Amaneunsis Monday ~ MARY MONROE CAGE ~ LETTER ~ February 1891

Sharpsville, Ind

Feb th 81

Well Folks one and all I will try to night to write a little. I haint wrote a letter for so long I dont know whether I will know when I go a letter wrote or not. I expect I will go to sleep Before I get don I cant stay awake of a night any more. We have all had bad colds. Tom has had an awful bad cold it is getting a little better. It seems like every body else is in the same fix. Lizas was here to day they are slowing around too. Bens was here to day too their children has been nearly sick with colds. Anna has a cold it is a general complaint I guess. There has been several died through the country about Sharpsville. Davises boy is dead he died last Monday night. His leg never broke it was over 26 inches around. I heard a day or two he died his bowels bloated up his face and hands several days before he died. The Doctors open his knee after he died it was something like a cancer his knee was on jointed the bone was broke above the knee he put his boot on. It has been three or four monts ago when he went to pull it off it hurt him so bad he told his Mother then he broke his leg they could feel a harp peice of a bone in his knee and could see it work under the skin. He thought the time he would get well until the last tow or three weeks before he died he said he was read he would get well until the last tow or three weeks before he died he said he was read to died and willing to die it seems like they are having awful bad luck some way with their children. Their other boy next after this one that died come is near as could be a getting kicked in the head by a horse about a week ago. Mizes DAvis the poor old soul she loks like she is nearly wore out she has staid right with that boy day and night nearly all the time and waited on him. They must feel awful lonesome. Bill Davises wife has been right sick. We haint heard from Lizzie this winter. I reckon she is so well tickled over the election they wont get sick nor as long as Cleveland holds this office. Albert has gone to Sharpsville to meeting to night there (can’t read) there they have got about 90 joiners. Uncle Frank wife has joined them and Nackeys and Fletchers are all well. I milk three cows.  butter is on a boom it is ten cts a pound. I dont know what eggs are worth the children are all a asking to send you a card you can keep them or divide them among the children they are going to send some to all out there. Albert only got 12 Nora is going to get 50 more. Mary Maple haint wrote to us yet if you see her tell her we was awful glad to get that letter she wrote back to us.

I will haft to quit we have good sleigh riding for three weeks. I reckon may be longer it has been on so long. write when you can give all of the news Mary Cage to Nan and All

Wednesday colds as greenland & I think it will turn wormer. Tom is going to town.

 

Amanuensis Monday ~ Mary MONROE CAGE ~ Letter ~ 11/23/1879

November th 23 rd 1879

Sharpsville, Ind

Well Mrs Joneses, I will try to night to scratch you a few lines as I hadent nothing else to do. We are all well as common we are snotting around alittle but that is nothing strange our baby haint been very well he had a gathering behind one of his ears we had to have it opened it is a bout well now. I reckon you are having all the barking now you want to hear. Well it has been pretty chilly yesterday and to day it is fixing to snow it tried to snow to day but it dident know how to get at it. Tom haint quite done gathering corn yet he had two hands part of the time helping him he is talking of buying chickens and fur now. I expect he will get rich we have sold part of our hogs we sold a heifer a couple weeks ago we have bought us a new wagon were are fine now. I haint bee in it yet we sold our old one. Well we had a bid to  surprise supper a while back that was got up for one our neighbor men but we dident go the baby wasnt well and some of the children had sore feet so they couldent wear their shoes we had a bid to a birth day dinner last thursday a week ago out south of town two or three miles at Bill Humphries brothers we dident go there either. Georges went I haint seen Liza since then. I heard that there was about a 150 there well I will have to quit and go to bed.

