\osborne\biograph\newbio9  Updated: 12/10/2005

Bio. of Marion Theodore Osborn


   Commemorative Biographical Record of the Upper Lake Region (Wisconsin),
   Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co., 1905.  Page 424.  (transcript)

   MARION THEODORE OSBORN, a well-known locomotive engineer of the Great
Northern Railroad, residing at West Superior, was born Aug. 18, 1859, at
Port Crane, Broome Co., N.Y.  His parents were J.G. and Harriet (Weeks)
Osborn, the former a native of New York State.
   Grandfather Franklin Osborn came to Broome county from Massachusetts;
he was a shingle manufacturer and also filled contracts on construction work
on the Chenango canal.  For some time he served as justice of the peace, and
practiced law in the local courts.  His son, J.G. Osborn, became a house
painter and followed his trade in Westfield, Pa., where he died, March 23,
1902, aged sixty-nine years.  In his later years he was successful as a
cultivator of ginseng.  Mrs. Harriet (Weeks) Osborn is still living in
Westfield, Pa.  Her birthplace was in Tioga county, Pa., where he father,
Dyer Weeks, had come from Vermont about 1800.  In early life he was an
officer in the Pennsylvania militia, and he was an influential citizen of
Tioga county, where he was a farmer the greater part of his life and where
he died at the age of eighty-six.
   Marion Theodore Osborn completed the course at the Westfield high school
when he was twenty years old, and then engaged in lumbering.  He served four
years as high constable of Westfield borough, and in 1886 went to Fergus
Falls, Minn., where he was employed in a flouring mill.  Later he became
store keeper for the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad Co., at
Barnesville, Minn., and in March, 1887, took a position as fireman on the
same road.  He then spent several months in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Sault
Ste. Marie, and in August, 1888, became a fireman on the Eastern Railway of
Minnesota, with headquarters at West Superior, being promoted to the
position of locomotive engineer the following year, and retaining that
position most of the time since.  From October, 1898, Mr. Osborn has been
engineer of a passenger train running between Duluth and Cass Lake,
Minnesota.
   On May 7, 1901, Mr. Osborn married Florence Allen, a native of Orwell,
N.Y., daughter of Charles and Charlotte Allen, of Pulaski, N.Y.  Mr. Osborn
is a Democrat and at one time took quite an active interest in local
politics, being nominated in 1891 for clerk of Douglas county, although he
failed of election through the hopeless minority of his party in the county.
For a number of years he was master of the local division of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, for some years he was assistant engineer of the
local division, and in 1896 was a delegate to the international convention
of the order in Ottawa, Canada.  He is also a Mason.


Bio. of S.W. Osborn-10989


   Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green,
   Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin, Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co.,
   1901.  Page 152.  (transcript)
   [See the bio. of Solyman Clark Osborn-10988]

