Rayson Brown, 1920s Nature Photographer

G. Rayson Brown (1898-1974) was fascinated by the wonders of nature. He combined that love of the outdoors with his photography hobby in the early 1920s after moving to Los Angeles, California. Rayson was my husband's Great Uncle. Warren, Rayson's only child, inherited the collection. Warren didn't have children and when he passed, my husband and I became the keepers of the collection.

Rayson photographed people, always outdoors, as well as majestic scenery, plants, animals and insects. Some of his close-up plant, animal and insect photos were sold to magazines and published. He took great pride in carefully documenting and cataloging his collection. Out of the hundreds of photos, I chose a few of my favorites to share.

Rayson married Edythe Grace Sisson in 1923, soon after arriving in Los Angeles. Edythe and her family are in many of Rayson's photographs.

Edythe and Mrs. Holden at Camp Baldy, 1924

Edythe and her mother in Stoddard Canyon, 1924

In the photo below, from left to right, are Edythe's father Charles Sisson, Edythe, her Uncle Herbert Bragg and Aunt Mae (Duffield) Bragg, her mother Edith (Duffield) Sisson, her sister Vera (Sisson) Armstrong and brother-in-law Bill Armstrong.

Sissons, Braggs, Armstrongs & Brown picnic, Stoddard Canyon, 1924

"Yours truly" [Rayson] & wife, 1926

Edythe and Aunt Nellie Nettleingham at Seal Beach, 1927

Edythe's Aunt Mae and Uncle Herb lived in Long Beach. The family took many trips there to visit and enjoy the beach.

Long Beach Pier, 1923

Long Beach Waterfront, 1923

Rayson and Edythe, usually with her sister Vera and brother-in-law Bill Armstrong, explored as much of the state as they could when not working. Rayson always had his camera and tripod on hand to document their travels.

Lighthouse at end of San Pedro Calif. breakwater, 1923

Road around Catalina Island looking East, 1923

Glass Bottom Boat Catalina, 1923

Scene from Busch Gardens, 1924

There are dozens of photos of the aftermath of a 1925 earthquake in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Earthquake ruins, 1925

Yachts in Race to Honolulu, 1926

Rayson must have truly loved photographing and documenting the plants, animals, and insects found in nature. There are hundreds of photos and boxes and boxes of slides. Getting clear, close-up photos is a challenge for photographers today but was even more so in the 1920s.

Tarantula and it's abode, 1923

Carpenter bees, 1925

Butterfly, 1925

Sow Bug, 1925

Spotted Anthomya fly (Gray), 1925

Elderbug, Black, white and red, 1925

Buffalo tree hopper (Green), 1925

Milliped (Brown), 1925

1925

Crane fly, 1927

Alligator in Los Angeles alligator farm, 1923

Lizzard, 1924

Burrowing owl, 1925

Geranium seed (magnified), 1926

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 56

Postcard 56, like the last one, was sent from Lyle Green to his sister-in-law Edith (Duffield) Sisson to update her on the condition of her little sister Eva following an operation.

City Hall and Court House, Chicago

The Cook County Building, which houses the City Hall offices and the County Court House, is still in use today. The building was designed by Holiburd & Roche, Architects, and constructed in 1910.

Postmarked April 6, 1913, at 1:30 AM in Chicago.

Addressed to:

Mrs. Edith Sisson

Ottawa

Ill

408 Marcy St.

Dear Ede,

Everything all O.K.

Eva started to eat 

to-day appetite good

and pains growing

less every day.

Lyle

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 55

This postcard is the 55th in order by date from the collection of Edith (Duffield) Sisson, my husband's great-grandmother. The collection was saved by Edith's daughter, Edythe (Sisson) Brown, and after she died, her son Warren became the caretaker. When he passed away, I was lucky to have the chance to rescue many family treasures from being tossed out, including this great collection.

Edith's little sister Eva (Duffield) Green has authored a several of the postcards in this collection so far (3, 28, 29, 30, 31, 41, 45, 49). This one and the next are penned by her husband, Lyle Green. It seems that Eva has had an operation and Lyle is sending updates. The Green's lived north of Ottawa in the community of Dayton and operated a dairy farm. They must have been in Chicago, however, for Eva's surgery. Both postcards are postmarked in Chicago and feature subject matter of the city.

