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It's May 17, 1862 and I am not feeling well today. I've been tired ever since I got back from Shiloh.  I sure hope I'm not coming down with any kind of bad illness, because I've got a lot of work ahead of me this spring.  It rained on me a couple times coming back and I guess I'm taking a cold or something.   I rode to Shiloh on my horse to see if I could find my brothers John Mitch and Amos.  I worried a lot last month when the battle of Shiloh was being fought since I knew the two brothers were there.  I sat on the porch Saturday and Sunday while the battle was fought and listened.  I could hear the roar of the cannons and the rifles fire was a solid humming sound.  It's amazing how far sound will travel.

I found both of them doing well and very surprised to see me.  They both were in the battle, but neither of them had received even a scratch.  They were soon to be moving out, but were doing well as could be expected and we talked a lot about everybody here at home.  The war has really taken it's toll on everybody around here.  We've got lots of other kin beside the two brothers in the war. My brother-in-law Elias James (Cynthia's husband) is in the war and we haven't heard from him in quite awhile.   Aunt Lucindy and Uncle Roling Hester, have three of their boys gone too.

Kate, my wife, is worried about her brother Wash Jones.  He joined up with the Fourth Alabama Cavalry when it formed at Rockwood.  He is an officer and took one of his servant men with him to drive his buggy.  They say the servant is one of the best mule handlers in this part of the country and Wash knows how to handle problems, so maybe he will be ok.

I've been a Notary Public for awhile and got an office at the Courthouse in Frankfort.   There's been some talk about splitting Franklin County and making another county.   I guess it will be a long time before that gets any action with the war going on.   At the present everybody is sitting around talking about the war and watching out for Union Soldiers who could come by at any time.  We've had things very well around here for a long time and cotton prices have been good.

Things are going good at home.  I built a new house in 1859 and it's tight and comfortable.  A lot of my friends are laughing about me putting my initials and year in the door.  When I was finishing up with the building and had some nails left over I thought it would be nice in a few years to remember when it was completed.  The timber on the place was really good, so it could last years if is kept in the dry with a good roof.  There is a good spring in the side of the hill behind the house.

Kate and I have five children now.  We've got one boy and four girls.  Bob Jess is the oldest and he is helping out with a lot of the chores, getting in stove wood and feeding the farm animals.  Kate's family gave her a servant girl named Kinsey, when we got married.  She's got a son named John, who is eight years old. He follows Bob Jess around everywhere he goes and is a lot of help with the chores. Ma died in 1853.   Pa is still going well and went to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee to live awhile.  My bother Amos was living in Columbia, Tennessee until the war broke out.  My baby brother Jim Clark lived with Amos and then with me for about a year.  Now he is living with my sister Lucindy and Roling Hester.  My brother Daniel has a big farm at Pogo and will probably never get married.  He lives near Elias James and Cynthia and I guess she helps him out with some things he can't do.  With Elias gone off to the war, I guess it's good they live close to each other.  Elias raises sheep for the wool and Cynthia is good with spinning and making clothes.  I'm planning to plant some crops again this year.  When it gets dry enough to plough, I may get some help from some of my cousins.  About everyone around is kin to either Kate or me.