   CAPT. S.W. OSBORN.  For a half century Capt. S.W. Osborn, the subject of
this biography, has been a resident of the city of Darlington, Lafayette
county, which now delights to honor him as one of her distinguished citizens.
He was born at Franklin, Delaware Co., N.Y. July 1, 1811, a son of Samuel
and Polly (Webster) Osborn, both of whom were natives of Connecticut.  The
maternal grandfather, Michael Webster, who was a soldier in the war of the
Revolution, died in Ashtabula county, Ohio, at the age of 102 years,
retaining his faculties until the close of his long life.  The paternal
grandfather, Samuel Osborn, was also a soldier in the Revolution; he spent
his last days in his native State, Connecticut.
   In 1813, when our subject was but two and one-half years old, his parents
migrated from the State of New York to Ashtabula county, Ohio, and the
father died near Sandusky in 1820, the mother passing away in Ashatabula
county in December, 1877, at the age of nearly ninety-four years.  Capt.
Osborn is one of a family of four sons and two daughters, three members
surviving at the present: S.S., who resides in Chicago, born Oct. 21, 1804;
our subject; and Mrs. S.E. Barrett, born in Franklin, N.Y., in July, 1813,
who is a resident of Darlington, Wis., and has one daughter, Mrs. R.S.
Woodworth, a resident of Pennsylvania.  Those who have passed away were
S.A., Mrs. S.M. Sanford, and S.C.
   Having the misfortune to so early lose their father, our subject and
other members of the family were given homes with relatives until able to
provide for themselves.  In common with many pioneer families, the mother's
means were limited, while there were many mouths to feed, but our subject
took upon himself as many responsibilities as one of his age could bear, and
was not long dependent upon any one.  His boyhood and early manhood were
spent in Ashtabula county, where he early engaged in farming, later becoming
a miller, attending to his business steadily and pursuing it with success.
In April, 1850, Capt. Osborn came to Lafayette county, and thus became
acquainted with the proprietor of the plat of Darlington.  Soon after he
returned to Ohio, the same year, he was solicited to return West and assist
in the erection of a large mill at Darlington.  Accepting the terms of this
offer, he returned to Darlington in 1851, assisted in the building of the
mill, and operated it for fourteen years.  At the time of his location in
the city the population was sparse, and his is the only family now residing
here that was located permanently, except that of Charles Blakely.
   When the Civil war broke out, in 1861, Capt. Osborn was not long in
making up his mind to offer his services to his country.  From youth he had
been opposed to slavery, in 1844 had voted for James G. Birney, and was a
pronounced Abolitionist in his views.  His age caused him to be refused a
place in the ranks at the opening of the war, but a little later, when rules
became somewhat relaxed, from necessity, he was admitted, his service
beginning in the fall of 1861, as captain of Company I, 16th Wis, V.I.,
which left Camp Randall March 14, 1862.  His baptism of fire was on the
bloody field of Shiloh, where his regiment lost heavily, his own company's
ranks being decimated, his first lieutenant being killed, while the second
was wounded.  Soon after this battle Capt. Osborn was taken ill, and came
home on a sick furlough, but rejoined his regiment before he had
sufficiently recovered, taking part in the battle of Corinth, Miss.;
however, his health was so precarious that he could no longer be of use to
the government, and he returned home in December, 1862.
   For several years after his return Capt. Osborn was unable to engage in
any work continuously, but, thanks to a good constitution and a well-ordered
life, he has recovered enough to pursue his ordinary vocations, although he
will probably never fully recover his former vigor.  As soon as able he
again resumed work at the mill, where he remained for four years, since
which time he has been variously engaged.  For four more years he was the
efficient superintendent of the Lafayette Poor Farm, then traveled through
the South for a season, in the interests of the King Bridge Co., of Ohio.
Always an ardent Republican, for a number of years he was postmaster at
Darlington, and in 1865 was a member of the Assembly branch of the
Legislature.  Capt. Osborn was a delegate to the first Republican convention
held in Wisconsin, in 1856, this being the only Republican organization of
the party in the State.  Until 1844 he voted with the Whigs, in 1840 voting
for Harrison, in 1848 for Van Buren, the Free-Soil candidate, and since the
formation of the Republican party he has cast his vote with it at every
election.
   The marriage of Capt. Osborn took place March 1, 1835, to Miss Julia M.
Gardner, a native of Massachusetts.  She passed away April 18, 1897, after
a married life of sixty-two years.  Four children were born to this
marriage, three of whom survive: Mrs. S.M. Orton, wife of Hon. P.A. Orton,
of Darlington; H.W., a physician of Cleveland, Ohio; and C.F., an attorney
of ability, who is judge of the probate court of Lafayette county; the
other, Mrs. Julia M. Hodge, died many years ago.
   Within the brief limits of a volume of this kind, no adequate sketch can
be given of as prominent an individual as our subject.  Capt. Osborn is one
of Lafayette's most esteemed and respected citizens, and is honored also as
one who has assisted materially in the growth of the city to which he came
in its infancy, and whose development he has watched with so much interest
and pride.


Bio. of Franklin Osborn


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 261.  (transcript)

