Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 36

This is the 36th in a series of postcards from 1908-1914. 

This collection was discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. Their collection of memorabilia was passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin.

Chicago Street Bridge, Elgin, Ill.

Excerpt from the book Elgin: Days Gone By - E. C. Alft, Chapter 3 - Fox River, found at  http://www.elginhistory.com/dgb/ch03.htm:

"It wasn't exactly a gold rush, and there were no roaring saloons or claim-jumping wars, but visions of sudden wealth once led scores of pearl hunters to the Fox River. For a few years beginning about 1908, large numbers of freshwater pearls could be found in clam shells from Carpentersville south to the Five Island shallows.
Elgin had pearl fever. Clam diggers wandered the river banks and jewelers were kept busy appraising the finds. Professional pearl buyers made regular visits to the city. At. the peak of the big pearl rush in 1911, they were said to be paying $100 to $150 for exceptional specimens, but $25 was probably more typical. (A day's wages in local factories at that time averaged about $2.)
The boom was given impetus by the discovery of a shell below the Chicago Street Bridge in which there were 342 small pearls. All were pure white in color and averaged three-eighths of a carat in size. The clam diggers would wait until the river was low in the hot summer months, then wade in until their feet touched a clam. They would then reach down for their prize and toss it in a sack. When they had a bag full, they headed for shore and opened the shells. They usually found odd shaped slugs, if anything. Some shells were sold to a button factory."

This card was purchased and mailed in 1910, smack in the midst of the "pearl fever" described in the book. It was sent to Edith by her younger sister Vic from Elgin. I like to imagine that Vic and Jim, who were there in late August when the river would have been low, may have waded out to search for a clam or two. Perhaps they even found a pearl.

Postmark from Elgin, Ill on August 26, 1910
Made in Germany. Edwin Hall, Importer & Publisher, Elgin, Ill.

Addressed to:

Mrs Edith Sisson

Ottawa

Ill

408 Marcy St

Message:

Hello Edith.

How are you all

will be over to see

you soon.

Vic Sesslar

The next card, mailed the same day from Elgin, is from the youngest sister Eva, who was traveling with the Sesslars. It's not known if this was a trip for business or for pleasure, but it took them about 65 miles from home heading North along the Fox River. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 35

This is the 35th in a series of postcards from 1908-1914. This one was mailed from Moorhead, Minnesota in 1910.

This collection was discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. Their collection of memorabilia was passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin.

This is the second postcard in the collection sent to Edith by her sister Mae.

Front Street Looking West, Moorhead, Minn.
(Copyrighted 1910 by W.O. Olson. 905)

Postmarked August 25, 1910 in Moorhead, Minn.

Addressed to:

Mrs Edith Sisson

Ottawa

Ill

Marcy St

Message:

Dear Edith.

We are in this town

for a min and it

is quite cold. The men

have their over coats 

on. Hope you are all

well. Sister Mae.

Marie Louise "Mae" Duffield (1862-1943) was the first born daughter of Robert Duffield (1833-1925) and Henriette Louise DeSusClades (1841-1887). She was named after her maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Callon (1815-?). Two and a half years after Mae's arrival, Edith was welcomed into the family. The sisters were young women when their mother passed in 1887 and had two younger sisters whose care fell to them. In 1898, their father was married to a woman the same age as Mae. I have to wonder how this new relationship was viewed by the girls. In 1900, Robert Duffield and his new wife Mary are living alone and his youngest daughter is in her sister Mae's household. This may be a clue that the sisters were not accepting of their father's new bride.

Mae and Herbert don't appear to have ever had children. In April of 1910, they are still in Ottawa to be counted by the census taker, but by 1920 they are living in Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California. I haven't found when they moved to CA and I don't have a clue why they were in Minnesota. Just one day earlier Mae had mailed a card to Edith from Illinois, so she was traveling somewhere and this was likely another stop along the way. Moorhead is on the western border of the state and a sister city to Fargo, North Dakota. It gets very cold there in the winter months, but this card was mailed in August. A quick check of historic averages shows a record low of 32 degrees in the month of August back in 1886. Even 40-50 degrees would be chilly in late summer. Perhaps the cool temps were what led them to the beach!

