Tuesday 1st. Thermometer at 52 in the Morning—65 at Noon And 64 at Night. Morning heavy with the Wind at South. Clear afterwards & very warm.
Went with Mrs. Washington and Colo. Humphreys to visit Mr. & Mrs. Rogr. West. Dined there & returned in the afternoon.
Previous to this I visited all my Plantations.
At the Ferry, the Plows began to work in field No. 3—the Harrow putting in Oats & grass Seeds and the women hoeing the swamp.
At Frenchs the Work was going on as yesterday. Grass Seeds at the rate of 3 pints of Timothy and 6 of red clover—sowing to the Acre.
At Dogue run, the Harrows, after crossing the Sown Oats, were layed aside, & 2 plows went to crossing the grd. destined for Barley. The Women were hoeing the Swamp in the Middle meadow by the Overseers house.
At Muddy hole, Plowing, sowing, Harrowing & rolling were going on. The women not engaged in these were at Work at the Mansn. Ho[use] New ground.
In the Neck, the ground intended for Barley in the West cut of No. 2 that was stiff, & did not work fine at first was cross plowed, & harrowed till it was brought into fine order. Finished harrowing in Oats & grass-seeds in the East cut of this field but not rolling some part of the roller havg. given way.
Made a draught with the Sein this evening at the Ferry Landing, and caught 15 Shad and a few hundreds of Herrings at one hawl.
Mariamne Craik, daughter of Dr. James Craik, Sr., had recently become Roger West’s second wife (see entries for 28 Dec. 1787 and 21 July 1788). His first wife was Nancy Macrae West, daughter of Allan Macrae of Dumfries. The Wests lived near the mouth of Hunting Creek at the house they called West Grove, the same house that had belonged to Roger’s father, Col. John West (see entry for 8 Jan. 1760).