FRANKLIN OSBORN, a representative of the well-known family of that name in
this county, for many years carried on farming successfully in Franklin
Township, and was numbered among its most reliable and substantial citizens.
He was a native of Ovid, Seneca Co., N.Y., where his birth took place Aug.
16, 1820.  His father, James Osborn, a native of Colerain, Mass., was of
New England parentage, and in his youth emigrated to the Empire State, where
he was married to Miss Betsey Longcore, the wedding taking place at the home
of the bride in Seneca County.  Mrs. Osborn was a native of New Jersey, as
were also her parents, but when she was only an infant they removed to New
York and settled in Seneca County, where they remained until after her
marriage, then, with their newly made son-in-law, they came to Michigan and
located in Franklin Township, this county.
   Mr. and Mrs. Osborn, the paternal grandparents of our subject, only lived
about ten years after coming to this State, the death of both taking place
in Franklin Township, when they were quite well advanced in years.  Our
subject had been reared to farming pursuits, and remained a resident of his
native State until after his marriage.  This interesting change in his life
occurred on the 1st of January, 1845, his bride being Miss Alice D.,
daughter of William and Isabelle (Clayton) Grove, who were born, reared and
married in New Jersey.  They remained in their native State until after the
birth of their children, then became residents of Ovid, Seneca Co., N.Y.
There the wife of our subject was born March 24, 1820.  The parents remained
residents of New York until their decease, the mother dying in 1863, and the
father ten years later.
   Franklin Osborn and his wife migrated to Michigan in the spring of 1845,
taking up their residence in Franklin Township about the middle of April.
Here he carried on farming, and lived until the winter of 1876, when in the
month of December he set out on a journey to New York, and was one of the
victims in the terrible railroad disaster near Ashtabula, Ohio, where a
train of eleven cars went through a bridge, and a large number of people
were either killed outright or met their death by burning.  The body of
Richard Osborn, a brother, was never recovered, and is supposed to have been
entirely destroyed.  Franklin Osborn was with him, and just escaped with his
life, being terribly mangled, and receiving such a shock to his system that
he never fully recovered, and died Feb. 6, 1881.  The wife still resides on
the old home.  The family consists of five children, of whom only one
daughter remains at home.


Bio. of William H. Osborne


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 420.  (transcript)
   [See the bio. of Joseph W. Osborne]

HON. WILLIAM H. OSBORNE became a resident of Tecumseh about 1881, and is
numbered among its most prominent and well-to-do citizens.  He came to this
section of country in the pioneer days, assisted in subduing the primitive
soil, and for a period of probably forty years has been closely identified
with the interests of Lenawee County.  In 1864 he was elected a member of
the Michigan Legislature, re-elected to the position in 1866, and served on
several important committees.  During the late Rebellion and before, he was
a decided anti-slavery man, and was actively interested in the cause of
human freedom.  He attended the convention at Pittsburgh, when John P. Hale
was nominated for President, and stood bravely up under the stigma of being
called an Abolitionist, casting one of the first three votes polled in Macon
Township against the perpetuation of human bondage.  Subsequently he became
a Free-soiler, and finally a Republican, the principles of which party he
has upheld through sunshine and storm for a period of over thirty years.  In
the building up and improvement of Macon Township, there are few men who
have been more active, and whose labors have resulted in more real benefit
to this cause in Lenawee County.
   Mr. Osborne was born in Ovid, Seneca Co., N.Y., Oct. 29, 1814, and is the
son of Thomas Osborne, a native of Massachusetts, where he was born in 1784,
and reared to manhood.  He then migrated to the State of New York, and cast
his lot with the pioneers of Seneca County.  Taking up a tract of land in
Ovid Township, he lived there until about 1848, during which time he had
become the owner of 300 acres of land, and then selling out he proceeded
once more westward and took up his abode in Lenawee County.  During his
later years he made his home with his son William H., at whose residence his
death occurred on the 6th of May, 1854.  The mother of our subject, Miss
Mary Hogarth, of Ovid, N.Y., was married to Thomas Osborne about 1802.  She
was born in Ireland in 1783, and came to this country with her parents, John
and Jane Hogarth, when a child of seven years.  They located in Seneca
County, N.Y., and there spent their last years.  Mrs. Osborne came to the
West with her husband, and died in Franklin, this county, in 1850.
   Mr. Osborne received a good education, pursuing his studies at Ovid
Academy, and Lima and Casenovia Seminaries.  Although determined from the
first to be a farmer, he was bright enough to realize that the educated man,
whatever might be his station in life, always had an advantage over the
ignorant one, and he availed himself of every opportunity to acquire useful
information.  He employed his leisure hours in the perusal of instructive
books, and after leaving school was engaged as a teacher three winters in
his native State, one winter in Maumee, Ohio, and one winter after coming
to this county.
   The father of our subject upon coming to Michigan in 1830, located on the
south half of section 20, in Macon Township, which he operated nine years,
and in 1839 turned it over to William H., who retained possession of it
until his removal to his village home.  In the meantime he cleared and
improved 220 acres, and erected a large frame house with two or three
commodious barns besides two tenement houses; he also purchased another farm
on section 21.  In addition to the labor and responsibility involved in
looking after these extensive interests, at the solicitation of his townsmen
he served as Justice of the Peace, School Inspector, Highway Commissioner
and Town Clerk.  The fidelity with which he discharged the duties of these
various positions, naturally resulted in his election to the higher office
of a State Legislator.
   The marriage of H. William H. Osborne and Miss Ann Hex Woodward, was
celebrated at the home of the bride, April 26, 1836, while our subject was
a resident of Ovid, N.Y.  Mrs. Ann H. Osborne was the daughter of John and
Sarah Woodward, of Hector, Tompkins Co., N.Y., and was born in London,
England, in 1820; she became the mother of one child, and died in Macon,
this county, Dec. 24, 1840.  Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in
Ovid, N.Y., Sept. 16, 1839, and is the wife of John F. Hicks, of Tecumsah.
March 30, 1842, Mr. Osborne married for his second wife, Miss Mary Jane,
daughter of David and Mary Foote, of Ovid, N.Y.  The seven children of this
marriage are recorded as follows:  Anna Hex was born April 19, 1843, and is
the wife of John J. Hagerman, a prominent railroad man and a resident of
Colorado Springs; Sophia M. was born April 10, 1845, became the wife of
George L. Graves, of Milwaukee, Wis., and died at her home there March 25,
1884; Thomas was born Feb. 22, 1847, and operates the home farm; Rebecca J.
was born June 29, 1849, and is the wife of Henry C. Lowe, of Detroit;
Joseph W., twin brother of Rebecca, is farming in Macon Township; Irving S.
was born June 21, 1851, and is engaged in the lumber business and also in
farming in Tecumseh Township; William H. was born Oct. 16, 1853, and is
engaged in the iron business in Milwaukee.
   Mrs. Mary Jane Osborne was born in Schenectady, N.Y., May 12, 1820, and
is the daughter of David and Mary Foote, natives of Ireland, who emigrated
to America in 1798, and located in Ovid, N.Y., where the mother died in
1851 and the father in 1855.  Mrs. Osborne is a highly intelligent and
cultivated lady, and greatly respected in the social circles of Tecumseh.