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 34

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 34, sent from Aurora, Illinois. 

These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

Public Library, Aurora, Ill.

The Aurora Library was built in 1904, funded by Andrew Carnegie. The library still stands in the same spot today, but if anything remains of the original building, it appears to have been substantially renovated. Aurora is about an hour from Ottawa, roughly northeast, and lies on the Fox River. The message on the back of the postcard makes it clear that this was just a stop on a trip.

Potmarked 24 August 1910 in Aurora, Ill.

Addressed to:

Mrs Chas Sisson

Ottawa

Ill

Marcy St

Message:

Dear Edith,

We have to wait 

an hour in this

town Hope you

are all well

Mae

Marie Louise "Mae" Duffield, born in 1862, was the first daughter born to William Duffield and Henriette Louise (DeSusClades) Duffield. She followed brother Albert who was two years older. Then came three more girls - Edith in 1864, Vic in 1866, and Eva in 1880. When their mother died in 1887, Mae became the woman of the house. I'm also an "eldest daughter" and can assume that Mae, like me, may have bossed her younger siblings a bit. I saw my own first daughter do the same with her younger siblings. I think it must be an unspoken rule or something! In this family, it doesn't seem to have caused any ill-feelings between the girls.

This is the first postcard from Mae to her younger sister Edith. The tone isn't bossy at all, just matter-of-fact, another possible clue to Mae's personality. Several postcards from Mae are in this collection; additional clues to the sister's relationship may be gleaned from them.

Mae married Herbert Bragg in 1892. In the 1900 census, her youngest sister Eva is living in the household. Absent, though, are children. The couple doesn't appear to have ever had a child. Sometime between 1910 and 1920, Mae and Herbert moved to Long Beach, California. Edith and Charles followed soon after with their family. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 33

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 33, sent from Morris, Illinois. 

These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

First Baptist Church, Morris, Ill.

Morris, Ill. postmark, dated July 29, 1910

Addressed to:

Mrs Chas. Sisson

S. Ottawa

Ills

408 Marcy St

Message:

I am O.K. and hope

you are all the same

suppose you think

I had forgotten you

but have not so an-

swer soon

Stella Brown

Morris Ills

Route 5 Box 91

care W. A. Brown

This is the second card featuring "Stella". The first, from Edith's sister Eva, simply gave an address for Stella in Dwight, Illinois. Now, a card from Stella Brown tells us she is living in Morris, Illinois. With her full name and those places I searched for more information to try and figure out how Stella was connected to the Duffield girls. It's complicated.

I found a Miss Stella M Brown living north of the river in Ottawa in the 1904 and 1906 city directories. She lived with her parents and some brothers and was employed as a dress maker. I next found her on the 1880 census with those same family members, and others, living in North Ottawa. That census listing included a sister a few years older than Stella named Birdie Brown. In 1894, Birdie married Edith's cousin Robert Beguin (son of Elizabeth Duffield and August Beguin).

The card above shows Stella receiving mail in care of W. A. Brown in Morris, Illinois. In 1883, Josephine Beguin (another child of Elizabeth Duffield and August Beguin) married William A. Brown. They are living in Morris, Grundy County, Illinois in 1910. William Brown is listed on the census as born in West Virginia. All of Stella's siblings were born in Illinois, so I don't know if this is a Brown relative to Stella. She had a brother named William, but records show he was born in Illinois and married a woman named Clara. They may be related some other way, but aren't siblings.

