Dear Childern
I will wright you a fiew lines to lett you no that I am well and am glad to hear that you all ar   I reseived your welcome letter last night   Was glad to hear from you   I stayed in Yorke State three weeks   Came home New years day   This week sewed 4 days for Mrs DECKER on

Poverty Hill

Poverty Hill is now Prospect Road in Mansfield, PA. Thanks to Joyce M. Tice's great site.

,  

Mate

Mary A. "Mate" WOOD, Mary E. Wood's daughter.

thinks that she will come out hear some time in March   I am going to gett rooms down stairs if I can   Mate got the letter that you wrote her   Thay sent mine to Mitchels Creek and Ede sente it to

Havana

Havana, NY is now Montour Falls, NY.

so I havent it yet   You dident say enything about the clippers   Mr REECE has got the kinds that

Birte

Albert Jackson "Bert" STAGE, my great-grandfather.

wanted now   Thay come just a day or to before I came home so I thought we hadent better send them untill I wrote you for I dident no whether you would wante them or not   I you do lett me know right away  Thay will make them at to dolars if you wante them   You donte say enything about

Freed

Fred is a pet bird. My granmother, Nellie Avis (STAGE) RUPPEL, maintains that she and her eldest siblings (Tessie and Fried) were named after the horse, the cow, and the bird.

  Is he dead   His poor mother is dead   She was dead yesterday when I came home   I gess the lice killed her   It is awful lonesome without her   I met

Lutie

Lucy A. "Loutie" (THETGE) SHEPHARD.

the other day   She said that she had a letter from you the day before I wente up on the hill to _____ COGSMIERs   Did I tell you that Edy was maried   She said that she would give a goodeal to see you   She took your address and said that she would wright to you   Lutie is well   O dear I wish I could see you   I could tell you a goodeal more than I can wright   Thay ar having a grate revivals of meatings hear   Thair has been lotts of folks got religion   All the drunkards in town  Mell STRAIT   John BIXLEY   Fent ALLEN   Bill WILLSON   Wellt SMITH   Bill LORENC   Gill WELCH   Thair hainte no youse for me to right eny more names for it would take to or three sheats of paper.  Kate SMITH and Dan WOOD to   O dear how I wish I could see you all but I donte no as I ever shal   it is real sickley hear now   Thay are having a diseas that thay call the grippe or influenzy   If it wasent for Mate I would come out thair  

Freem and Cary

Freeman and Carrie DIKE, they appear on Joyce Tice's transcription of 1880 census.

was hear today   He is coming after me tomorow to stay over Sunday with them   Mrs DIKE is thair now   I cante wright enymore now so goodby
I am afraid that

Will

William Henry "Harry" WOOD, not dead... yet.
Back when the Wood children were being parceled out, Harry went to live with the Frost family. The Frosts moved to Missouri; Harry went with them. He later moved Wyoming and was among the founders of the city of Sheridan. At the time of this writing he was alive and well.
d. June 23, 1915 in Sheridan, Wyoming.

is dead or we should hear from him and I should think that we would if he was enyway unless someone has murdered him   I am afraid thay have
Love to you all   Kiss

Tess

Tessie Viola (STAGE) DARCY.

forty times for me.

Donte neglect to write about the clippers   I will send you a pice off Edy Cogswell weding dress and a little pice of mine that Mate gave me and a pice of my polnais   I havent got them made yet   I cante think of Edy husbands name   The silk was the front and the back blew cashimer.