Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 16

This is the sixteenth 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.

SOUTH BOSTON, Mass.

Head House and Beach City Point.

U. S. 600

Postmarked in Boston on 23 August 1909.

Addressed:

Mr & Mrs Chas Sisson

Marcy St

Ottawa

Ill

Message:

Having a good time

Art & Ted

I haven't identified the authors beyond those first names at this time. Maybe something will come up in later correspondence that helps.



Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 15

This is the fifteenth 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.

Driveway Douglas Park, Chicago, Ill.

This postcard is the first in the series that wasn't mailed, but I'm including it with the postmarked cards because it includes a date and place.

Downers Grove

August 23, 1909

Dear Edith

I received a letters from Emma say 

Miss Young to move in new home 

that will be nice 

I have been sick or I would write to befor

from your Auntie

JWC

Jane Wright (Duffield) Cross (1850-1932) was the daughter of Robert Duffield (1810-1885) and Mary Wright (1812-1875) and youngest sister of Edith's father, William Duffield (1833-1925). The Emma mentioned in the note is Jane's daughter. Jane lived in Downer's Grove for at least 30 years. Her husband Alfred died before the 1910 census and may have already passed when Jane wrote this note to her niece.

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.

Joseph Henry Powell (1856-1925)

Joseph Henry Powell, my great-great grandfather, was born on 7 June 1856 in Christian County, Illinois to John Wesley Powell (1825-1873) and Eliza Jane (Laughlin) Powell (1829-1899). He was the 5th of ten children the couple would welcome, the second of four sons:

• Mary Rebecca Powell (1846 -1931)
• James William Powell (1850-1933)
• Nancy Jane Powell (1851-1916)
• Lidia Ann Powell (1854-1938)
• Joseph Henry Powell (1856-1925)
• Francis M. Powell (1858-1920)
• Martha E. Powell (1860-1890)
• Emilia J. Powell (1864-?)
• Preston Edward Powell (1868-1950)
• Effie Wesley Powell (1873-1967)

Sometime between the births of Joseph in 1856 and Francis in 1858, John Wesley moved his family south to Crawford County, Missouri, settling outside of Steelville. They followed the family of Joseph Emmett Powell, who I believe was either a brother or uncle of John Wesley. He was 18 years older, so he could, technically, have been his father, though the only marriage record I found for Joseph was several years after John's birth. They both migrated from Claiborne County, Tennessee and settled for a time in Christian County, Illinois, and then both went on to Crawford County, Missouri. I definitely think there was a close relation, but the records I would need to solve this mystery were destroyed in a courthouse fire.

The 1860 Federal Census record for Meramec Township, Crawford County, Missouri showing John, Eliza and their first 7 children is pictured below. With a population of 226, this area was just beginning to grow, after being established only 25 years before this census. John Wesley did not own land at this time, nor is it known if he purchased any in the next few years. I do know the family didn't stay, moving a few counties to the southwest between 1868 and 1870, where they are found on the next federal census.

1860 Federal Census for Meramec Township, Crawford County, Missouri 
(image from Ancestry.com)

In that 1870 census , the family was living in Carroll Township, Texas County, Missouri near Summersville. It appears that John was putting down roots here for his family, as the record shows he owned real estate valued at $250. Joseph was now a young man of 14 years old. He may not have attended school yet, as indicated by the census taker's marks in the "cannot read" and "cannot write" columns for Joseph.  Brother James was living in the household with his new bride. Older sister Mary was also a newlywed, still up in Crawford County. Sisters Nancy and Lidia were newly married as well and settled nearby, Nancy in Carroll Township and Lidia just across the county line in Spring Valley, Shannon County.

On 28 October 1877, Joseph married Cordelia Emaline Stark. Less than two years later he married a second wife, Margaret Ellen Barnett, on 25 August 1879. I haven't located a death record or burial for Cordelia, but I also haven't found any other records of her as a living person, so I assume she died. In the 1880 census, Joseph, 24, and Margaret, 22, had settled on a farm of their own, next door to Joseph's sister Lidia and her young family who were back in Carroll Township. Soon Joe and Margaret would start their own family.