I was trying to figure out how Edith and Stella were acquainted, and was thoroughly confused, so I constructed a timeline to sort it all out:

• Stella and her family were in Ottawa and she was born about 1878, according to the 1880 census.
• Stella's sister Birdie Brown married Edith's cousin Robert Beguin in 1894. 
• 1900 census just lists Stella's parents and her brother Charlie. Have not located the rest of the Brown family in 1900.
• Stella is listed in the 1904 and 1906 city directories. Some of her brothers are, too. Her occupation is listed as dressmaker. 
• She disappears from the directory in 1907, though her parents and brother Charlie remain. 
• In an earlier postcard, Stella's address is given as a hotel in Dwight, Ill. Dwight is in Grundy County.
• In 1910, Stella is associated with her brother-in-law's sister Josephine, another of Edith's cousins, and her husband William Brown (unknown if related to Stella). 

Honestly, it looks like they were acquainted simply because they lived in the same small town and Stella's sister was married to Edith's cousin. Stella was likely just a friend, unrelated to Edith. And she must have been a good friend since they continued to stay in touch.

Sources:
1880, 1900, 1910 Federal census records.
Ottawa, Illinois city directories.
LaSalle County, Illinois marriage records.

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

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 32

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 32, sent from Valparaiso, Indiana. 

These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

Indiana Ave. East, State Bank, Fire Dept. and Opera House, Valparaiso, Ind.
(E. C. Kropp Co, Pub, Milwaukee, No. 6598)

Postmarked 21 July 1910 in Valparaiso, Ind.

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson

Ottawa

Illinois

408 Marcy St

Message:

Dear Ede - 

I thought you

might like a card

from here.

I am having a 

good time will

tell you about every

thing soon.

Eva

Little sister Eva and husband Lyle continued to travel through Indiana. This card notes a stop in Valparaiso, Indiana. It sounds like the trip might be about to wrap up and Eva will soon have a chance to share all the news with her big sister Edith. I think it's just a coincidence that both this one and the last postcard from La Porte both feature an "Indiana Ave.". The towns are in neighboring counties, but the road doesn't extend the entire distance. Both towns seem to have an independent Indiana Avenue. As in the last postcard, I pulled up Google Maps and took a little tour. Again, I found the buildings featured in the postcard are still standing today. The bank (with the columns, on the end) looks the same, and even though the other buildings have had modifications since 1910, they are still easily identified. The purpose of Eva's trip is still unknown.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 31

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 31, sent from La Porte, Indiana. 

These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

North on Indiana Avenue, La Porte, Ind.

Postmarked in La Porte, Ind. on July 19, 1910.

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson

Ottawa

Illinois

408 Marcy St.

Message:

Dear Ede - 

Will send some cards to

the girls sometime to-day.

We got here at 5 oclock

yesterday and we only started at 

6-15 yesterday morning. Its 140 

miles. We are going to Michigan 

City to-morrow. This is a 

nice place Its a good size 

and lots of nice houses. 

I am having a good time. 

With Love, Eva.

Edith's sister Eva continues on her road trip (see cards 29 and 30) with a stop in La Porte, Indiana. While it's unknown how many stops they made, the 140 mile trip took them just over 13 hours. That equates to less than 11 miles per hour. I don't know how they were traveling, except that it was by road. The red house on the corner featured in this postcard still stands today at the intersection of US-35 (Indiana Ave.) and Osborne Street in La Porte. Since Eva mentioned "lots of nice houses" in her message, I think that's why she chose this card. I looked up and down the street via Google Maps and agree with Eva. There are a lot of large old homes along the street that were surely there over 100 years ago. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 30

Continuing in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 30, sent from Crown Point, Indiana. These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

East Side Main Street, Crown Point, Ind. (Photo by Vilmer.)

Postmarked 18 July 1910, Crown Point, Ind.

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson

Ottawa

Illinois

408 Marcy St

Message:

Dear Ede -

We are this far on our 

way 93 miles at I-30

We came through Joliet

and Chicago Heights

will go from here

to La Porte.

I never rode on any

roads so nice

will write. With Love - Eva

Eva was Edith's little sister, born when Edith was 16 years old. Their mother died when Eva was 7 years old, so her older sisters played Sister/Mom roles in her life. The "we" mentioned in the note probably refers to Eva and her husband, Lyle Green. The Greens made their home just north of Ottawa in Dayton, Illinois. I'm not sure why they were traveling when this card was mailed. In card 28, Eva was so busy with farm work and cooking that she couldn't manage a short trip to Ottawa. Maybe there will be some clues in later correspondence.