WHALEBACK STEAMER CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ENTERING HARBOR, CHICAGO
No. 809, V. O. Hammon Pub. Co., Chicago

The S.S. Christopher Columbus was a steamship designed by Scottish immigrant Alexander McDougall, inventor of the whaleback hull shape. It was the longest Whaleback ever built and the only one built for passenger service. At the time of this postcard, 1913, it was running a daily service from Chicago to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Postmarked in Chicago, Apr 3, 1913, 3:30 PM

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas Sisson

Ottawa

Ill.

408 Marcy St.

Eva is getting along

all right. had the operation 

at 8:30 yesterday morning.

She is in considerable

pain but that is to be

expected for a few days.

Will write again in 

a day or two.

Lyle

Duffield/Sisson Postcards, No. 54

This next postcard from the collection of Edith (Duffield) Sisson illustrates that, in 1912, friendships endured over distance, families stuck together when times got tough, and being neighborly was the right thing to do.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW   56  ULYSSES NEB.

Postmarked Jun 3, 7 PM. The year and post office city didn't show up.

Addressed to:

Mrs Charls Cisson

Ottawa

Ill

south side 

(The Sisson's lived in South Ottawa)

Ulyses Neb

Jun 2 -12

Mrs Sisson

We are still here trying to 

sell evry thing I am so tired 

of the place Sarah is going to 

live with us she must sell 

evry thing it takes time to get 

rid of it I know you are tired 

taken care of hour home but 

we did not inteng to stay so 

long but will try and come home 

midle of next week if arangements 

can be made Love to all

From Mrs Baumgardner

Mr. & Mrs. Baumgardner lived a short distance away from Edith (Duffield) and her husband Charles Sisson in Ottawa, Illinois. The Baumgardner and the Duffield children had grown up attending the same schools. Sarah Eve Baumgardner, born in 1856, had married Charles Henry Challis in 1879 and moved to Ulysses, Nebraska. Charles was the editor and publisher of the Ulysses Dispatch until his unexpected death in May of 1912. These photos of Sarah, Charles, and their children were found in Edith's collection, and I know the families kept in touch even after Sarah moved to Nebraska. She was almost nine years older than Edith, but it seems they were friends despite the difference in age. In one of Edith's letters written in 1922, she mentions that Mrs. Challis will be coming to visit.

Sarah (Baumgardner) Challis,
Photographed in Ulysses, Nebraska,
From the collection of Edith Sisson.

Sarah's parents were about 80 years old when they traveled to Ulysses to help her settle the household after her husband's death. Edith stepped in to care for their home in Ottawa while they were gone. This note tells us that Sarah was planning to go back to Ottawa to live with her parents. She probably helped her parents a great deal until their deaths. Her mother died in 1917, followed soon after by her father in 1918. After their deaths, Sarah moved to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska to live near her daughter, Blanche, and son-in-law, Lloyd Jackson. Sarah died in 1942 in Scotts Bluff and was buried next to her husband in Ulysses.

Before Mr. Baumgardner died, he made an addition to his will. His five surviving children would inherit his estate, but he also wanted to leave $100 to Edith Sisson in appreciation for the many and valuable favors in the past years.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 53

The Pillars of Hercules, on the O. R. & N.

From the back of the postcard:

The Pillars of Hercules, on the O. R. & N.

The storm God of the mountains fashioned these stately 

pillars, and made them the gateway to scenes beyond 

of unspeakable beauty and grandeur. About these 

pinnacles there dwelt the guardian angels of the God 

Coyote.

The Pillars of Hercules pictured here are not in the Straits of Gibraltar but on the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon. The train tracks no longer run through the columns, and the tree on top is gone, but they can still be seen today. The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, O. R. & N., provided travelers a gateway to the Pacific Northwest.

This postcard was part of the Gifford Series, published by Benj. A. Gifford, The Dalles, Oregon.
Copyright 1908, card No. 240.

            Postmarked November 4, 1911 at The Dalles, Oregon.

Addressed to:

Mrs Edith Sisson

Ottawa

Illinois

Marcy. St.

Dear Sister Edith-

We are on our way to California at Dalles to day. 

Will leave here for Portland Sun morning we are O.K. 

hope you are all well I will write you again

Lovingly

Sister Mae.

Marie Louise "Mae" Duffield and her husband, Herbert Bragg, moved from Ottawa, Illinois to Long Beach, California between the years 1910 and 1920 according to the Federal Census records. This trip may have been the actual "move" or perhaps was just a pleasure trip that put the thought into their heads. Mae was two years older than Edith, and from her notes seems to have been a practical and to the point type of woman. 

