“If I study hard, I can learn to make the plans and build a house so grand”, thought young Charles Sisson, as he passed one of the large framed homes along the road to school. The old log cabin that his family called home didn’t begin to compare. It was difficult sometimes, living in one of the worst homes in town. His classmates from the wealthier families, though they mostly tried to be polite, still seemed to look down their noses at the Sisson siblings. His father, like his father before him, was a farmer and seemed content with his lot in life. Charles, however, was determined to provide a different kind of life for his future family. Carpenters and joiners were the highest paid workers in the area. Buildings were popping up all over town as the population increased and the need for homes, schools, churches, and businesses increased along with it. Charles knew that if he could learn the trade, he would never struggle to provide for a family.
The second child of Luther Sisson and Mary Jane Bassage, Charles was born in the summer of 1868 in Yates County, New York near Penn Yan. His brother, James, was two years older and then came his younger sisters, Dora and Emma. His father was born near there, too, and was part of a large family. It seemed there were cousins everywhere Charles turned. Some of his cousins planned on becoming farmers, like their fathers. Charles didn’t want to be a farmer and felt lucky to have the parents he was given. Luther and Mary encouraged all their children to follow their hearts. The children could farm if they wished, but they were encouraged to choose for themselves. “Education is the key to your dreams”, his father would say.
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| A few of the many merit awards presented to Charles Sisson by his teachers in Yates County, NY. |
Charles worked very hard in school and regularly earned merit awards from his teachers. As soon as he was old enough he began to apprentice under an experienced carpenter. He diligently acquired the tools he would need to step out on his own while working every hour possible to learn the trade. Part of this time may have been in Michigan, where many members of his family eventually settled. By his early 20s, he had moved to Ottawa, Illinois where he found work building bridges. The city of Ottawa, at the confluence of the Fox and Illinois Rivers, is where he would realize his dreams of finding success.
Charles Herman Sisson.
On the back it reads "Sunday, Nov 18th 1894"
photo from the collection of Charles & Edith Sisson
Springtime in 1895 was a season Charles had anticipated all his life. Edith Amy Duffield, a young woman from Ottawa, had agreed to be his wife. It wasn’t long before their first child was expected, and Charles wrote to his family to share the exciting news. They welcomed daughter Vera in February of 1897 in their rented home at 408 Marcy Street. Edith quickly became pregnant again and daughter Edythe was born in December of the same year. Those two baby girls were Charles’ pride and joy. He wanted to give them the best of everything.
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| Vera and Edythe Sisson, daughters of Charles Sisson. |
While still working as a bridge builder, Charles saw that carpenters employed building homes were earning higher wages. He began to network and look for a new opportunity. He joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local Union #661 and became a member of the Masonic Lodge. Soon he was offered a job with Sinnott Brothers, a reputable contractor in Ottawa that was building homes and commercial buildings around the area. Charles took pride in his woodworking skills and the detail he added to the jobs. Homes built in that time period were heavy on elaborate trims, moldings, stairwells, and built-ins. Charles' work was in high demand. He quickly earned enough money to purchase the home he and Edith had been renting, as well as some other properties around town.
Charles was proud that Vera and Edythe were spared his experience as a young boy growing up in poverty. His daughters were respectable young women in the community, wanting for nothing. And, as he became more experienced in the home-building field, Charles earned the respect of his peers and called on to apprentice other young men. He expected those he taught to work as hard as he had when learning the trade. He enjoyed passing on the skills that would provide a good living for the apprentices. Work was plentiful, his daughters were carefree and happy, and life was good in Ottawa, Illinois. But there was a place where life could be even better.
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| Union ribbon belonging to Charles Sisson. |
Los Angeles, California was exploding with growth in the early 1920s. Money, serious money, could be made there. Edith’s sister Mae had moved to Long Beach a few years earlier and written many letters describing the climate and beauty of the area. After a long Illinois winter, the warmth of southern California was like a beacon. Charles knew that he had only a few good years left before he’d have to retire and where better to do it than in sunny California? In 1922, when Charles was almost 53 years old, he and his daughters loaded up and headed for the land of sunshine and beaches. Edith stayed behind to pack up and sell their home on Marcy Street. Charles went to work.
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| Receipt for land purchase in Los Angeles, Charles Sisson. |
His first task in Los Angeles was to buy a lot where he could build a home for his family. While temporarily living in a hotel, he then went to work building the house. Though not as grand as the homes he was inspired by in his youth, he was putting his best effort into making it a solid home for his family. His youngest daughter drew a rough floor plan of the house and sent it to Edith in Ottawa. Letters exchanged were charged with excitement for this new chapter in their lives. Soon the house in Ottawa was sold, and it was time for Edith to join them. Charles was so busy, he couldn’t take time off to travel and help her, so daughter Edythe went back to Illinois to accompany her mother. He hustled to finish the house before their arrival.
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| Edythe Sisson drew this diagram of the house her father was building and sent it to her mother. |
The minute she hit California, Charles proudly led Edith on a tour of their new home. He surprised her in the kitchen with a handmade dining table. The large oak pedestal table filled the room. He had labored over it as a housewarming gift for his wife and she loved it. They quickly settled into life at their new address. The girls, now adults, were soon both married. Charles was busier than he’d ever imagined he would be. Business was booming. Outside of work, he joined the local Masonic Lodge and volunteered his time as a Mason and Shriner to help children’s charities whenever he could spare the time. He didn’t want any child to suffer because of poverty.
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| The dining table Charles Sisson made for his wife, converted to a coffee table as it's used today. |
Charles Sisson, from the time he was just a young boy, had worked tirelessly to pull himself up and out of the poverty he was born into. He plotted a course and stayed true to it, providing the kind of life for his children that he’d once only dreamed about. In 1926, Charles became a grandfather. The joy that he felt was replaced with grief when Edith died suddenly, just two months later. With his daughters married and his beloved wife gone, he felt terribly alone in the house he had built for his family. He died, broken-hearted, within a year of his wife’s passing. The dining table that Charles made for his wife remains in the family today, almost one hundred years after he crafted it with love. It is a cherished symbol of the man’s pride and determination to give a better life to his wife and children.