That nice road, I-30, later became part of the Lincoln Highway and is now known as U.S. Route 30. The road went through the center of Joliet and Chicago Heights, but Eva and Lyle would have probably have taken a turn at what is today US-55 to go through Crown Point. Also known as Main Street through town, it may have been the same route taken by Eva and Lyle in 1910. Some of the buildings shown on this postcard are still standing, but a few are gone entirely and some have been remodeled or rebuilt. Some of the architectural details are still clearly recognizable. Few awnings remain. The block shown is approximately the 100 block of S. Main Street.

This postcard was labeled on the back, "Published by W.A. Scheddell, Crown Point, Leipzig. Printed in Germany." The Scheddells were a prominent family in Crown Point, operating businesses and serving in volunteer positions in the community. Mr. Scheddell published a variety of local postcards.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 29

Continuing in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 29, sent from Joliet, Illinois. These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

Glimpse of Tower from Upper Lake, Dellwood Park, Joliet, Ill.

Dellwood Park was built by the Chicago & Joliet Electric Railway Company and opened July 4, 1905. It was one of the most beautiful parks in all of Illinois. Located just north of Joliet in Lockport, it was one of the most popular destinations in the area. The parks location on the rail line tempted visitors travelling to and from Chicago to stop for a visit, which is probably exactly why it was built in the first place.

Postmarked 21 Jul 1910 in Joliet, Ill. 

This postcard isn't addressed, but I believe it's from Edith's little sister Eva (Duffield) Green. She was the author of card 28 and we will visit her again on card 30, where she mentions she passed through Joliet.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 28

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 28, Grant School, Streator, Ill. These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

Grant School, Streator, Ill. 2896

Streator was a nearby town in LaSalle County. In the 1877 History of LaSalle County, author H.F. Kett states:

Perhaps no city...in Illinois, outside of the great city of Chicago, presents an instance of such rapid and substantial growth as the city of Streator. From a single small grocery house... the locality has grown to be a city of 6,000 prosperous and intelligent people. Churches, school-houses, large, substantial business houses and handsome residences, with elegant grounds and surroundings, now beautify the waste of ten years ago, while the hum of machinery and thronged streets are unmistakable evidences of business importance and prosperity.

The school building pictured on this postcard was built in 1909, one of six schools built that year, to meet the needs of the growing population (from Biography in Black, A History of Streator, Illinois, by Paula Angle).
.

Postmarked in Dayton, ILL on 2 Jul 1910

Addressed to:

Mrs. Charles Sisson.

Ottawa,

Ill.

408 Marcy St.

Message:

Dear Ede,

I don't know when I 

can come down I am

so busy you better

come up. I have from 

3 to 4 men to cook

for every meal and

washed two days this

week and baked bread

3 times besides taking

care of 93 chickens

so I am kind of busy -

but won't be (up)

that busy

for long. we come

to town at

night and 

eat Ice cream

to get cooled off.

Eva

Eva Grace (Duffield) Green was a younger sister to Edith. She and her husband, Lyle, rented and worked a dairy farm in Dayton, LaSalle County, less than 10 miles from Ottawa, It seems that July was a very busy time on the farm! Cooking three large meals a day and baking bread for a crowd would be a big job all by itself. But add in washing using a wringer machine and hanging laundry to dry and all those chicken to care for, Eva was indeed a busy lady. Sitting down to have an ice cream at the end of the day was surely a welcome treat.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 27

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 27, View of Beach and Pier, Highland Park, Grand Haven, Mich. These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

View of Beach and Pier, Highland Park, Grand Haven, Mich.

Postmarked 27 Jun 1910, Railway Mail Service.

