ADDRESSED TO: Mr. A.J. Stage, Lambs Creek, Tioga Co., Pa.
FROM: Father, John A. Stage, Mt. Sterling, Ohio
Mt Sterling August 16 1891
Dear Son and Daughter
i take my penn in hand to anser your kind letter to let you no how Whe are. Whe are Well at presant and i hop you are the sam. i mashed my foot taring up the Saw mill about a Month ago and it has got Well all But my Big toe. it is awfel Sor yet. i gess i mashed the Boone in the joint. i have Bin Running a engine to thrash and We have quit and gon to SaWing again up aBove Durzy. i Run the engine for Gorg a lot. he took the Mill from Wm Groves again. Tell Father1 i got a letter from William2 and thay Was Well then. Helen i Would like See you and the children3. Tell Tessy She must Save granpop a grat Big kiss and Dont lett enyone have it. you Wanted to no if your par treas Was living. tha are and groing. i Sat out 2 plum treas in the yard and tha are groing. your grap vine and quince Bush is groing and your apel treas is groing to. i Wish you Was hear to tak car of them. i keep your treas trimed and Watch them. thare is no apels on them. Saly Bolen Was out to our House Somtime ago. She Was Well. it is Raining Hard hear noW. it is 25 minets to 5 oclock now. Whell i Will Close By Biding you all good by. My love to you all and all inquiring Friends. Writ soon.
From your Father John A. Stage to his Son and Daughter A.J. and Helen Stage.
Since My Wifes Dead and Gone
in that Dear old villig Church yard there i See a Mossy mound That is Where my Wife Sleeping in the Cold and Silent ground Gently Waves the Weeping Willow Birds there Warbling at DaWn But my heart is Sad and lonely Since my Wifes Dead and gone in that Dear old villige church yard oft i Stray With heart forlorn For theres no one left to love me Since my Wifes Dead and gon. i Was old but i remember Well the night my Wife Died When i Watched her Spirit fading till She called me to her Side Saying darling i must leave you Angel voices guide me on pray that We ma meet in heaven Where your Wifes Dead and gon. oft i Wander to that Church yard FloWers to plant With tender car on the grave of my dear Wife Darkness finds me Weeping there Looking at the Stars above me Waiting for the heavenly daWn there is no one left to love me Since my Wifes Dead and gon.4Helen i Want you to Write this off With ink So you Can read it and Sing it to me if Whe Evr See each other again. This is composed By your Dear Father
John A Stage
To Helen Stage
kiss the Children For me. i are hear alone. ida and Stella5 is to Ankrams.
Notes from the peanut gallery:
1) John's father was Isaac Stage, b. 1805 in Newton, NJ. He lived until at least 1899 because my grandmother, Nellie Avis (Stage) Ruppel, remembered her great-grandfather well.
2) Who is William? As his mention is directed toward Isaac Stage and there is no last name (despite the fact that the reference to another William in the preceding sentence) and his letter was seemingly important enough to mention and he comes up again later, I'm going to assume he's family. That just leaves the little detail of the surname. John's only known sibling at this juncture is Charles E. Stage. John was born in 1831 and Charles was born in 1849. Eighteen years leaves a lot of room to fill.
3) The children at this point are Tessie Viola (Stage) Darcy and Nellie Avis (Stage) Ruppel.
4) Not bad. Again, the info I have shows Mary (Knapp) Stage passing in November of 1891 (a later letter from Emma (Stage) Redding confirms this) so where she spent the last months of her life remains a mystery. John does remarry (in case his depression was a concern).
5) Ida Mae and Estella Stage, daughters of John.