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

October 22, 1922 - Mother asks Rayson to help with the flowers

Addressed to:

Mr G. Rayson Brown.

1468. E 67 St.

Chicago. Ill

From

Mrs Chas Sisson.

5009 Whittier Blvd.

Los Angeles Calif.

c/o. Loftus Land Co.

1.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Oct 22 - 1922.

My dear Boy:-

Your very dear letter was received yester-day, and I surely was happy to hear from you. for I do get lonesome at times when I think of you and the rest of the folk's back home, but when you come Rayson every thing will be different.

My dear boy you said in your letter that you had found a real home and some one that cares for you! We surely do, and when you come we want you to feel right at home, and we

2.

are all looking foreward to you coming and hope it will not be long.

Rayson I just wish you could have been here this morning it was just beautiful. There was an awful fogg last evening but it was clear this morning, and when I arose I looked out of the window and saw the sun shining on the mountains and it certainly was wonderful. We were over to Aunt Mae's again last week she had some flowers for me to put out in the ground. My dear Son I have some work all ready for you to do when you come, and 

3.

it is this, to help me with the flower's. I have a row of red geranium's from the house out to the street. Rayson the flower's and palm's out here are beautiful, ever one are busy setting out plants and bulb's to blossom this winter.

Now my dear boy I will have to close this letter and write one to Aunt Eva. Take good care of your-self. and with love and a great big kiss. I am as ever your

Loveing Mother

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 49

Main Street looking West. Streator, Ill.

This card is from a collection of postcards dated between 1908 and 1914 that was found in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death in 2015. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (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, and is now in my possession.

Streator, Illinois is located about 10 miles south of Ottawa. It's not clear why this card was chosen; there are no clues in the message. 

Postmarked May 22, 1911, in Dayton, Illinois

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson

Ottawa Ill

408 Marcy St.

Dear Ede - 

I am going to call up Vick

and tell her to bring you when

she comes for eggs. you

know I thought about what

you asked about those

Hollyhocks and Ede there

is all kinds of them, not so 

big but what I think you

could set them out again

so if you come you can get

some. Tell Vera I'll

try to get that __?___

across top:

if I can

because I 

want a 

pillow like

that so

much

It will be

nice to

have her

make me

one.

Eva

Eva Grace was the youngest of the five Duffield children, a surprise child, born 14 years after the fourth one. She was adored by her sisters Mae, Edith and Victoria, and brother Albert. In 1908, Eva married Lyle Green and moved with him to a farm in Dayton, a bit north of Ottawa. From her notes, it seems she was terribly lonely for her sisters. In this one, she even mentioned niece Vera, Edith's eldest daughter. Many of her notes are similar to this one in that the message is written very small and scrawled to cover all available space. A talker, this one. Her postcards are my favorites in the collection.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 45

This postcard is #45/100 from a collection of postcards dated between 1908 and 1914 that was found in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death in 2015. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (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, and is now in my possession.

This card is to Edith Duffield Sisson from her sister, Eva Duffield Green.

Entrance to Ravinia Park  Chicago, Ill.

This card was sent from Eva's home in Dayton, Illinois, so I suspect that she had picked up a bunch of postcards on her last trip to Chicago and just chose one to jot a note to her big sister. I like to think that cards were chosen because the purchaser actually visited the place pictured, but in this case there's no way to tell from the message or the postmark. I'm curious about the park, though, so looked it up.

Built on 36 acres bought by the A.C. Frost Co., the park began life in 1904 as an amusement park, complete with a skating rink, a carousel, a toboggan slide, an electric arm swing and a pavilion where audiences could enjoy performances of classical music. "It began as an amusement park but with a musical complement. The music was always there," Goldstein noted. from the Chicago Tribune, May 23, 1993

                                                   
Now the park is host to open air concerts all summer long and draws huge crowds. The electric rail will only stop at Ravinia Park when there is a concert scheduled. Now that I know a little more, I really hope Eva had a chance to visit and play in the park with her husband, because life at home in Dayton was full of work. The Green's had a dairy farm and Eva was responsible for feeding meals to the workers, keeping the house and raising the chickens. I would guess that they sold eggs, too, but I'm not certain. They hadn't been married long, so Eva was still setting up housekeeping when she sent this card to "Ede", her pet name for Edith.

Postmarked October 17, 1910 in Dayton, Illinois

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson.

Ottawa,

Illinois.

408 Marcy St.

Dear Ede - 

I can't call you up, so I

thought I would send this

card. We were at the folks

to dinner yesterday and when

I got home I found 11 little

chickens just hatched and

the old hen brought them for

something to eat. They are

awful nice but it is so late.

Wish Vick would bring you 

up and stay longer. I am done

cleaning house all but putting

the carpet down in the front -

continued sideways across the top:

room I have

it bought

but not home

yet. I have my

curtains all

hung and you

can bet I

feel better.

I won't

have to 

work quite

so much

now. 

Eva.

I've never raised chickens, but I know midwest winters can be bitter cold and they have to be kept warm for the first few months of life. Here she was in mid-October with a bunch of new babies and worried about their chances of survival. I think she really missed her sisters, too. She mentions "Vick" in the note - Victoria was another sister and the girls were all very close.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 41

Postcard number 41 in this series gives a glimpse of life as a farmer's wife in rural Illinois. Lyle Green, husband of Eva (Duffield) Green, attended a sale in Galesburg, Illinois in the fall of 1910 and brought this postcard home to his wife. Galesburg is about 110 miles from Lyle's farm in Dayton, no small trip in those days. In this postcard to her sister, Lyle's wife Eva said he was there two days. It doesn't mention the type of sale. This note was more about Eva's work on the farm.

Galesburg, Ills., Central Park and Main St.

Postmarked September 30, 1910 in Dayton, Illinois

Addressed to:

Mrs Charles Sisson,

Ottawa,

Illinois.

408 Marcy St.

Dear Ede -

I was just wondering how you

were feeling when the boy

brought your card. I am glad you

are better. I guess its my turn

now. Have been half sick since

Sunday and last night Maud

had to come over and get

supper and this morning she

got breakfast and dressed 

me a chicken for dinner. We

were downtown yesterday afternoon

and the sun gave me a headache.

Lyle was at this place to a sale

for two days. How is Teddy?

Are they gone?

Sister - Eva

Eva then added a note across the top:

I did as

you told

me and

packed eggs.

I have just

55 put away

and a few

more ready

when I get

a box. The 

night I came 

home a chicken

fell in the well

This card is from a collection of postcards dated between 1908 and 1914 that was found in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death in 2015. Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown (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, and is now in my possession.

Eva has already been the focus of several blog posts as she authored many postcards in this collection. She was Edith's youngest sister and lived a little bit north of Ottawa, in Dayton, with her husband Lyle Green at this time. Lyle was a dairy farmer and it was Eva's job to feed the workers and take care of the chickens. 

Her savior while she was feeling ill was her mother-in-law, Maud. Teddy was young Ted Stiles, writer of the last postcard, and former neighbor of Edith. His family had indeed gone. They were such close friends of Edith and her daughters that the move was a sad experience and no wonder a topic of conversation. 

My favorite part of this particular note is all the chicken news. I especially liked postscript part of the note. Eva and Lyle had only been married two years and she was still fairly new to farming. She may have been packing the eggs to preserve for home use, or packing them for resale, but my guess is home use. Big sister Edith had provided a handy tip, probably on her last visit. The final line of this note was simply that a chicken fell in the well. Preparing the meals, preserving the bounty and everyday farm mishaps all were part of Eva's life as a farmer's wife.

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. 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.

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.