Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 3

This is the third 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 that Edith received in September of 1908.

Concordia College, Springfield, Ill.

Concordia College was established in 1873. Prior to that time the campus was the Illinois State University, where Abraham Lincoln’s son attended and Abe himself was a supporter and trustee of the university. As Concordia College it was a Lutheran Seminary associated with the Missouri Synod. It remained such until 1976. (from the Concordia Historical Institute, Department of Archives and History of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod)

Mailed from Springfield Illinois, 30 September 1908. 

To:

Mrs. Charles Sisson

Ottawa, Illinois

408 Marcy St.

Written in a different ink on the correspondence side is simply the name Eva. Probably Edith added the name after receipt of the postcard indicating the sender. Eva Grace Duffield (1880-?) was Edith’s sister and the youngest child in the family. She married Lyle Green in 1908 and was living in Dayton, Illinois (also in LaSalle County) in 1910. It’s unknown if she attended this college or may have just been on a trip to Springfield at the time.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 2

This is the second 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 was Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (1897-1978). She was the daughter of Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927) and Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926). By the time this postcard was mailed, members of the Duffield family had lived in Ottawa, Illinois and the surrounding area for more than fifty years.

Robert Duffield, born in 1810 in Lincolnshire, England, and his wife, Mary Wright, were the parents of five children:

• William Duffield (1833-1925) married Henriette Louise DeSusClades (1841-1887)
• Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926)
• Elizabeth Duffield (1835-1922) married August Beguin (1834-?)
• Mary Ann Duffield (1838-1864)
• Robert Duffield (1845-1863)
• Jane Wright Duffield (1850-1932) married Alfred J. Cross (1846-?)

Scene Lincoln Park, Chicago, ILL

Postmarked 2 June 1908, Downers Grove, Illinois

D. Grove Ill (Downers Grove)

June 1/908

Dear Niece,

Will be down Saturday if I feel well. Hope you are all well.

From your Auntie,

Mrs. A. J. Cross

To: Mrs. Edith A. Sisson

408 Marcy St.

Ottawa, Ill

Jane Wright (Duffield) Cross.
Photo from the collection of Edythe Sisson Brown, now in my possession.

Edith was close to her Duffield aunts. The families spent as much time together as they were able and all of the children grew up knowing their cousins well.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 1

This is the first of 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. Charles and Edith made a big move to Los Angeles, California in the early 1920s along with their daughters Edythe and Vera. Warren's parents, Edythe and Rayson Brown, had lived in Warren's home for several years before they passed. After Warren's death, I traveled with my brother-in-law to Sierra Madre to help sort out the estate.

We found a massive amount of memorabilia that we believe was saved by Warren's mother, Edythe. There were photos, letters, trinkets, and a stack of postcards bound together with twine. Eventually I'll share it all, but I'll start with the postcards. I tried to sort them in order by date as best I could. Some of the cards were not actually mailed, so there is no postmark. Some are plain with no writing at all. I'll start with the ones that have a legible date, either written or postmarked, and post them here in order. This is the earliest.

Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois

Mailed from Chicago, Ill on 6 Mar 1908

to

Mrs Charles Sisson

408 Marcy St

Ottawa, Ill

Postmarked 6 March 1908 in Chicago

The Sisson and Duffield families lived in Ottawa, LaSalle County, Illinois for many years. We know that Charles was a Mason, so he may have been visiting Chicago for a meeting or something and sent this to his wife. Of course, that's just a guess, since the sender is not named. Perhaps as I go through these cards I'll begin to recognize handwriting and make a more solid assumption.