1888 Bio. of Joseph W. Osborne


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 1025.  (transcript)
   [See the 1909 bio. of Joseph W. Osborne]
   [See the bio. of William H. Osborne]

JOSEPH W. OSBORNE, a prosperous and successful young farmer of Macon
Township, owns 150 acres of finely cultivated land on section 21.  He took
possession of this in the spring of 1880, and besides effecting many
improvements, has provided it with a choice assortment of live stock, kept
up the buildings in good condition, and has all the necessary machinery for
carrying on agriculture after the most approved methods.
   Our subject has been a resident of this county his entire life, having
been born in Macon Township, June 29, 1849.  His father, William H. Osborne,
was a native of Seneca County, N.Y., and coming to the State of Michigan
soon after his marriage settled in the unbroken woods of Macon Township
about the year 1833.  The young wife survived her marriage only a few years,
and Mr. Osborne subsequently married to Miss Mary Foote, of Schenectady,
N.Y., and returned a second time with a bride to Lenawee County.  This lady
became the mother of seven children, of whom Joseph W., our subject, was the
fourth child and second son.  The parents, in 1883, removed to the village
of Tecumseh, and are spending their declining years in ease and comfort.
   Joseph W. Osborne completed his education at Albion College, and received
careful home training from his excellent parents.  One of the most
interesting events of his life was celebrated on the 8th of February, 1871,
when he was married at the home of the bride, to Miss Helen Hand, a daughter
of one of the pioneer families of Macon Township.  She was born in that
township, June 10, 1849, in the same month and the same year as her husband.
Her father, Edward Hand, a native of Massachusetts, built up a good home in
Macon Township, where he spent his last years, and died in the spring of
1884.  He was a good man in the broadest sense of the term, warmly
interested in every enterprise calculated to benefit the people and build up
the community, a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and politically a Democrat of the first water.  The mother is still living
and makes her home with her son on the old farm.
   Mrs. Osborne spent her childhood and youth under the parental roof, and
completed her studies at Graylock Institute, Massachusetts.  Of her union
with our subject there have been born two children, Anna M. and Hattie J.,
bright girls of fifteen and eleven years respectively.  Mr. and Mrs.
Osborne, soon after their marriage, located upon their present farm, and
have one of the most attractive homes in the township.  Neatness and order
pervade the whole premises, and give ample indication of the refined and
cultivated tastes of the proprietor and his accomplished wife.  They are
members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. O.,
politically, votes the straight Republican ticket.


