vomited a great deal. The water is all over this place. It is 2 feet deep under our house. The news at town yesterday was that the river was on a stand.
13 - The river still rising very fast. In the afternoon I went out to Mr. Hickman's pine woods house. Stayed with him that night.
14 - In forenoon rode about over the pine woods to find a place to board, supposing we could move out to pine woods. Took dinner with the Mr. Hickmans. In afternoon, came back to plantation.
15 - This forenoon moved out to pine woods at Lobats bluff. When we landed, I took it a faster way into the pine woods to find a place to stop at, or a team to move us, but we find that we cannot leave here by land. We have to go farther down the Bayou Roguli**. Mr. Hickman sent us out in a little flat with two yard hands.
16 - Came down the Roguli** to the landing close to Mr. L. Bailey's. I went out to Captain Hooter's mill & got one of his teams to haul us out to his mill. In the afternoon I went to see Mr. Price to get him to board us. By hard persuasion I prevailed with him to take us in for one week for which he charges 12 dollars.
17 - This morning got a team of Mr. Simmons & moved to Mr. Price's. In forenoon. In the afternoon I sent Lewis Simmons to town after nails to build a skiff. Worked some on it this afternoon. Today at dinner is the commencement of our boarding with Mr. Price.
18 - I worked at skiff in the morning & evening. Between 9 A.M. & 2 P.M. I went out to Mr. Lobat's landing to meet Mr. Holt & get his horse. I got the horse. I gave him an order on Mr. P. T. Hickman for $80 dollars passable on the first day of January 1850. Hyram worked some on the skiff in forenoon. In afternoon went to town after corn for the horse.
19 - Sunday. Father was sick yesterday but is better this morning. Is pleasant and cool. Breeze blowing, looks for to be a pleasanter day than we have had for some time. Stayed at the house all the forenoon. In the afternoon. Went to church, heard a flaming sermon. The preacher's text was in the third chapter of the prophecy of Jonah.
20 - Hyram and myself worked at skiff all day. Father had some fever in afternoon.
21 - Finished the skiff this forenoon. We expect, that is Hyram & myself, expects to start now in a few minutes with the skiff for town. We have it hauled about 3 miles on a wagon.
22 - We went yesterday. Started between 1 & 2 P.M. About 3 there came up a very hard rain, accompanied by considerable wind. It rained very hard for about an hour, during which time we was under the wagon, the skiff being over us. When it slacked up we moved on, put our skiff in the water & moved off down the Roguli** pretty rapidly. It rained after we launched our boat, so that we was wet by the time we got to town. We rode our skiff to a store door & got us some dry clothes. Then went to Fulton hotel & put up. This morning got our breakfast at hotel. Rode around town some. About 11 A.M. we came over to Pineville side. We could not sell our skiff. We left her in charge of a man to sell. We got home here to Mr. Price's about 3 P.M. Found Father sick with the fever. It is 1/2 past 4 & he has the fever on him now.
24 - Went to Mr. Hickman's yesterday. I went after money. Got an hundred dollar bill, took dinner & supper, stayed all night & took breakfast this morning with Mr. Hickman. Our week with Mr. Price is up now. Our second week commences today at dinner.
25 - I took the fever yesterday after dinner, but have none this morning. Father's fever went off last night & he has none now.
27 - I took the fever again on the night of 25th & yesterday had a shaking ague. Was sick, very sick indeed. Vomited a great deal in the afternoon. I dare not drink water because it would make me vomit & I did want to drink badly. I have no fever today. Father has had no fever since night before last. I do hope we may not be sick anymore this year. My horse was sick on the evening of the 25th. I firmly expected him to be dead in the morning, but he is alive yet, tho not well.
* - As this diary was written phonetically, this name was written as originally phonetically spelled.
** - This is my note rather than my mother's (the author of this transcription). I think this is possibly Bayou Rigolette which is near Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.
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