Dear Childern
    I will wright you a fiew lines to lett you no that I am alive and hope you ar   I havent had a letter from you since the once you wrote Augst the 2   I wrote you one when I was to

Herbs

Herbert M. WOOD b. November 13, 1859.

  I gess I have had all the letters you have wrote now less you have wrote since that   I had a letter from

Mate

Mary A. "Mate" WOOD, b. August 18, 1853.

   I will send it to you   I think of going out thair after the faier   O how I wish you could be out hear through the faier   I look for Ed up then   I have got my rooms all settled   I live over the tea store   Maby you havent got my letter   I have ben sewing some for Mrs Bur BAILY   I shant worke for enyone through the fair as I no of  

Uncle Arad

Arad SMITH, b. July 4, 1800.

was hear yesterday He is not fealing very well   He had had a doisentary   He looked quite bad  

Helen

Helen Augusta (WOOD) STAGE, my great-grandmother, Bert's wife.

donte lett the moths eat your sack up   Daisey hasent hatch but one bird this summar and that died   She mated with Mrs MANs bird  She sings all most as good as

Fred

Oft-cited by my grandmother, Nellie Avis (STAGE) RUPPEL, she and her oldest siblings (Tessie and Fred) were named after the horse, the cow and the bird.

did  

Em TAYLOR has gon to RUNDLEs

This seems in keeping with the idea that she married Ed RUNDEL in the July 21, 1888 letter.

to live and the old folds have gone to Annie to liv   Mrs TALOR came and stayed all day and all night with me before she went away   How is your potatoes and corn or havent you got eny   You dont say whether you have a good garden or not   Do you have eny fruit thair or not   Thair hainte mutch hear   I have got some imbrorday for the bottoms of

Tess

Tessie Viola (STAGE) DARCY.

dress   I will send it sometime in a little box   I thought it mite be prety short now   Gramma wantes to see her so bad she cant hardly stand it   I dident go to the ofice last night   Thair may be a letter thair   I am looking for one from Packer evry day   He said that I would

gett a pension

Mary's husband, my great-great-grandfather was Samuel T. WOOD.

• He died at the Soldier's Hospital in Elmira NY in 1866, my great-grandmother never knew her father.
• According to family lore ("family lore" equals first-hand stories from my mom and grandmother) the c.o.d. was after-effects of Civil War wounds.
• My gg-grandmother was on a quest to get a pension.   She never did.
• Samuel mustered in in Elmira in Feb. 25, 1865. He mustered out in Elmira in May 3, 1865.
• Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Is 1.5 mos. of service worth much pension?

   He would try as hard as he could for one   He sent those letters that your pa wrote me when he was in Elmira   He said that thay were good   I donte no what I shal do if I donte gett one   Enyone can doe a goodeal if thay hafto   When I am sick I hafto gett along the best I can   I have no one to do enything for me   My head was real bad when I was over to

Herbs

Herbert M. WOOD. b. November 13, 1859.

   It is  better now than it has ben in some time   I havent done enything with those black dresses yet   Maby you will gett yours sometime   I will put a pice of my dresses in the letter   The litest one is a rapor   The other one is a polnais to wair with skirts   I have had your pin fixed   I will send it as soon as i can   I have made me an apron of that clth you lef for Tess a dress   It wasent good enough to put that triming on   I will gett her another one   She wonte neede it this sumar and it will be nice next sumar
    I cante thinke of eny more to wright now   You can hear all the news in the paper   DAYTONs folks have got a boy   It was borned July 4   Sade and Ede was hear last weeak to see me  

Helen

Helen Augusta (WOOD) STAGE, my great-grandmother.

why dont you wright oftner  Cant you gett time or what is it   Do you hear enything from

Will

William Henry "Harry" WOOD, b. August 9, 1861.

 

Faney

Fanny (TORPY) WOOD, wife of Herbert M.

said she wrote to him last spring and had no answer yet   She wrote again when I was thair   I wish you would right soon as you get this   How is

Birts mother

Mary (KNAPP) STAGE, b.~1833 d.November 4, 1891.