This is an unusual postmark because it wasn't stamped at a traditional post office. The RMS stamp next to the date stamp signifies "Railway Mail Service". The RMS was a separate department of the US Post Office, operating on a passenger train in a designated car. Mail was sorted en route to the destination, receiving a cancellation the same as it would have at a Post Office. "TR. 7", under the date, may have been the train number, or route number, and the lettering around the cancellation probably denoted the route or name of railroad. I looked around to see if I could match up the part of the stamp we can see, but it will take some more research to nail it down.

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas. Sisson.

Marcy St.

Ottawa,

Ill.

Message:

Dear Friend,

Having a 

swell. did

not get sick

at all. Lovingly

C. M. S.

The initials and handwriting identified the sender of this card as Carrie Stiles. She mailed several other postcards to Edith and it seems they were good friends. Perhaps Carrie was concerned about motion sickness on the train, but thankfully there was none of that. The beaches in Michigan were popular vacation destinations in the summer. It's not known if Carrie was on her way there, or on her way back, but she was having a swell [time]. 

The image below is a modern one of the lighthouse on the end of the pier as found on Wikipedia. It looks much the same as it did in 1910 and is still very busy with beach-going vacationers every summer.

• 
  
• CC BY 2.0 File:Grand Haven MI South Pierhead Light and inner lighthouse.jpg, Created: 25 April 2007

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 26

Next in the series of postcards from 1908-1914 is No. 26, Scene on Fox River, Aurora, Ill. These postcards were discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. They were saved by his maternal grandparents, Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927), and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin. Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895 and remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California. 

Scene on Fox River, Aurora, Ill. No. 4219

Postmarked in Aurora, Ill. 22 Apr 1910

Addressed to:

Mrs. Charles Sisson

Ottawa

Illinois

408 Marcy St.

Message:

I got your card yesterday 

will come down as soon as

I can. Lyles' mother is taking

care of things for me to-day

and I guess we won't get

home till to-morrow we are going to

Chicago. -Eva.

Eva Grace Duffield, younger sister to Edith, married Lyle Green in 1908. They rented and worked a dairy farm in Dayton, LaSalle County. Dayton isn't far from Ottawa, less than 10 miles, but the time it would take to travel anywhere would mean doing as Eva did here, having someone else come over to take care of the chores. Farm work, especially on a dairy farm, isn't an easy thing to get away from even today. Not only did the cows have to be milked every single day, but it's likely that there were other farm animals requiring daily care. 

Eva mailed this card from Aurora, a town about halfway between her home in Dayton and Chicago. The train to Chicago would have taken them through Aurora. It seems that they stopped at least for a rest and maybe a meal, certainly long enough to purchase and post a card. The Fox River, pictured on the postcard, was a familiar one to both Eva and Edith. It continued past Aurora into LaSalle County, bordered Dayton and met the Illinois River at Ottawa. The familiar river and cows to remind her of home may have guided Eva's choice of this particular card to send her sister.

John Levi Curtis (1873-1922)

At six years old, John Levi Curtis was fatherless and may have also been abandoned by his mother. Thanks to extended family, he didn't have to grow up alone. Tragedy struck again, though, when he died and left his own children orphaned. Thankfully, extended family was there once more  to help. John was my husband's great grandfather. This is his story.

John Levi Curtis was born on May 5, 1873 in Turman, Sullivan, Indiana to William G. Curtis and Sarah E. (Merrill) Curtis. He had two older sisters; Naomi Evaline born about 1869 and Loucretia E. born about 1871. A younger brother, Gilbert W., came along in September of 1878. Just a few months later, in March of 1879, their father,William, died. Gilbert followed his father to the grave in August that year. Losing her husband and infant son must have been devastating for Sarah. Her brother-in-law, Gilbert Curtis, assisted her with settling William's estate. There wasn't much to settle. A horse, a heifer, a milk cow, some chickens and a few pigs for livestock, about 5 acres in wheat, a plow, a shovel, a post auger, and miscellaneous other tools and household goods were the only items to account for. The total value was less than $500. There was some family still in the area, but Sarah's mother and several siblings had moved to Kansas. After her baby son died, she may have felt very alone.

