ADDRESSED TO: Mr A.J. Stage, Mt. Sterling, Madison Co., Ohio
FROM: Mother M.E. Wood, postmarked Mansfield, Pa.
July the 21 1889
Dear Childern
I take this opertunity to wright you a fiew lines to lett you no that I am alive and well and I hope you ar the same I havent had eny letter from you since the one you wrote of July 1 I have wrote you one since the flood but havent reseived eny from you Why donte you wright I will send you to dresses for Tessie I should have made them before but my machine shuttle has been broke I had to go to Mrs Mans to make it You can sew in the sleeves Thay may be to long and to small around the neck I will send them by maile It will be the cheapest I hav ben to Kates1 and stayed a week I went Saturday after the fourth and stayed till the next Saterday She was sick like she was when thay lived whare Clint dose I got a letter from Packer fore evidenc I have got them and sent on I donte no what way will send for next I hope thay will send me a pension2 dont you Em Taylor and Ed was maried last week Helen I donte no what to wright tonight Thair is so mutch nois and racket around the house I donte no as you will like the way I have made Tessies dress I had to make it all by gess I think it will be pretty larg for her Gramma would like to see her with it on I have got my gray dress made last week. Helen I wish you would wright oftener I wante you to lett me no if you gett the dresses all right Wright soon from your mother
I will make a white bonet and send her in a week or bo by mail Helen I wonte send the dresses today I will sende them some time this week.
Notes from the peanut gallery:
1) Kate (Wood) Reynolds, Helen's sister.
2) Mary E. Wood's husband, my great great grandfather was Samuel T. Wood. He died at the Soldier's Hospital in Elmira NY in 1866 ostensibly (according to family lore) from after effects of Civil War wounds. My gg grandmother was on a quest to get a pension. She never does.