ADDRESSED TO:
Miss Ella WOOD
Helen Augusta (WOOD) STAGE, my great-grandmother.
  • The use of "Ella" as a nickname diminishes over time or is not common across her family and friends.
  • Interesting that Ella/Helen gets top billing in the letter that Sarah (GANOUNG) OWEN is sending in care of her sister.
  • 1870 Census records show a Helen WOOD (age 37) living with Helen (WOOD) STAGE (age 4) in Tioga County, PA.
    Their neighbors, listed consecutively in census: Arad & Margery (GANOUNG) SMITH, Charles & Sarah SMITH, Byron & Maria SMITH.
  • Helen (WOOD) STAGE's brother, Herbert M. WOOD, is living with Charles & Sarah SMITH.
  • In 1880, Helen (WOOD) STAGE (age 14) is living with Arad & Margery.
  • Mary Elizabeth (GANOUNG) WOOD dies in 1901.

Working theory: Helen Wood from the 1870 census is really Mary Elizabeth. Perhaps the name was misunderstood by the census taker. Mary E.'s husband died in 1866. She spent the next few years farming out her kids to relatives (and maybe even neighbors). Helen A. is her youngest. The ages are a spot-on match.

, Mansfield, PA, Care of
Mary E. WOOD
Mary Elizabeth (GANOUNG) WOOD b. June 23, 1833 d. February 5, 1901 OR October 31, 1901 m. Samuel T. WOOD Feb 3, 1848, Cambridge (county of Lenawe), Michigan

FROM:
Sarah OWEN
Sarah D. (GANOUNG) OWEN b. 1835 d. 1887 m. Samuel B. OWEN
, Odessa, New York
Odess Sept 16th 1885

Dear Ella & sister

Leib I will try and answer your letter that I recived in July and shant blame you if you feel provoked at me but Ella if you could see all I have to do  I was picking beries all through July and then my other work got all behind and I was tired out and have staid tired ever since   We milk six cows this summer and it makes lots of work for one to do alone  I told
Mate
Mary A. "Mate" WOOD b. August 18, 1853, d. June 7, 1926, daughter of Mary Elizabeth WOOD.
what you said about her coming out   She said she did not know what to tell you  I want her to come if she possibly can   I want you and your ma both to come before it gets cold weather so we cant get enywhere   We was over to
Georges
George J. WOOD b. September 19, 1851, d. June 30, 1920, son of Mary E. WOOD.
last week
Chloe
Chloe (LATTIN) WOOD b. 1857, d. June 12, 1918, wife of George J. WOOD.
has got her carpet move   She has got over fifty yards & it is nice but she never will get it made and down in the world   She had only 2 widths sewed together and she has had it more than a month   They have got lots of apples and they had pears & plums   They will have a nice lot of grapes   I bought a half bushel of plums of them   George says he wants to come out there this fall if he can   He works like a dog all of the time   I have not heard a word from
Uncle Arad
Arad SMITH b. July 4, 1800, d. November 2, 1889 m Margery GANOUNG.  See SCHUYLER COUNTY, NEW YORK GENEALOGY RESOURCES for more information on the Smiths.
since he went away from here   Leib you wanted to know about Min KELLOGG   She is alive yet but very bad   I have been to see her since I got Ellas letter   Doc KELLOGG wife was buried yesterday  
Mrs WICKHAM
Mrs. WICKHAM is a neighber. The 1880 census for Schuyler County, NY has the Owen family (as the Owens family) living close to many Wickhams.
and me went to the funeral   Dora HAGAR was buried last Sunday   It is quite sickly around here now with fevers   Leib I have got
ma's
Sarah Ann(?) GANOUNG b. ~1813 ~New Jersey, d. March 4, 1885, mother of Sarah D. and Mary E.
tomb stone and got it all sat and fixed up good   I went to see it yesterday   I want you to be sure & come out this fall before it gets to cold to go enywhere   I want you to go up to the grave yard while it is nice weather   I have not heard from
John
John L. GANOUNG b. 1836 Schuyler Co., NY d. Michigan, brother of Sarah D. and Mary E.

Working theory: it's one Ganoung sister addressing a niece and a sister, with familiarity. Everyone in the letter who might need a last name has a last name. This is the earliest letter and the only one from Sarah Owen. He's not mentioned again.

in some time   Now dont wait as long as I have for I want to hear from you if you only write a few lines to let me know how you   I was afreid that hot weather would kill you   I shall have to close   My eyes hurt so I cant write eny more this   Now do write soon

From Sarah Owen to sister & Ella.

Give my love to
Charleys
Charley could be Charles A. Wood, (Mary E. WOOD's son) b. September 15, 1855, d. July 1, 1931. A little stream-of-consciousness here. There are really two options here. The other one is that Charley is the Charles Smith mentioned in the first peanut gallery comment. The problem with him is that he lives in Schuyler County, NY at this time, whereas Charles A. Wood doesn't seem to have strayed from Pennsylvania.
folks
Ella I have had a line from Mate this morning   She is coming
home
At some point Mate does move to Schuyler County, NY. In her 1889 letter she is living in Havana, NY (now Montour Falls) and working for the Dunham family.
the middle of next month and is going to work for
Mrs BURGE

Working theory: BURGE=BURGESS.
John L. GANOUNG marries Martha M. BURGESS. Given the closeness of that surname AND the seeming proclivity of family members to go live with/do domestic work for relatives, I'm willing to make that leap.

this winter comence the first of November   I want you and your ma to come while she is home