\osborne\biograph\bio21 10/13/2001
Bio. of Minott Augur Osborn-5203
History of City of New Haven, Edward E. Atwater, New York,
W.W. Munsell & Co., 1887. Page 223. (transcript) (Portrait
accompanies the bio.)
MINOTT AUGUR OSBORN.
The editor of an influential newspaper occupies in these days a position
comparable only to that formerly held by the village parson. Daily the
editor mounts his pulpit; every day the worshipers assemble to hear him. To
the public, which grows up around him, he becomes in politics a teacher and
an oracle; in society a mentor; in religion a critic; in business matters an
indispensable assistant and adviser. If, in addition to all this, he is
gifted with graces of body and of mind, which fit him to become a genial
comrade, a sympathetic counselor, esteemed by the community, beloved in his
home -- his character is such as New Haven knew and delighted to honor in
the person of Minott Augur Osborn, for forty-three years an editor of the
New Haven Register.
He was born in this city, April 21, 1811, in a house in Cherry (now
Wooster) street, near the corner of Union street. His father, Eli Osborn,
was a merchant tailor, whose place of business was on State street, near the
store now occupied by E.G. Stoddard. His family had been identified with
the fortunes of the New Haven settlement from the beginning. During all the
years of Mr. Osborn's life; he was rarely away from his native city for more
than a week at a time, and he ever rejoiced to return to it rather than to
leave it. He was unable to obtain more than the ordinary advantages of
education, and at the age of fourteen quitted Mr. John E. Lovell's famous
Lancasterian School, in order to learn the art of printing. For this
purpose he entered the office of the Columbian Weekly Register, which was
owned and edited by his uncle, Joseph Barber. At the type-setter's case his
receptive mind developed rapidly, and his fitness to do better, higher work
was speedily recognized by his uncle, who admitted him to full partnership
in 1834. The infusion of young blood and quick wit into the editorial
columns of the Register, gave new life to the paper. Bright, sharp
paragraphs began to attract wide attention, and gave rise to many a
political tilt. Mr. Osborn's lance was keen, and his thrust severe, but he
ever tried to heal the wounds that he had made, by a generous touch of
kindly humor.
In the course of time, some differences of political opinion sprang up
between Mr. Barber, who was a staunch old-school Jeffersonian, and the
nephew, who was a zealous adherent of President Jackson. The disagreement
culminated in the Winter of 1837-38, over the Sub-Treasury scheme, which Mr.
Barber opposed, but which Mr. Osborn as strongly favored. The senior editor
found that the majority of his party in this neighborhood was opposed to him
and sided with Mr. Osborn. Finally the latter proposed that one or the
other should retire from the paper. Mr. Barber thereupon determined to
withdraw, and, about the 1st of January, 1838, Mr. Osborn and Mr. W.B.
Baldwin, under the firm name of Osborn & Baldwin, succeeded to the control
of the paper. Mr. Barber published a sort of farewell address on Saturday,
December 30, 1837, in which he introduced his successors as follows:
"The young men named above are well qualifled for the responsible
position which they have assumed—so much so, that if the whole printing
fraternity of the country had been presented to us from which to make the
selections of our successors, we should have named the two who have
purchased the establishment."
Osborn & Baldwin conducted the Register for twenty-eight years with
unvarying success. The Register nailed its colors to the masthead, and, if
it was strongly partisan, was always frankly and honestly so. It grew with
the city. The weekly was supplemented by a tri-weekly edition, and finally
a daily evening paper was issued. The subscription list increased, and the
enterprise yielded a handsome income to its proprietors.
In 1866 Mr. Baldwin retired. Mr. Osborn associated with him his eldest
son, and the business was continued under the firm name of M.A. Osborn & Co.
But in 1875 the company was transformed into a joint-stock corporation,
bearing the name of "The Register Publishing Co.," and such it still
remains.
When a young man, Mr. Osborn was a popular member of the New Haven Grays,
and he was a non-commissioned officer of that company when he was elected
Major of the 2d Regiment, at the same time that Gardner Morse was chosen
Colonel. He served in the militia for about two years, and thus obtained
that military title by which he was popularly known throughout the State.