In 1880, little John Levi, at just seven years old, was the only one of the four remaining family members found in the federal census. He was boarding with an older couple, Cyrus and Almira Thomas in Turman, Sullivan, Indiana. This little boy had just experienced the trauma of losing his father and little brother, and then faced living without his mother and sisters. I searched in Indiana and in Kansas for Sarah and the girls, but haven't yet found them on a census listing anywhere.

Sarah reappeared in the records when she married Moses J. Bland on January 19, 1882 in Sullivan County, Indiana. She and Moses had a daughter, Mariah two years later. Then, in 1886, it's believed that Sarah died. It is possible that John was back with his mother between the years of 1880 and her death, but it's not known for certain. The next records found were marriage records for his two older sisters who were both wed in 1890.

By the time the census came out in 1900, John was living with his Aunt Martha, his mother's youngest sister, and her husband, Isaac Robertson, in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri.  He was 27 years old, single, and working as a house carpenter. A few years later, he was back in Kansas, where he fell in love  with Minnie Jane Altum. Minnie and John were married in 1904 and set up housekeeping in Whitewater, Butler, Kansas. Daughter Lucretia was born in 1905, followed close after by a move to Parsons, Labette, Kansas, near where John's older sister Loucretia was living. John was a painter in Parsons, working for the MK&T (an acronym for Missouri, Kansas and Texas) Railroad. This railroad was often called the K-T, or Katy, railroad. A son, Levi Roy, was born in Parsons in 1907.

John and Minnie relocated to Amarillo, Texas after Levi was born, possibly taking the very train system that had employed him in Kansas. Their family continued to grow, with daughter Bessie born about 1908. Also living with them in 1910 were an uncle, a cousin, and his nephew Ray Galvin, the son of John's sister Naomi. John was now his own boss, working as a painting contractor. In 1916, Minnie gave birth to another daughter, Billie. John was busy, working hard and caring for his family. Life was good in Texas. But it was about to change.

Two years later, during another pregnancy, Minnie developed toxemia and suddenly died. The child was pre-term and did not survive. John, now a widower, was left to care for the remaining four children. When he was required to register for the WWI draft in 1918 he was disqualified, not because of a disability, but probably because he was a single parent. In that draft registration he is described as tall and slender, with brown hair and brown eyes. 

John and his children were still in Amarillo, Texas in 1920 where the bad luck for the family continues. About this time, John began to suffer from an illness. Two years later, sadly, he died. The cause of death was Uremia, or kidney failure, caused by Bright's Disease. His children were now orphans. Loucretia was 16, Levi Roy was 15, Bessie was 13, and little Billie just 5 years old. After their father died, the kids were shipped back to Kansas to live with Aunt Loucretia.

Llano Cemetery, Amarillo, Texas.
Photo from FindaGrave.com, Memorial #17652599, Memorial and photo added by Walter Dunn. 

Loucretia and her husband made arrangements to adopt Billie and they raised her as their own. By 1930, they had moved farther west, settling in Los Angeles, California. Roy and Bessie were still with their Aunt and Uncle. Their older sister had recently married, but was living nearby. It appears that these siblings remained in close proximity to each other for the rest of their lives.

Levi Roy, or Roy as he was called, and Vera (Sisson) Armstrong were briefly married and their daughter, Lora, is my mother-in-law.  The pattern of father-less children, for one reason or another, continued into her generation. Because of her parent's nasty split, Lora never knew her father. She's never even seen a photograph of him. And, like her father and grandfather, she spent much of her youth being raised by extended family. I'm currently searching for descendants of Roy and/or his sisters who might be able to fill in some of the missing details. Lora would be interested in learning more about her father and his family. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 25

This is 25/100 in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia was saved by his grandparents and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin.

Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California.

Lincoln Park, Chicago

The message is written on the front of this postcard:

Dear Edith: Stella's address is Dwight Ill, c/o Cottage Hotel, Eva

Postmarked in Dayton, Ill on 21 February 1910

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson.