Bio. of Richard H. Osborn-12516


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 530.  (transcript)
   [See the bio. of Albert D. Osborn]
   [See the bio. of Benjamin D. Osborn-12515]

RICHARD H. OSBORN, who for long years has been known as one of the most
thrifty farmers of this section of country, came to Southern Michigan about
1836, and built up a good home on section 18, Medina Township.  He comes of
an excellent old New York family, his parents being William and Catherine
(Davis) Osborn, who were born, reared and married in Dutchess County, and
lived there until the spring of 1836.  Then, deciding upon a change of
location, they made their way to Morenel, this county, and settled not long
afterward near Waldron, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
   The subject of this sketch was the fourth in a family of eight children,
and was born in Dutchess County, N.Y., Feb. 10, 1819.  He was reared to
manhood on a farm, and accompanied his parents to Michigan, being then about
seventeen years of age.  About that time he started out for himself,
becoming the employe of D. Wakefield, of Morenel, with whom he remained one
year, and from there migrated into Hillsdale County, where he lived until
reaching his majority.  In the meantime, however, he went back to his native
State for the purpose of settling an estate in which he had an interest.
This journey, a long and dangerous one at that time, was undertaken alone
and on foot, and after much hardship he reached his destination three weeks
from the time of starting.  A part of the ensuing winter he worked for
Warren Wiley, of Dutchess County, and the balance of the time was engaged in
his own business affairs.  He went still farther east to Connecticut,
visiting among friends and relatives there a few weeks during the winter,
and the following spring returned to this county.
   Mr. Osborn, being now reinforced with a small capital, purchased 217
acres of land in Medina Township, where, equipped with a yoke of oxen, an
ax and a hoe, he began his work of leveling the forest trees, and preparing
the land for cultivations.  The labor condensed into the next ten years
could scarcely be estimated by those of the present day, but the results
were highly satisfactory.  Mr. Osborn invested his surplus capital in
additional real estate, and eventually became the owner of about 500 acres;
of this his son, Albert D., now owns 217 acres.  He resembles his father in
many respects, possessing the same persistent industry which distinguished
the latter, and bids fair to accomplish as great a life work as did his
sire.  Richard Osborn is genial and companionable by nature, an expert
hunter, fond of his gun, and frequently relates many of the interesting
experiences of those early times.
   The marriage of Richard H. Osborn and Miss Permelia Gallup, of Medina
Township, was celebrated at the home of the bride, Nov. 15, 1843.  Mrs. O.
was the daughter of Ezekiel and Permelia Gallup, and was born at Melbourne,
Canada, March 15, 1827.  The record of children born to Mr. and Mrs. Osborn
is as follows: Richard A. married Miss Hattie E. Roberts, and Albert D.
married Miss Barbara Lindenman<sic>; these two sons are farming in Medina
Township.  Gertrude is the wife of F.F. Wright, of Wright Township,
Hillsdale County; Emma married M.L. Higgins, of Wright Township, Hillsdale
County; Lydia died in the eighteenth year of her age.  Mrs. Permelia Osborn
departed this life at the homestead, July 15, 1884.  She was a lady of many
estimable qualities, and one of the founders of the Baptist Church, of
Medina, whith which her husband also connected himself.  Mr. O. has been
Deacon for many years.  He has contributed cheerfully and liberally to the
church, and is considered one of its chief pillars.  When first becoming a
voter, he identified himself with the old Whig party, but since its
abandonment has cordially supported Republican principles.


