Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 5



This is the fifh in a series of postcards from 1908-1914. They were discovered last year at the home of Warren Brown in Sierra Madre, California, following his death. Warren's mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown, was the daughter of Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927) and Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) of Ottawa, Illinois. These postcards are just a small part of the collection of memorabilia that Edith saved and passed to her daughter and then Warren. It remains with the family in my possession. This is a postcard sent to Edith's brother-in-law, James B. Sesslar, in February 1909.

Washington's Park showing where the Lincoln and Douglass debate was held in 1858. Ottawa, Ill.

Postmarked 8 February 1909 in Ottawa, Illinois and mailed to Los Angeles California.

This postcard answers the question I had on postcard No. 4 regarding which "Vic" was the author. Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) was Edith's sister. She married James Bazzle Sesslar in Ottawa, Illinois on 20 December 1888. They were the vacationers that mailed the last postcard to Edith. This is one that was mailed to them while they were in Los Angeles on holiday. I know it was just a holiday because they were back at home in Ottawa for the 1910 census takers.

It reads:

Dear Aunt, Uncle & family,

Just got your postals. We are having fine weather. Mama is doing dandy if she will only mind us and be careful. She gets so mad when I won't let her go to the doors. Grandpa talked for 2 days about Jim going to see a bull fight. He gets so interested in where you are. Write again. Sue

Addressed to:

Mr. James B. Sesslar

633 South Hill St.,

Los Angeles,

California

And at the bottom it says, "The Livingston".

I found an ad in the Los Angeles Herald in April of 1909 for "The Livingston Hotel-First class room and board, home cooking, $8 per week and up. 633 S. Hill." California Digital Newspaper Collection

I'm not sure how this postcard came to be in Edith's possession. It is written by Jim Sesslar's niece, Sue Eichelberger, the daughter of his sister Lora Ella (Sesslar) Eichelberger and her husband William B. Eichelberger. Ella was the sibling closest in age to Jim in a family of 9 children (two more children died in infancy). Jim was the only boy with eight sisters. So, when the writer mentions "Mama", she is speaking of  Ella, and "Grandpa" is Jim's dad, Bazzle Sesslar (1830-1911).