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

The Johnstown Flood, May 31, 1889

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 road 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 Mate 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 Tess forty times for me

My love to you all
from your Mother

I donte no as you can reed this