Edith (Duffield) Sisson saved many postcards and letters. I am honored to be the current caretaker of this wonderful collection and keep them in the family.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 52

In the early 1900s, before automobiles were parked at nearly every home, travel of any distance was typically by train. Postcards featuring trains and the depots were very common. Train depots were often elaborate buildings, making them an attractive postcard subject. Travelers who wanted to let the family back home know how their trip was going would purchase a postcard at the depot while the train was in the station and send an update. Postcards were also used to pen quick notes, such as this one from the collection of Edith (Duffield) Sisson.

This card was sent as a thank you note by a woman named Daisy Haywood. It features a depot in Kinsley, Kansas for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF). This depot was built in 1887 and was used first for the AT&SF and later the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The small building next to the depot was used a freight house. The buildings were demolished in 1999.

A. T. & S. F. Depot, Kinsley, Kans.

Postmarked in Kinsley, Kansas, September 1911

Addressed to:

Mrs. Edith Cisson

Marcy St.

Ottawa

Ills.

9/2/1911

Mrs. Cisson,

Dear friend: - I rec'd a letter from

the folks telling how pleased they 

were on finding things so well taken

care of in their absence and I

take this way in thanking

you, which is but a weak

way of putting it, for the kind-

ness that you have shown

them. We all fully appreci-

ate the kindness.

Your friend Daisy Haywood

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 51

I got sidetracked from this collection several months ago after posting #1-50. That was only the first half of this wonderful collection of postcards saved by Edith (Duffield) Sisson (1864-1926). The postcards were found in the Sierra Madre, California home of her grandson, Warren Brown, after his death in 2015. They were stacked and tied up with string, then tucked away in a box of photos and other memorabilia. This one is extra special because the note on the back was from her husband, Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927).

65. Interior of Big Pavilion, - Saugatuck, Mich.

The Big Pavilion was built in the Spring of 1909 as a dance hall to entertain the families vacationing for the summer in Saugatuck. It was situated on the banks of the Kalamazoo River and not far from Mount Baldhead (if you wanted to climb more than two hundred steps to the top). Wealthy and upper-middle-class families flocked to the resort from Chicago, St. Louis and the surrounding areas for vacations. Some very wealthy drove themselves, but most came by train or by boat across Lake Michigan. They could then either drive or rent a horse and carriage to take them to the beach on Lake Michigan. Some families rented canoes and paddled the river, or fished from the docks. Many, though, came for the dances and concerts in the Pavilion. Saugatuck was in the "dry" county of Allegan, so refreshments at the pavilion were limited to soda, lemonade and perhaps an ice cream or some popcorn. Young men wishing to meet and dance with unescorted young ladies had to first be introduced by the Master of Ceremonies.

Addressed to:

Mrs C. H Sisson

Dear Madam this is

from your old man

Fennville Mich July 31 -11

Dear Edith i got here

safe and sound also 

right side down, at

two oclock in the

morning. Had a nice 

trip the lake was 

as smooth as glass

the smoothest i ever

saw it. the folks are

all well this is all this time

P(ea) S(oup) i think i will be

Home thursday

night on the CRI

There isn't a postmark, full address, or a stamp, so I think it's safe to say that this card was sent in a package or another envelope. The Sissons lived in Ottawa, LaSalle County, Illinois. His message offers a glimpse of Charles's personality. The "Dear Madam this is from your old man", "right side down", and "P(ea) S(oup)" for postscript are all fun little touches that show he was a good-natured man. 

Charles parents, Luther and Mary Jane (Bassage) Sisson, lived just west of Fennville, Michigan. In 1910, they had two grown children, James and Dora, living with them, too. James helped his father with the farming on land that they owned.  The town of Saugatuck, with the Big Pavilion pictured on this postcard, was less than ten miles from the farm. 

About 1900, Fennville, Michigan
Left to right: Belle Adora "Dora" Sisson, Dora's daughter Beulah, Mary Jane (Bassage) Sisson - seated, Emma Lucinda (Sisson) Buchanan, James Sisson, Luther Sisson - seated, and Emma's daughter Lizzie.

Charles traveled across Lake Michigan by boat, probably from Chicago, on his trip to Fennville. He likely returned the same way, but then had to get from Chicago to Ottawa. We know from his postscript that he planned to take the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, called the Chicago Rock Island, or the CRI, for short. His old lady may have been waiting for him at the station that Thursday night.

