ADDRESSED TO:
Mrs. A.J. STAGE
Helen Augusta (WOOD) STAGE, wife of Albert Jackson "Bert" STAGE, my great-grandparents.
, Lawrenceville, Pa.
FROM:
William Henry "Harry" WOOD
William Henry "Harry" WOOD, Helen's brother who heads west to seek his fortune.
Obviously there were more letters from Harry but this is the only one that survived. Seems a little anticlimactic after so many "letter-years" of people (mostly his mother) wondering if he was alive. 😀

Harry's and Helen's father, Samuel WOOD, passes in 1866, shortly before Helen is born.
Harry's (.b 1861) and Helen's (b.1866) intervening sister, Ida (b. 1864), dies of scarlet fever in 1870.
At some point between 1866-1870, their mother, Mary Elizabeth (GANOUNG) WOOD sends the older children to live with family and/or neighbors.
Harry, between 5 and 9 years of age, moves with the Frost family from PA to MO. He lives in MO until he decides to head further west to WY.
In Wyoming, he sets up shop as a butcher and is among the founding fathers of the town of Sheridan.
Harry did pretty well for himself... until he go married in 1900. Seems he married someone who may or may not have been married to multiple different men at the same time and may or may not have been divesting them of their wealth.
, Sheridan, Wyoming

April 23 = 97

Mrs. A. J. STAGE

Dear Sister
if I Remember Rite you ow Me A letter As I havent any thing Else To Do Wil Drop you A few Lines.  I am going South Next Monday So you Wil Not Here from Me Here Agan.  I Wil Write To you When I get Located and give you My address.  it May Be 3 or 4 Weeks Before I hav time To Write To you.  it is fine Weather Here Now.  grass is Nice and green and Evry thing Looks fine.  I Wil Write To you again as Soon as I can get located.  Hoping this Wil find you al Well Wil Close.  From your Brother
Harry WOOD

Note from Dorothy Thurston --
This letter was written on paper with a heading inscribed in gold script, "Sheridan, Wyoming". The handwriting on both envelope and letter is beautiful shaded penmanship.