Edith's Marcy Street Neighbors

Edith Amy Duffield was my husband's great-grandmother. She was born November 12, 1864 in South Ottawa Township, LaSalle County, Illinois to William Duffield and Henriette Louise DeSusClades. Edith was the middle child of five and grew up on a small farm near the Illinois River. In 1895 she married Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), a carpenter from New York, who promptly built them a home at 408 Marcy Street in Ottawa. Two daughters were soon to join the family; Vera in January 1897 and Edythe in November that same year. 

Edith Amy Duffield Sisson (1864-1926)
Photo from the collection of Edythe Sisson Brown, now in my possession.

Across the street from the Sissons lived the Stiles and the Ohmes families. These three families were comprised of couples that all married and began their families at about the same time.

George (1866-1941) and Carrie (Aussem) Stiles (1870-1930) lived at 403 Marcy Street. George was born in Massachusetts. Carrie, like Edith, was a native of LaSalle County. Carrie's father was born in France, as was Edith's mother. George and his father-in-law, Daniel Aussem, were carpenters and it's likely that the two of them built the house. George Stiles and Charles Sisson, then, had their profession in common. We know that Charles was also an active freemason because of membership cards and artifacts found in the family collection. Mr. Stiles may have been a member of the local lodge as well. 

The Stiles were married in 1891 and had two sons. Milan was born in 1894, followed by Teddy in 1897. Certainly these boys were playmates with the Sisson girls across the street. A collection of postcards saved by Edith from 1908-1914 includes cards from Carrie and both of her sons. Edith also saved some of the Stile's family photographs. Clearly, the families were close and had much in common.

Mr. and Mrs. Ohme lived next door the the Stiles family at 409 Marcy Street. Hans Ohme (1869-) and his wife Engeline (1876-1958) were Norwegian immigrants. He came in 1887, she in 1892. They married in 1896 and were living on Marcy Street by 1900. Hans was a grocer, so the families in the area would have all known him and likely did business with him. Mr. Ohme is also found listed as a cement contractor, so perhaps he had two trades. Cement work may have put him at the some of the same work sites as Charles and George, further cementing the friendships. By 1910 the Ohmes had welcomed 6 children. Harold, like Teddy Stiles and the Sisson girls, was born in 1897. He was followed by Mildred in 1900, Lawrence in 1902, Floyd in 1904, Marie in 1906 and then Donald in 1909.

403 Marcy St., Ottawa, Illinois circa 1910. 
Photo from the collection of Edythe Sisson Brown, now in my possession.

The group photo above includes the Stiles, Sisson and Ohme ladies and some of the children. It looks like it was meant to be a "girls only" picture that one young man may have snuck into. Notice the bicycle leaning against the porch in the background. Teddy may have rode up and jumped into the photo at the last minute! Pictured from left to right, Edythe Sisson, older woman unknown (maybe Carrie's mother or mother-in-law or another neighbor), Mildred Ohme, Carrie Stiles, Marie Ohme, Teddy Stiles, Vera Sisson, Edith Sisson, and Engeline Ohme. I have photos of the Sisson and Stiles families for comparison, but not the Ohme ladies. At least not photos that are labelled as so many in the collection are blank. One important clue in the photo, however, led me to believe it is Mrs. Ohme and her daughters.

In late August or early September of 1910, George and Carrie Stiles moved to Hammond, Indiana. Postcard correspondence between Carrie and Edith confirms the date. In the photo above of the Stiles home, there is a "For Sale" sign posted to the porch column. That was the clue. I believe this is a photo where the women of the neighborhood gathered together for a picture as the Stiles family was preparing for that move. 

The Ohme family remained at 409 Marcy Street until the early 1930's when Hans built a new home on the next block. Edith and Charles made a big move to Los Angeles, California in the early 1920's. The friendships made during the early years of their marriages when they all lived on Marcy Street were surely treasured by all three families.

Sources: 

1900 Federal Census, Ottawa Ward 1, LaSalle, Illinois

1910 Federal Census, Ottawa Ward 1, LaSalle, Illinois

U.S. City Directories, Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois 1904-1935

Correspondence and Photographs from the collection of Edith Amy Duffield Sisson