Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) to carry, to haul a load; also fig. to carry around, not lit. a load.

1677		in Virginia Mag. II 168: 60 armed men [...] [were] commanded to goe to work, [...] and mawl and toat railes [DA].
1775		in W.A. Pusey Wilderness Road to Kentucky (1921) 44: We are obliged [...] to toate our packs [DA].
1823		in Claiborne Life Quitman I 85: The belles [...] ‘tote’ their fans with the air of Spanish señoritas [DA].
1833		D. Crockett Sketches and Eccentricities 103: I cut him up, threw away some of him, and brought at four turns as much as I could tote.
1843		R. Carlton New Purchase I 167: Here a boy was ferociously cutting wood — there one toting wood.
1845		W.T. Thompson Chronicles of Pineville 169: Old Betsey here toats fifteen buckshot and a ball, and slings ’em to kill.
1853		S. Northup Twelve Years A Slave 167: The baskets are ‘toted,’ or in other words, carried to the gin-house, where the cotton is weighed.
1866		G.W. Harris ‘Sut Lovingood’s Big Dinner Story’ Nashville Union and American XXXIII Aug. in Inge (1967) 167: While I wer totin in the last dish, Violet sent word to Misses Jarrold that dinner wer ready.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 643: Tote, to, a verb which of all colloquial Americanisms has probably excited the most general interest and led to innumerable disquisitions, remains still unexplained as far as its first origin is concerned. It is universally used in the South to denote the carrying something weighty by personal effort and unaided by any convenience.
a.1877		Chicago Trib. in Bartlett Dict. Americanisms 713: The predicament [of assassination] in Texas can be avoided by always ‘toting fair’ with everybody. Indeed, if you tote fair, you need tote no weapons; that is, you can go unarmed .
1887		E. Custer Tenting on the Plains (rev. edn 1895) 73: Eliza mildly growled at ‘sich nonsense’ as ‘toting round a bird, when ’twas all folks like us could do to get transportation for a cooking-kit.’.
1899		in W.B. Gatewood Smoked Yankees (1971) 173: All the crackers had to ‘tote’ home was ‘hisself.’.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 146: Willie, breathless from toting a big theatre trunk into the narrow hall.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 26: We ’ad as nice a little tea as ’eart could desire [...] ’n’ after I totes ’em t’ the picks.
1922		Colton & Randolph Rain III 189: They’re to tote your bags.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 278: Talking as if I was a kindergarten brat, not able to tote one highball without calling for the St. Mary’s ambulance!
1929		(con. WWI) H. Odum Wings on My Feet 18: Tote my rabbit foot to charm fightin’ Hun.
1935		L. Hughes Mulatto in Three Negro Plays (1969) Act I: Cora say for me to ask you is it all right to bring that big old trunk [...] down by de front steps. We ain’t been able to tote it down them narrer little back steps, sah.
1942		C.R. Bond 23 Feb. in A Flying Tiger’s Diary (1984) 107: We toted all our belongings along with us to the field.
1953		T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake 35: I hope I’m not toting boots full of bunions and a gut full of plonk round a brothel like this when I’m his age.
1966		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 71: I’ve toted a pack down a B and O track / hopped redball freights on the fly.
1970		J. Conaway Big Easy 74: Can you see me breezing down Desire toting a bazooka?
1986		R. Campbell In La-La Land We Trust (1999) 143: We’re hard on Private Johnny Hams what come aroun’ totin’ iron.
1999		J. Ridley Love Is a Racket 94: As if living like a jagged-up slug while you tote around more money than most small-town banks was normal.
2000		R.G. Barrett Leaving Bondi (2013) [ebook] ‘That Knox cat must’ve been toting some heavy vibes’.
2000		R. Antoni Grandmother’s Erotic Folktales 32: We saw a woman [...] that looked like she was suffering from a good case of bitty-bambam. [...] So I was thinking to tell Uncle Olly to stop for this poor woman as I felt so bad, but then again if she did have the bitties – or if she was too proud to use the bush and she was toting a load – then we didn’t want her in the back seat.

2. to take someone, to lead or conduct someone; thus reflexively, to take oneself, to go.

1769		Boston Gazette 7 Aug. 3/2: The next Morning he was toated on board the Rippon, in a Canoe [DA].
1807		W. Irving in P.M. Irving Life W. Irving I (1862) 189: At Baltimore [...] I was toted about town and introduced to everybody [DA].
1832		Boston Transcript 1 June 2/1: A constable was in special attendance, who toted him off to jail [DA].
1843		L.H. Medina Nick of the Woods II i: Now, boys, if you’re all ready, let’s tote off at once.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. V 37: I’ll lift him up, and tote him in!
1858		‘Philip Paxton’ Piney Woods Tavern 40: I wer raised in old Tennessee, then toted off to Alabam.
1862		J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. (1880) 13: Tote roun’ / An’ see ef there’s a feather-bed (thet’s borryable) in town.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 484: I’ve got enough weight ter pack all summer, without toatin’’im.
1890		(con. 1860s) W. Goss Recollections of a Private 230: I’ve been totin’ round all over this doggoned Yankee country.
1905		C. Chesnutt Colonel’s Dream 206: I could tote a bunch of beauty like that around the ballroom all night.
1928		M. Bodenheim Georgie May 69: Shucks, am ah going to tote these dumps all night?
1954		(con. 1920s–30s) J.O. Killens Youngblood (1956) 515: Nigger, you don’t get away from here this very minute they gon have to tote your black ass away.