In the councils of the Democratic party in State and nation, Mr. Osborn
held naturally a prominent place. He did not desire office for himself,
preferring to support the candidature of other good men rather than to join
personally in the race for office. He was once a member of the Common
Council; was Collector of the Port of New Haven under Presidents Pierce and
Buchanan; was appointed Railroad Commissioner by Governor Ingersoll, and
Road Commissioner of this city by Mayor Lewis. He was among the first to
advocate the introduction of water into the city, and did more than any
other man to organize the present Water Company. At the time of his death
he was treasurer of that company, and also a director in the New Haven Gas
Light Co., and in the Connecticut Savings Bank.
In the domestic circle was his greatest joy. He was twice married. His
first wife, Caroline McNeil, of this city, died in 1838, after bearing him
two children, one of whom, a daughter, survives. In 1841 he married
Catherine Gilbert, daughter of the late Ezekiel Gilbert, of Humphreysville
(now Seymour). Nine children, of whom seven are now living, were the fruit
of this marriage. Among his children and grandchildren he spent his last
days, cheered by the ministrations of a devoted wife. For some months the
grasp of disease upon him slowly tightened, until, on the 24th of October,
1877, in the 67th year of his age, the end came, and the tireless worker,
the good citizen, the beloved husband and father, was no more on earth.
Bio. of Minott Augur Osborn-5203
Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,
Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co., 1902. Page 70. (transcript)
HON. MINOTT AUGUR OSBORN, whose death occurred at his home in New Haven,
Oct. 24, 1877, after a prominent career of upward of fifty years as the
editor and publisher of the New Haven Register, during which period he held
a number of public trusts of honor and responsibility, was one of the strong
journalists of the State.
Mr. Osborn was born in New Haven April 21, 1811, a son of Eli and
Elizabeth (Augur) Osborn, respected and esteemed people of the community,
the former of whom was engaged in the merchant tailoring business. Jeremiah
Osborn, the progenitor of this branch of the Osborn family, was one of the
patentees of the town.
Minott A. Osborn's privileges for obtaining an education were limited, as
he only attended school until fourteen years of age, leaving at that time
the Lancasterian school of John E. Lovell to learn the printer's trade. He
entered the printing office of his uncle, Joseph Barber, of New Haven, from
which was issued the Columbian Weekly Register. Being a bright, intelligent
boy he progressed rapidly, and as the time passed was advanced by his uncle,
and in 1834 was made a partner in the conduct of the paper and business.
Young, with vim and vigor, he enthused new interest and life into the paper,
which was evidenced in the bright, sharp paragraphs appearing in the paper,
which attracted wide attention ‘and gave rise to many political tilts. His
lance was keen and its thrusts severe, yet he always endeavored to heal
these by a generous touch of kindly humor. The senior member of the firm
differed from the junior member in the fact that the former was an advocate
of the old Jeffersonian Democracy, while the latter patterned after Andrew
Jackson. Their differences culminated in 1837-38 on the question of the
sub-treasury scheme, which the young man supported, the elder opposed, and,
as the majority of the supporters of the paper favored Mr. Osborn, Mr.
Barber withdrew from the paper. At this time Mr. Oshorn associated with him
in conducting the Register W.B. Baldwin, and the business of the office was
carried on by these gentlemen, under the firm style of Osborn & Baldwin,
until 1866, a period of twenty-eight years, Mr. Baldwin retiring from the
paper at the end of this time. Mr. Osborn associated with him in the
business his eldest son, Minott E. Osborn, the firm style becoming M.A.
Osborn & Co. Nine years later, in 1875, another change occurred, a transfer
of the business being made to the Register Publishing Co. Since the death
of the elder Osborn, except for an, interreginun, the latter's son, Col.
Norris G. Osborn, has been the editor of the paper. The Register grew with
the development of the city. The weekly edition was supplemented with a
tri-weekly, and finally, in 1842, with a daily evening issue. Its
circulation today is probably larger than that of any other paper in the
State. Its controlling spirit from the start was a Democrat of the ardent
type, and from the foregoing it can be imagined that he nailed his colors to
the masthead of the Register, and if the paper was strongly partisan it was
always frankly and honestly so.