Bio. of Albert D. Osborn


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 860.  (transcript)
   [See the bio. of Richard H. Osborn-12516]

ALBERT D. OSBORN.  The subject of this sketch is a son of one of the early
pioneers of Medina Township, and has always made his home in the place of
his birth.  The Osborn family have been widely and favorably known in the
Empire State from the time of its early settlement, and both men and women
have distinguished themselves for their thrift and industry.  These
qualities they brought with them to the western wilds, and their descendants
are no less remarkable for the resolute and determined disposition which has
resulted in the establishment of good homesteads and the accumulation of a
competency.  Of Richard H. and Permelia (Gallup) Osborn, the parents of our
subject, a sketch will be found on another page in this volume.
   Albert Osborn was born in Medina Township, this county, June 25, 1847,
and passed his early years as a farmer's boy, attending the district school
and assisting in the lighter labors around the homestead.  After taking a
full term in the High Schools of Medina and Hudson, he prepared to follow
agriculture on his own account, and soon after reaching his majority was
married in Crawford County, Ohio, Dec. 10, 1868, to Miss Barbara, daughter
of Michael and Catherine (Barch) Linderman<sic>.  The parents of Mrs. Osborn
were natives of Germany and Pennsylvania respectively, and their family
consisted of four daughters and three sons.  Both died in Richland County,
where their daughter Barbara was born on the 4th of March, 1848; she was the
sixth child, and received a fair education until her marriage.  This union
resulted in the birth of four children: Eusebius, who died when seventeen
months old; Elwin D., Edith I. and Lura E.
   The property of Mr. Osborn includes 217 acres of land on section 18, in
Medina Township, upon which he has effected good improvements, and where he
is carrying on general farming after the most modern methods.  He is
wide-awake, industrious and energetic, and is performing his part in
assisting to keep up the reputation of one of the most highly respected
families of Lenawee County.  In politics he votes the straight Republican
ticket, and socially is a member of the Masonic fraternity.  He takes pride
in his farm and his live stock, and has been quite a prominent official of
the Agricultural Society, and was a member of the Executive Committee at the
County Fair.


Bio. of Benjamin D. Osborn-12515


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 1077.  (transcript)
   [See the bio. of Richard H. Osborn-12516]

