Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 46

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.

12555 Central School, Hammond, Ind.

Postmarked October 22, 1910, in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas. Sisson

408 Marcy St

Ottawa

Illinois

Hello Aunty Sisson,

Well I have been very

busy and had not much

time to do anything but

go to school. How is ever

thing down their. I hear

the Ohme's have lost 

some school. Well I

guess I will close I have

to go and see Dad 

off.    Milan S.

Written by one of the sons of Edith's former neighbor and close friend, Carrie Stiles. The Stiles family had recently moved to Hammond, Indiana because of their son Teddy's health. This is one of many cards sent to Edith after the family moved. The Ohme family was another neighbor on Marcy Street whose children had been close in age to the Stiles children. 

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 44

Masonic Temple, Hammond, Ind.

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.

The Stiles family were neighbors and very close friends of the Sissons in Ottawa, but moved late in the summer of 1910 to Hammond, Indiana. George and Carrie Stiles had two sons; Milan Arthur "Art" Stiles was born in 1894 followed by Teddy Aussem William Stiles in 1897. The family had moved to Hammond because of son Ted's health and remained there for several years. This is a note from Ted to his "Auntie" Stiles in October, 1910.

A card featuring the Masonic Temple may have been chosen because of Mr. Sisson's association with the lodge in Ottawa. Teddy would have knowledge of Charles Sisson's affiliation and, perhaps, his own father was also a Mason. This temple was the first in Hammond, Indiana, and had been recently completed. 

Postmarked October 13, 1910 in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas Sission

408 Marcy St.

Ottawa,.

Ill.

Dear Auntie

Am sitting

up now. Hope to

get to school. Nurse

went to night.

Hope you people

are well.

Ted.

P.S.

Write and tell

me when they get

another case of beer

Ted recovered eventually and went on to live a normal life and have a family of his own. Whatever the illness, it was serious enough to force the family to move and employ a private nurse. The reference to another case of beer is a mystery. I think it hinted at an inside joke and showed that even in his sickness, Ted Stiles maintained a sense of humor.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 43

Postcard number 43 in this collection features the Nickel Plate Depot in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana. Here is an excerpt published in 1897 from The Intelligence, Vol. 17 , page 397:

"A trip over the Nickel Plate between Chicago and New York or Boston

 is decidedly entertaining and pleasant. Leaving Chicago, the trains

 pass through an interesting part of the city, especially the commercial

 centre, thence through Hammond, Ind., across the fine prairies

 of Indiana, to the enterprising city of Fort Wayne..."

It goes on to tell of the marvelous sights and experiences as the train travels the rest of the way to either Boston or New York. A quick search on google brought up loads of sites featuring this exact same postcard, now in the hands of collectors across the country. That tells me that there were a lot of postcards purchased as travelers passed through this area. Most of the postcards in my collection are rare enough that I only find one or two, if any, when I do a similar search.

Nickel Plate Depot, Hammond, Ind.

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.

The Stiles family were neighbors and very close friends of the Sissons in Ottawa, but moved late in the summer of 1910 to Hammond, Indiana. George Stiles married Carrie M. Aussem in 1891. Son Milan Arthur "Art" Stiles was born in 1894 followed by Teddy Aussem William Stiles in 1897. The family moved to Hammond because of son Teddy's health and remained there for several years. This is a note from Art to his "Auntie" Stiles in October, 1910.

Postmarked October 7, 1910 in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs Chas Sisson

Marcy St

Ottawa Ill.

Hammond, Ind.

10/6  1910

Auntie Sisson.

Ted is about the same

He has had no convulsions 

since 1 AM to-day

The Dr say ever hour

that they are kept away

the better his chances

Let those know of

the old neighbors

that may be interested

Will let you know when there is a change

Art.

I know that Teddy survived his affliction and went on to live a normal life and have a family of his own. I'm still curious as to the nature of his illness and why the family was forced to move to Hammond. Perhaps there will be more information in postcards to come since this is only about halfway through the collection.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 42

Postcard number 42 revisits the Stiles family in their new home in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana. George Stiles was born in 1866 in Massachusetts and moved with his family as a child to LaSalle County, Illinois. There he married Carrie M. Aussem in 1891 and they began their family. Son Milan Arthur Stiles was born in 1894 followed by Teddy Aussem William Stiles in 1897. While living in Ottawa, the Stiles were neighbors of Charles and Edith Sisson. Carrie and Edith were very close friends and their children called the other woman Aunt. In 1910 the family moved to Hammond and remained there for several years, welcoming son George Jr. in 1913, before finally settling in Chicago by about 1917.

View in Harrison Park, Hammond, Ind.

Postmarked September 30, 1910 in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas. Sisson.

408 Marcy St.

Ottawa.

Ill.

Dear Friend,

We are about

settled. I have a 

bad cold & Teddy

is getting along

nicely. I dont seem

like home but

I guess I will have 

to get used of it.

Give to the girls my.

Lovingly Mrs. Stiles.

upside down across the top she added her address:

47 Doty St.

Hammond, Ind.

Without being completely whiney, it's still clear that Carrie isn't loving Indiana so far. She must miss the house she was used to and all her friends back in Ottawa. The family moved because son Teddy was very ill. I'm not sure if there was better medical care there, or the climate was different, perhaps. That part is still a mystery. But I'm happy to see that he was doing 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.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 40

Postcard number 40 features the Hammond Public Library. Hammond, Lake County, Indiana was the new home of the George and Carrie Stiles family. George Stiles was born in 1866 in Massachusetts and moved with his family as a child to LaSalle County, Illinois. There he married Carrie M. Aussem in 1891 and they began their family. Son Milan Arthur Stiles was born in 1894 followed by Teddy Aussem William Stiles in 1897. In 1910 the family moved to Hammond and remained there for several years, welcoming son George Jr. in 1913, before finally settling in Chicago by about 1917.

Public Library, Hammond, Ind.

Postmarked September 29, 1910 Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs Chas. Sission

408 Marcy St

Ottawa

Ill.,

Aunty,

I am feeling

well. How are

you getting 

a long. Like

the place well

Ted.

47 Doty St

Hammond, Ind

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.

In an earlier post titled Edith's Marcy Street Neighbors, I wrote about the Stiles family and their move to Hammond, Indiana. Ted was close in age to the daughters of Charles and Edith (Duffield) Sisson and considered Edith an Aunt, though there was not a familial relationship. I'm not sure of the nature of Teddy's illness, but it seems to be the primary reason for the move to Hammond. There were many postcards from Stiles family members and several of their photographs in Edith's collection. 

Teddy survived his illness and went on to marry and have a family of his own. In 1922 he and Grace Bailey were wed in Cook County, Illinois. A daughter, Alice, arrived in 1925, followed by a son, Bruce, in 1927.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No.14

This is the fourteenth 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.

#482 View of Harrison Park, Hammond, Ind.

Postmarked 20 August 1909 in Hammond, Indiana

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas. Sisson.

Marcy St.

Ottawa.

Ill.

Dear Friend,

Rec'd your nice

letter sorry Vera has

been sick. Well I guess

I will be home Sat. got

a card that Art would

be home so I must

come have had a good

time.

Lovingly

Carrie Stiles

This is the same sender as card No. 13, a friend of Edith's. Carrie was probably vacationing on Lake Michigan.