1880 Federal Census for Carroll Township, Texas County, Missouri 
(image from Ancestry.com)

The 1890 Federal Census was destroyed by fire and water damage, so I jumped to the 1900 census to pick up the family. Joe and Margaret were still in Carroll Township, Texas County, Missouri, on a farm that they owned. In this record, he was recorded as being able to read, write and speak English, but Margaret is recorded as No for each of the three. I did hear from my great uncle that his grandmother could not read or write, but I'm certain she could speak. Maybe it was a thicker than normal accent that threw the enumerator off! (More likely, just a mistake in the Speak column.) There was also an entry showing that there had been 8 children born but only 7 were still living. I have never found information on that child who died. The remaining 7 were all listed in the census record.

Those children were:

• Oliver Richard "Ollie" Powell was born 5 November 1881. He married Lola Murfin, had five children and died on 15 October 1963 in Jasper, Missouri.
• Barbara A. Powell was born 5 October 1883. She married John Fleck, had two sons and died in May 1986 in Jasper, Missouri.
• Annie Elizabeth Powell was born on 19 June 1886. She married Grover Tuttle, had eight children and died on 3 March 1983 in Summersville, Missouri.
• Ora Levada "Orie" Powell was born on 11 February 1888. She married Grover Pitts, had five children and died on 5 July 1965 in Coffeyville, Kansas.
• William Emery Powell was born on 2 September 1891. He married Bessie Haskill and died on 4 December 1949 in Halstead, Kansas.
• Nancy Bell Powell was born on 2 November 1894. She married Parrum Pitts, had six children and died on 31 October 1991 in a nursing home in Guthrie, Oklahoma (information from her granddaughter - see comment below).
• Ernest Elmer Powell, my great-grandfather, was born on 24 July 1896. He married Julia Mildred Powell, had eight children and died on 9 January 1968 in Houston, Missouri.

Margaret and Joseph Powell are seated in the front row with some of their grandchildren.

L to R, in back: Emery Powell, Ernest Powell, Parrum Pitts, Nancy Powell Pitts, Grover Tuttle, Annie Powell Tuttle, Orie Powell Pitts, Barbara Powell Fleck.
L to R, in front: Gloster Tuttle, Alice Tuttle, Wilma Tuttle, other children unknown, 

Margaret and Joe.

My great uncle John Powell gave me a copy of this picture. I don't know who has the original.

In the image below, Joseph and Margaret are now elderly and living alone in their home (1920 Federal Census, image from ancestry.com). They are still in Carroll Township, Texas County, Missouri.



1920 Federal Census for Carroll Township, Texas County, Missouri 
(image from Ancestry.com)

A few years later, on 24 March 1925, Joseph died. He is buried in Riley Cemetery, Hartshorn, Texas County. Margaret joined him there in 1943. Because Joseph died about the time my grandmother and her siblings were born, there was no one in my close family with memories of him, so I don't have any stories to share. Just a few records and a photo are all I have to tell his story. His son Ernest, my great-grandfather, died when I was just a baby. My mom often shared stories of him with me; she loved him so much. I figure if Ernest was such a great guy, he must have learned it from his daddy so Joseph must have been terrific, too.

The family of Joseph Powell.

This photo was taken some years after his death.

Pictured left to right; Emery, Ernest, Ollie, Annie, mom Margaret, Barbara, Nancy, Orie.

Again, I was given a copy of the photo. I don't know who has the original.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 13

This is the thirteenth 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.

Chicago - Schiller Monument in Lincoln Park

Curt Teich & Co., Printers, Chicago. Publ. No. 31

Postmarked in Hammond, Indiana on 18 August 1909

Hammond, Indiana is just east of Chicago across the state line and situated on the southern shores of Lake Michigan in Lake County. Perhaps Carrie had traveled through Chicago on her way to the lake on this vacation trip.

Addressed to:

Mrs. Chas. Sisson.

Marcy St.

Ottawa.

Ill.

I am having a good time. We go to the lake to-morrow

wish you were here to see me in a bath robe! I look swell.