BENJAMIN D. OSBORN, one of the solid men of Medina Township, at an early age
took upon himself the cares and responsibilities of life, and from a
thoughtful and industrious boy, grew up to an earnest and reliable man, who
has taken his rightful place, socially and financially, among the leading
citizens of Lenawee County.  In 1836 he came to Southern Michigan from
Dutchess County, N.Y., bringing with him his father's family, for whom he
paid the whole fare from Poughkeepsie to Medina Township, and which involved
an expense of $170.  It must be remembered that there were no palace cars or
hotels along the route, the pilgrims making their way by the aid of canal,
lake, and teams overland.  Mr. Osborn first purchased eighty acres of land
in Wright Township, Hillsdale County, from which he removed to Medina in
1844.  His father, about five years later, also purchased eighty acres at
that place, where he built up a comfortable home and died in 1857, nine
years after the death of the mother.  The property there had been willed to
the daughter Elizabeth, upon condition that she should take care of her
father during his lifetime.
   The parents of our subject, William and Catherine Osborn, were natives of
Dutchess County, N.Y., the former born in 1791, and the latter in 1797.
They were there reared and married, and subsequently removed to Orange
County.  Two years later, however, they returned to the vicinity of their
childhood's home, where they lived nineteen years before their removal to
Michigan.  They were the parents of eleven children.
   The educational advantages of our subject were exceedingly limited, and
when a lad twelve years of age he began the career of continuous industry
which he followed afterward for thirty years.  He found employment in the
vicinity of his birthplace, and his intelligent face and willing hands
resulted in making friends for him wherever he cast his lot.  He continued
in Dutchess County until reaching his majority, when he was married, Aug.
25, 1841, to Miss Mary Baker, and they became the parents of twelve
children, of whom but two, John B. and George, are now living, and are
residents respectively of Medina Township, this county, and Broadland, Dak.
John married Miss Martha Consaules.  The present wife of Benjamin D. Osborn
was formerly Mrs. Mary L. Edwards, the daughter of Thomas and Charlotte
(Terrell) Williams, who were among the earliest pioneers of Lenawee County.
They were natives of Genesee County, N.Y., and lived in the town of
Bennington, that State, eleven years, after which they came to this county
and settled in Medina Township.  They were the parents of five children,
four of whom are living, namely: William W., residing in Canada; Mary, Mrs.
Osborn; Jane, Mrs. Allen, of Seneca Township, and Thomas C., Principal of
a High School, and a resident of Oakland County, Mich.  The wife of our
subject was born April 3, 1831, in Bennington, N.J. and received a good
education, becoming an efficient teacher, which vocation she followed two
years before her marriage with David Edwards, which took place Feb. 14,
1852.  Mr. E., during the late war, enlisted as a Union soldier, and met his
death on the battle-field at Chattanooga, Tenn.  Of that marriage there were
born two children: Ellen J., the wife of E.C. Palmer, of Hudson Township,
and the mother of one child, a daughter, Eva May, and Ida, deceased.  Mrs.
Osborn became connected with the Baptist Church in Medina, with which
denomination she has since continued, transferring her membership in 1857,
to the church at Morenci.  She contributed liberally to the erection of the
church edifice in the latter place, and is a lady greatly respected and
active in all good works.  Mr. Osborn, politically, votes the straight
Republican ticket.  He has held the school offices of his township for the
last ten years, and while a resident of Wright Township, Hillsdale County,
was a member of the Board of Supervisors.
   Mr. Osborn, on the 5th of March, 1873, was married to his present wife,
formerly Mary Edwards, the daughter of Thomas Williams.  They were among the
early settlers of Medina Township, and were prominent in religious matters,
assisting in the organization of the first Baptist Church, to which they
ever gave their liberal and cheerful support.  They established a good home
in Medina Township, where the father died in the fall of 1867, and the
mother five years later, in 1872.  Mr. Osborn himself has been no
unimportant factor in assisting to maintain the churches of Medina Township,
having contributed to the erection of three houses of worship, and otherwise
giving of his means for the promotion of the institutions calculated to
insure the morality and well-being of the people around him.
   Two sons of our subject served in the Union army during the late war.
John B. enlisted in the 4th Michigan Infantry, and fought at South Mountain
and Antietam, besides meeting the rebels in various minor engagements.  He
was promoted to Corporal.  Horace died in the hospital at Miner's Hill, and
was buried there on the banks of the Potomac.
   In noting the history of a man who has made his mark in the world and
been a useful member of his community, nothing is more natural than the wish
to know something of his antecedents.  Richard H. Osborn, the paternal
grandfather of our subject, was born on Long Island, N.Y., and was the son
of a wealthy farmer.  Through the instrumentality of his uncle he was placed
on shipboard when a boy twelve years of age, and followed the sea until
reaching manhood.  His uncle then presented him with a ship, and he
circumnavigated the globe three times, and thrice viewed from terra firma
the ruins of Pompeii.  His grandfather, William Fritz Osborn, was a native
of Glasgow, Scotland, and closely allied to royal blood.  Richard H. at one
time was shipwrecked and cast away on an island, where he was obliged to
stay for seven years, his relatives in the meantime giving him up for lost.
He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and participated in the
battle at Harlem Heights, also meeting the enemy in various other
engagements.  He endured great hardships and was wounded three times.  He
was a finely educated man and master of five languages.


Bio. of Van Rensselaer J. Osborn-12305


   Portrait and Biographical Album of Lenawee County, Mich.,
   Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1888.  Page 713.  (transcript)

