ADDRESSED TO:  Mr. A.J. Stage, Mt. Sterling, Madison Co., Ohio
FROM:  Mother M.E. Wood, postmarked Mansfield, Pa., (1890 perhaps).
January the 10

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

from your Mother

I am afraid that Will 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 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.