Well I will say good by.

Lovingly

Carrie S.

The next postcard in the series is from the same person and in it she signs her complete name, Carrie Stiles, and it's addressed "Dear Friend". I'm glad I "cheated" a bit and looked ahead! It saved me from searching and searching the family tree for a cousin or aunt named Carrie. She was simply Edith's friend.

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 12



This is the twelfth 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.

City Hall, Dixon, Ill.

Postmarked 14 August 1909 in Dixon, Illinois

Addressed to:

Mrs.Charley Sisson, 408 Marcy St; OttawaIll.

The message:

I have nearly forgot all my friends. I like place but

not the things to eat it is rotten. We changed our

rooms from the hotel to a private house

this morning.

from,

MILAN.

The sender is not known to me. It isn't a name that has come up in the family, so probably an old friend or neighbor. Dixon is a town 60 miles from Ottawa and it looks to me like this card was sent from someone who had moved there for some reason "I have nearly forgot all my friends".

In most records I find with persons named Milan, it is a male name. There were a few in Ottawa and Lasalle County in 1900, but I couldn't find anyone with the first name Milan in the 1910 census in Dixon or Lee County to match with. Whoever he was, since he's not still there in 1910 it doesn't appear that he liked the place any better after settling into the private house!



Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 11



This is the eleventh 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 Warren's grandparents and passed down. Warren was my husband’s cousin and we are the proud holders of the collection today.

Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (1897-1978), was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927).
Charles was the son of Luther Sisson (1840-1923) and Mary Jane Bassage (1847-1915).
Their children:

• James H. Sisson (1866-1931)
• Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927)
• Belle Adora Sisson (1869-1957)
• Emma Lucinda Sisson (1872-1939)

This particular postcard was sent by Belle Adora "Dora" to her sister-in-law, Edith in July of 1909.



Observatory, Saugatuck, Mich.

Postmarked July 6, 1908 or 1909, Fennville, Michigan

The card is postmarked July 6 and was mailed from Fennville, Michigan. The year looks like 1908, but I think it is 1909 because of a reference in the message to the "big dance pavillion".  Dora and others were visiting the area for the 4th of July holiday. Saugatuck, on the shore of Lake Michigan, was only about six miles from Dora's home in Ganges, Michigan. In the early 20th century the famous Big Pavilion, a large dance hall that attracted bands and visitors from across the region, was constructed. Tourists were also drawn to the harbor, beaches, marinas, scenery, and the view from atop Mount Baldhead.

The card was addressed:  

Mrs C. H. Sisson, 408 Marcy St, Ottawa Ill.

And read:

Dear Sister: We took in the fourth at Saugatuck. so will send you this card.

I did not cross over to baldhead. but what a crowd there was.

I will try and send you a card of the big dance pavilion.

                                                         with Love

                                                                    Dora.



Belle Adora Sisson, photo from the collection of
Edythe Sisson Brown, now in my possession.

I love her name, Belle Adora. As a young girl she was called Belle, but in most later records she went by Dora.



It's not known if she was married to the father of her daughter, Beulah Sisson, born in 1892. If she was, it must have ended prior to the birth as she named her daughter with the surname Sisson. Back then, it was not common for a single woman to raise a child unless the father had died. That may have been the case, but because the child carried Dora's surname, my guess is that she chose to raise the child alone.

When Beulah was a child, Dora raised her in her father Luther's household. In 1905 Dora was married briefly to a widower, James H. Lamper. By mid 1910, James was listed on the census as a single boarder, signaling that the marriage had probably been dissolved. Dora is listed as single in both the 1900 and 1920 census, but in 1930 is shown as widowed. James was still living so it's unknown who the deceased husband was (maybe Beulah's father?).

Dora continued to live with her daughter, even after Beulah married and began her own family. They were together, a tight mother daughter unit, until Dora's death in 1957. When Beulah died in 1991, she was laid to rest next to her mother. They are buried side by side in the Pilgrim Home Cemetery in Holland, Michigan, a town less than twenty miles from this 4th of July holiday spot.