September 25, 1922, "it is hard to write a letter on the train"

This letter is from Edith A. (Duffield) Sisson, Edythe's mother, to Rayson.  She is writing on the train as she and her daughter make their way to Los Angeles. I wonder how she was feeling. At 58 years old, she had just left Ottawa, Illinois - the only place she'd ever lived - to head west to California to join her husband. In some of the earlier letters, it was clear that she was a rather nervous woman so I imagine she was a bit of a mess as she wrote this note to her future son-in-law.

Addressed to:

Mr. G. Rayson Brown.

1468 East 67 St.

Chicago Illinois.

My dear Boy :-

First I must ask you to please excuse the awful writing for it is hard to write a letter on the train. Edythe was writing to you and I just had to write too although I am awful tired. We seem to be traveling awfully slow for some reason or other if it continues we will be all week on the road. 

Rayson we surely want you to come and stay with us our home will be your home dont worry about the money question. dont worry about the board every thing will be all right until you find

(over)

work. come as soon as you can. and take good care of your-self. it is now 10-45 and we are just in Kansas City good bye my dear boy with much love from

Mother

For links to all the letters in this collection, go to https://ordinaryancestors.blogspot.com/p/edythe-and-rayson-love-letters.html where they are organized by date written.

August 2, 1922 Inquisitive Cousin Cora and Charles Sisson's Tools

I think that Cousin Cora is Cora Beguin, Edith Duffield Sisson's (Mother) cousin. Cora's parents were Elizabeth Duffield and August Charles Beguin. The family also lived in Ottawa, Illinois. It could, though, be Cora, the wife of George Beguin, another child of  August and Elizabeth Beguin. George and Cora lived in North Dakota. In this case, she would have been a cousin only by marriage, so I think it more likely to be Cora the first cousin of Edith.

Addressed to:

Mr. G. Rayson Brown.

1468 East 67th St.,

Chicago,

Illinois.

Return address:

408 Marcy St.,

Ottawa, Ill.

Ottawa, Ill.,

Aug. 2. 1922.

Dearest Rayson:

Your dear letter came today and I was surely glad to know that you are feeling so much better. You must not worry so dear, because if I hadn't caught cold the trip wouldn't have bothered me at all. I am feeling just fine again and dearest, our dear little Mother looks like herself again. We will never leave her again if I can help it, it surely has taught me a good lesson.

Mother worried about selling the house, she never had any dealings of that sort before and was afraid they might not do right by her. I do not know any more about it than she does but if you can bluff them into thinking so, why alright. And so I am seeing to things for her, everything is fine so far.

We are going right ahead and have disposed of a few pieces of furniture already. Today we were in the garage and sorted over Father's tools. There are ever so many that he doesn't want and so many packages of nails. Enough to build a house. We have everything sorted out ready for sale.

We had a letter from the folks out west, today. They are all well as usual, but Vera said she was awfully tired. They have all of my letters and want to know what to do with them. I am going to tell them to send them here dear, and then if you want you can have the one letter back without my reading it. Although I know I deserve a good scolding but will try to make it up to you later. 

I never could write an interesting letter and cannot write things like I could say them. You letters dear are always wonderful but mine I'm afraid are nothing.

Yesterday morning while we were washing Cousin Cora came and although she knew we were busy, she stayed for lunch. Cora is alright except for her inquisitiveness. She asks one question after another and nearly has poor Mother wild. After lunch I went over town to mail the letter to you and after I had gone her questioning became so personal that Mother was almost beside herself. She is just perfectly as insulting as she can be.

Last night we had a thunder shower, rain came down by the bucket fulls. It seemed nice to see it again, out there it only sprinkles during the summer. This morning everything was fresh and green again.

Well dear we are going downtown shopping early in the morning and as it is getting late I will close for this time.

Mother sends her love and best wishes dear, the same as I. We are looking forward to Sunday, it will not be long now. Good night for this time,

With all my love - Edythe.

P.S. - Dearest, do you want me to meet you Saturday night? I would like to, if you think it would be alright. Tell me when you write - Love - Edythe.

Charles Sisson's tools were saved by Edythe and Rayson and passed down to their son Warren. When Warren passed away, I was able to save the following tools for my husband, Charles' great grandson. He was thrilled to have these pieces that belonged to a great grandfather that he never knew.