ADDRESSED TO: Mrs. Helen Stage, Darbyville, Pickaway Co., Ohio

FROM: Mother, M.E. WOOD

Mansfield  June the 11 1889

Dear Childern

I will wright you a few lines to lett you no that I am well and I hope you ar   Helen why dont you wrighte   Havent had but to letters from you as yet   If you gett the Mansfield paper you will hear more about the floode than I can tell you   I tryed to gett the Telegram to send you but I couldent gett it    I supose it was an awful site to Lambs Creek   I dident go down to see   I had all that I could see to at home   The water moved the house allmoste in to the roard and tore it all to pices so that I cante live in it eny more   The mud was a foot deepe and more in some plases   I hade the things to dig out of the mud   The chairs was all tiped over and allmoste covered with mud   This has ben an awful flud   I hope that it has not reached you nor never will   I had a letter from Mate¹ five weeks ago today   I wrote and sente it to you   i havent sent you Mates last letter   I thought I had so i will send it   I am going to gett a room to town if I can for this sumar   It rains moste all the time since the flud   Do wrighte Helen and let me no how you all ar and how you ar getting along   Beirt your hors barn is moved way down on Fred Lambs   I cante write eny more this time   Wright soon   Kiss Tessie forty times for me

            My love to you all

            from your Mother

I donte no as you can reed this

Notes from the peanut gallery:

1) Mary A. Wood, sister to Helen, daughter of M.E. Wood