Ottawa

Illinois

408 Marcy St.

Card made by:

The Hugh C. Leighton Co., Manufacturers, Portland, ME., U.S.A.

Printed in Frankfort o/Main, Germany. No. 691.

Eva was Edith's youngest sister. Eva Grace Duffield was born in 1880 and was living in Dayton in 1910 where she is listed on the census. I don't know who Stella was.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 24

This is 24/100 in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia was saved by his grandparents and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin.

Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California.

Boat House, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Ill.

Notice the canoes on this card form the shape of a flower or star on the water.  A small group is enjoying a picnic in the shade on the lake shore. The elegant boathouse building still exists today as Cafe Brauer, a seasonal restaurant.

circa 1910 postcard mailed from Hammond, Ind. to Ottawa, Ill.

Postmark:

Hammond, Ind.

Jan 20, 1910

To: Mrs. Chas. Sisson.

Marcy St.

Ottawa. Ill.

Dear Friend,

I am having

a nice time. Was

to Chicago to the 

theatre & am going 

to-night again.

Lovingly.

Mrs. Stiles

This card was penned by Carrie Stiles, also the sender of cards 13, 14, 20, and 22. She addresses them to "friend", but I haven't yet researched further to find out more about Mrs. Stiles. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 23

This is 23/100 in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia was saved by his grandparents and passed down to Warren, my husband’s cousin.

Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Charles and Edith were married in Ottawa, Illinois in 1895. They remained there until the early 1920s when they moved west to Los Angeles, California.

5609 COLORADO SPRINGS AND PIKE'S PEAK, COLORADO

1909 Postcard, back, no postmark.

1909

This is some of

the scenery we

saw when we

came home.

I included this card now, even though it wasn't mailed, because it is kind-of dated. 1909 was added above the message in pencil. This card was probably purchased by Edith's sister Victoria Duffield Sesslar when she and her family were traveling home from a trip to Los Angeles early in 1909. The handwriting looks like a match for her.

Josie Lena (Moore) Erickson (1874-1956)

The day that I discovered Josie Erickson's maiden name was one of the happiest in my life as a genealogist. For decades, my great-great grandmother sat on my pedigree chart as simply "Josie". During those early years of my genealogical family-gathering, I was also raising a young family and working full time. Certainly, had I devoted more time, I may have made the discovery much sooner. Regardless, the joy that I felt that day is unforgettable. I recall that it went something like this:


Me: (jumping up and down) Oh My God! Oh my God! I found her! She's Josie MOORE!! This is so exciting!
My husband: that's nice.

He totally doesn't "get" the thrill of crashing through a genealogical brick wall. A trip to Iowa to look for even more information is on our future-vacation-trip wish list. (Whether he likes it or not!)


The discovery that led me to Josie's maiden name and down her family line was made in 2006. I had contacted the Central Washington branch of the State Archives and obtained copies of my grandparents (Bill Cavanaugh and Helen Allen) and great-grandparents (Art Cavanaugh and Katie Erickson) marriage licenses. I had seen images online of the marriage licenses themselves, so no surprises there, but I had not seen the "marriage return" that was included with each license. The return was a page of questions, including the full names of bride and groom, their age, residence, and birthplace, and their parents names. The little gem pictured below is page 2 of Art and Katie's marriage license and it names their parents. Bingo! Katie's parents were listed as Albert Erickson and Josie Moore.

Arthur V. Cavanaugh and Sarah Katie Erickson Marriage Return, 12 July 1915, 
Ephrata, Grant County, Washington. 
Copy from Washington State Archives Central Region, Ellensburg, Washington, 24 March 2006.

A few months later, in January of 2007, my Uncle Terry Cavanaugh sent me a large envelope of his mother's papers. Most were copied poems, stories, and such, but some of the papers were her recordings of the family history. Of course, I don't know who supplied the information to her, but she wrote it down and I saved it as another clue that I was on the right track.