Thursday night I will try to finish my letter if I dont go to sleep may be I will get to send it the office some time. I dont know what to write I reckon I can tell you how nice and dusty it is getting it rained all day yeserday and part of the day to day. I tell you it is getting spashy.  Well I had a man here to day with a patent washer he done my washing all but renching. I thought it was going to rain so I dident put them out it does good work but it cost to much he went up and washed for Liza this afternoon her children are still having the ague or was a Sunday. Willie was down here. Mary all day she was good as pie we are looking for him out tell him old Hawthorn is married he hot his wife down in Harrison County. Albert was awful proud of his mittens tell Della if she will come out she can knit three or four more pai if Jim comes out there you start him on out this way. I am making me a new dress. I sold grease and buyed it. I sold over thirty pounds of lard two or three weeks ago. Well I am getting sleepy I will haft to quit and go to bed. I have had the headache all day. I have a bad cold. I cant think of any thing more to wrie so I will quit. write soon as you can give all the news.

Mary to one and all

Amaneunsis Monday ~ MARY MONROE CAGE ~ LETTER ~ DECEMBER 9TH, 1877

Sharpsville, Ind

December th 9th 1877

Well Nan I will try and scratch you a few lines tonight if I can think of any thing to scratch about. We are all snotting around.  The snots is about to get the better of Tom. He is about to get down. He has been in bed the most of the day. I hope this will find the folks all well out there. We have been looking for a letter from out there for two months but we haint seen any yet. I expect you think I might too. I have been talking about it for a good while. I have been waiting to find some thing to write but I haint found any thing yet. I expect you begin to thik we have all starved to death we have had some tolerable cold days and some of the worst roads along this ditch you ever seen. Tom haint got his corn quite all gathered yet. He haint sold all of his hogs yet. He has sold six sows that was going to have pits. He has two in with his fattening hogs that have pigs.

Some around here have lost some of their hogs with the cholera. Two of Wotsons boys was down a while back. William Henry has been having the chills all fall. Mary Ellen haint got to come down to make us a visit yet. I am awful fraid she wont get to come down. Georges is well I guess I haint heard of any of them a being sick. I haint been up ther for a good while the roads along here have been so awful bad that a body couldent get a long. I must go up now pretty soon if it stays froze up. We killed a beef this last week. We want to kill our hogs this next week if Tom gets so he feels like it. George Woodward is boarding here and going to school. Ed is staying at Bill Humphries the most of the time. Bill is pretty grunty. He ahs been having the ague. I guess it is about to get the best of him. I guess I will have to quit and go to bed my eyes hurts so I cant see how to write any more to night. Tom feels better but feels a little like the ague. One of Mr Davis boys that lives there by Georges is sick. I guess he as the consumption. One of Mr Scherers girls is sick I guess she will hardly get well the Doctor said that he had done about all he could od. Our children is all as fat as pigs now you wouldnt know the baby now if you was to see her she is as fat as a pig her cheeks is red now in the place of being white she is a walking every where and beginning to talk every one that sees her say she is the prettest baby they ever seen (and she never stopped talking Stella and going at a run most of the time) Orphas is wearing pants Albert and Nora are going to school I would like to hear from Dave Maples if you see Sade tell her to come out a bout New Years and stay about a month. I want to put in a quilt. I would like to know of old Andy Maple has found his horse yet or not.

I have got part of a new dress to make it is plain black calico. I want to make a polynais to wear with my black dress. I wish I had your pattern. I dont make any butter to sell now but I think I will pretty soon. We will have afresh cow in a week or so and another next month. I sell some eggs once in a while. They are 18cts. Chickens aint worth any thing. I would like to sell a bout a dozen roosters. I have seven little chickens. Well I cant think of any thing else to write. Oh yes tell Buck his girl is (Couldn’t make out three words) here this morning tell hem I was glad to get his picture and I….(words cut off).

will write to him when I cant find any thing else to do. I must write to Dad the next one. I want you to write right away and give us all of the news. I will quite. All asleep but man and I fell like I wanted to be. So no more write soon.

Mary to Nancy Joes and all the rest

is John Humphries and Nannie Worland married? We heard once they was to but fizeled out.