VAN RENSSELAER J. OSBORN, a well-to-do and retired farmer of Adrian, is a
native of New York, where he was born in Montgomery County, April 2, 1816.
He comes from a fine old family, whose brave deeds and noble principles have
made them noteworthy generations back, and is of New England origin, his
paternal grandparents, Joel and Theda (Tieden) Osborn, being natives of
Massachusetts.
   The father of our subject, Asa Osborn, was also a native of the Bay
State, where he was born in Berkshire County, Dec. 20, 1775.  He was a
farmer by occupation, and took an active part in the War of 1812.  He
married Eunice Northrop, who was born in Saratoga County, N.Y., March 10,
1781, and was the duaghter of Daniel and Sarah Northrop.  After their
marriage, which took place Feb. 26, 1807, they settled in Batavia, N.Y.,
which was then a dense wilderness, their house being the fifth one built in
the place.  In that house was preached the first Methodist sermon ever heard
in Batavia.  Three years later they removed to Charleston, Montgomery
County, remaining there until 1836, when with their three children, two sons
and one daughter, they came to Lenawee County, Mich., and settled on a farm
in that portion of Fairfield Township that was afterward ceded to Ohio.
There they spent their remaining years, Mrs. Osborn dying in 1845, and Mr.
Osborn in 1861.  One son, Truman, died in Steuben County, Ind., in 1844.
Two of their children are now living, the daughter, who married Rev. A.
Foster, April 19, 1844, and is now living in Minnesota, and our subject.
   Van Rensselaer J. Osborn passed his youth in his native town, and there
received a good common-school education.  After coming to Lenawee County he
engaged in agricultural pursuits in that part of Fairfield Township which
was afterward ceded to Lucas County, Ohio, but after the "Toledo War" was
incorporated in Fulton County, that State, and was designated Royalton.  In
1857 Mr. Osborn engaged as a commercial salesman for the firm of Northrup
& Richard, manufacturers of gloves and mittens, continuing in their service
twenty-two years.  By his geniality, honesty and ability, he secured a large
run of trade for the firm, and his salary, which the first year was $1 per
day and expenses, was gradually increased, until, during the last five years
that he was in the employ of the firm, his services commanded $2,000 a year
and expenses.  Before he began traveling Mr. Osborn cleared sixty of the
eighty acres of land that he then owned, taking out all stumps, and erecting
good buildings.  He has increased the area of his farm by the purchase of
another eighty acres; this property is now rented.
   September 24, 1840, Mr. Osborn was united in marriage with Miss Ursula A.
Warner, of Adrian, and daughter of John and Hannah (Brown) Warner, natives
of New York.  Mr. Warner was born Jan. 1, 1797, and Mrs. Warner, Nov. 3,
1794.  From New York they came to Adrian, Mich., in 1834, and became the
parents of nine children, four boys and five girls, three of the latter of
whom are still living.  Mrs. Osborn's maternal grandfather was Phineas
Brown, a soldier of the Revolutionary War.  He died in Royalton, Ohio, in
1842.  Mrs. Osborn was born in Ontario County, N.Y., March 30, 1824, and she
was ten years of age when she came to Michigan with her parents.  To her and
her husband six children have been born, as follows: Jonathan B. was born
July 18, 1842, on the old homestead in Ohio; he entered the Union army, and
served three years as a member of Company I, 47th Ohio Infantry, taking part
in twenty-six battles and skirmishes, and was at the capture of Vicksburg.
Dexsey A. was born Aug. 20, 1844, and is the wife of J.H. Baylor, of East
Portland, Ore.; Theda was born in 1847, and died in 1858; Julia A. was born
Nov. 14, 1852, and became the wife of C.M. Weaver; she died June 25, 1885,
at Hillsdale, Mich.  Charles W. was born Aug. 200, 1855, and died July,
1875; and Mary died in infancy.
   Mr. Osborn resided on his farm until 1865, when he removed to Adrian,
where he has since been a resident.  Previous to their removal they lived in
two States, three counties, three townships, four Methodist Episcopal
Conferences, four districts, one mission and eight circuits, remaining all
the while in the same house, this being a prominent feature of pioneer life.
In the summer of 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Osborn made an enjoyable trip over the
Northern Pacific Railway to Yellowstone Park, Wyo., thence to Portland,
Ore., and on to San Francisco, Cal.; they returned by the way of Salt Lake
City, Denver and Kansas City, to Adrian.
   While living in Ohio, Mr. Osborn served as Township Trustee several
years, as Clerk and Assessor of his township three years, and also as School
Director for a number of years.  After coming to Adrian he was elected
Alderman for the Fourth Ward, serving for two years.  Politically Mr. Osborn
is a Republican, and conscientiously endorses the principles of that party,
believing them to be the only ones which will perpetuate our excellent form
of government.  Mr. Osborn is an influential member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, which he joined in 1834, and has served as Class-Leader,
Steward and Trustee, both in Ohio and Michigan.  Mrs. Osborn is also a
member of that church, having united with it in 1840, since which time she
has labored faithfully and earnestly in the good work carried on by that
denomination.  Mr. Osborn is a most valuable citizen of Adrian, living in a
great measure for others, contributing much to the advancement of the
community, whose citizens cordially indorse him as a man whose judgment it
is safe to seek and abide by.