An excerpt from the handwritten notes of Helen (Allen) Cavanaugh, 
daughter-in-law of Katie (Erickson) Cavanaugh. 
From my personal collection.

Searching since then, I have uncovered some of the details of Josie's life. Genealogy is always a work in progress and there are still many places to look for more information. This is what I have found so far.

Close-ups of the Moore family from the 1880 Federal Census living in 
Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. 
Image from Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 
Accessed 5 Aug 2016.

The two images above, from the 1880 census, show us the Moore family. The first image lists their names, sex, age, and relationship to the head of household. Further along the line for the family, in the second image, we have entries for place of birth, place of father's birth and place of mother's birth. From this we know that John Moore was born in Ohio about 1843, Sarah was born in Iowa about 1848, and Josie was born in Iowa about 1873. John's parents were both born in Germany, Sarah's look like maybe Indiana but it's hard to read. (I also know that they were not born in Indiana, but we don't know who gave the enumerator the information.) And then for Josie, it gives us evidence that John and Sarah are her parents since she is listed as daughter to the head of household and their birthplaces match those listed under the "father birthplace" and "mother birthplace" columns.

Josie's mother died in 1882 and her father remarried the following year. In 1885 the family was living in Garfield, Mahaska County, Iowa where John was working as a carpenter. In 1887, Josie's half-brother Leo Moore was born. He was her only known sibling.

On 2 March 1892, Josie married E. Albert Erickson in Mahaska County. They initially made their home in Mahaska County and were listed in Garfield by the 1900 census taker. That year three daughters were shown with the family; Eda (Eda Mae), born in 1892, Kate (Sarah Katie), born in 1895, and Rosie (Rose Valeria), born in 1899. A few years before that census, the couple lost a son, Walter Dewey. He was born and died in 1898 at only a few months of age and was buried in Oskaloosa.

Photocopy of Obituary clipping of Walter Dewey Erickson,

dated 10 Sept 1898, as published in the Oskaloosa Saturday Globe.

Two more children were soon welcomed in Iowa, Pearl Goldie in 1902, and Albert Roy in 1905. Sometime between 1905 and 1910, the family migrated to Grant County, Washington, where they settled in the newly incorporated city of Ephrata.

In this part of central Washington, the land is mostly flat and full of sagebrush with a semi-arid desert climate. Ephrata was just springing up out of nothing but a few sparse farms, so to develop a property would have been a major undertaking. In 1910, the census that year tells us that Albert was working on his farm and the two eldest girls, Eda and Kate, were working in a local restaurant. Eda was waitressing and Kate was the dishwasher. Josie had her hands full with the younger children and a new baby, Leo Earl, who was born that year. In 1910, the population of Ephrata was only 323 people.

Farming in the desert didn't work out like Albert and Josie had planned, and by 1920 they had moved to the big city of Seattle where Al found work as a boilermaker. Again, the two eldest children in the home were working. Rose and Pearl were employed at a factory, packing candy.

Cropped image of the Erickson family in the 1930 Federal Census, 
Seattle City, King County, Washington. 
Image from Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. 
Accessed online 10 August 2016.       

             

                           
The image above shows the family in 1930. Albert was working for the City of Seattle Water Department, Earl was employed at a sheet metal shop, and Rose, now married to Harold Muzzy, was still working as a packer at the candy factory. By 1940, Albert and Josie had moved to a more rural area of King County with son Earl and his wife, Margaret, where I believe they lived the rest of their lives.

E. Albert and Josie (Moore) Erickson.

Copy of a photo from Lavera Cavanaugh

labeled "Katy Erickson Cavanaugh's parents, the Ericksons. Bills grandparents."

Albert passed away in July of 1952. Josie followed a few years later, on 29 August 1956. They were buried together in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Grave of Albert and Josie Erickson, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Renton, King County, Washington.

Image from www.findagrave.com, Memorial # 135716388, 

added 10 Sep 2014 by user GenealogyJenny. 

Accessed online 10 August 2016.