The elder Osborn, through his long service with one of the leading papers
in the State, wielded much influence both in the city of New Haven and in
the State at large. He held a prominent place in the councils of the
Democratic party in the State and Nation. Under the Pierce and Buchanan
administrations he served as collector of the port of New Haven. He was
appointed by and served as railroad commissioner of Connecticut under Gov.
Ingersoll. At, one time he was a member of the common council of New Haven,
and also served as road commissioner under Mayor Henry G. Lewis. His
influence in New Haven was great, and he advocated through his paper many of
the measures that led to the city's growth and advancement. He was one of
the promoters of the New Haven Water Co., and was its treasurer at the time
of his death. He was also at that time a director in the New Hayen Gas
Light Co., and in the Connecticut Savings Bank. When a young man Mr. Osborn
was a member and officer of the somewhat famous local military company known
as the New Haven Grays and also served as major of the 2d Regiment of State
Militia.
Mr. Osborn was twice married, first to Caroline McNeil, of New Haven, who
died in 1838, and second in 1841 he wedded Catherine Gilbert, daughter of
the late Ezekiel Gilbert, of what is now the town of Seymour, Conn. Two
children were born to the first union, and nine to the second.
Bio. of Thomas Burr Osborne-8587
History of City of New Haven, Edward E. Atwater, New York,
W.W. Munsell & Co., 1887. Page 249. (transcript)
THOMAS BURR OSBORNE.
Judge Thomas B. Osborne was born in Easton, Fairfield County, July 8,
1798. He graduated at Yale College in 1817, and was admitted to the Bar at
New Haven in 1820. From that day until 1854, he practiced law in Fairfield
County, but in the latter year he returned to New Haven, and for several
years was Professor of Law in Yale College. He died here on the 2d of
September, 1869. While his practice was never extensive, he was widely
known for his admirable personal and social qualities. As an instructor in
the law, no one could have served with greater fidelity and acceptance to
the College and the students. He was a Whig and Republican in politics. He
represented Fairfield in the General Assembly for several years, and was its
representative in Congress from 1839 to 1843. He was for several years
Judge of the County Court of Fairfield County, which office he filled with
great ability. His son, Arthur D. Osborne, was for many years Clerk of the
Superior Court in New Haven County, and is now President of the Second
National Bank. A grandson is a member of the New Haven County Bar, and is
Executive Secretary to the son-in-law of Judge Osborne, Governor Henry B.
Harrison.
Bio. of John Joel Osborn-5294
History of City of New Haven, Edward E. Atwater, New York,
W.W. Munsell & Co., 1887. Page 561. (transcript)
The house of J.J. Osborn & Co., 132 and 134 Park street, was founded, in
the early days of carriage-building in New Haven, by Hubbell & Hooker in
1827. The firm was succeeded by Hooker & Osborn, and later by J.J. Osborn,
the present proprietor. The factory on Park street is a three-story wooden
building, 75 by 200 feet in dimensions. The work is divided into four
departments: iron, wood-working, trimming and painting. Twenty-five hands
are employed, the production covering a large variety of styles and a
general line of phaetons, rockaways, road wagons, and pleasure carriages.
JOHN JOEL OSBORN
was born in the town of New Haven, Conn., on the 18th of December, 1817. He
is a direct descendant, in the eighth generation, of Thomas Osborn, who
settled in New Haven in 1638, and the youngest of six children of Jacob
Osborn, who was a farmer and manufacturer of woolen goods. His grandfather
was Captain Medad Osborn, who served in the War of Independence.
At the age of eight he had the double misfortune to lose his father and
his health. He was confined to the house for the next seven years. Upon
his recovery he was sent to the then well-known school at Wilbraham, Mass.
In 1833, young Osborn returned from school. At that time New Haven was
becoming a center for the carriage business in the United States. The two
leading firms in the city were James Brewster and Isaac Mix & Sons. Upon
the advice of his brother, Robert H. Osborn, a lawyer, he became an
apprentice to the latter firm, who were doing business on St. John street,
the present site of the New Haven Clock Shop.
During the panic of 1837, Mix & Sons failed. Mr. Osborn then found
employment in a carriage factory in Milford, and in 1839 he bought out his
employer.
In 1840 he closed up his business in Milford, and formed a copartnership
with Henry Hooker, of New Haven, under the firm name of Hooker & Osborn.
In 1841 he went to Richmond, Va., to establish a branch house. Soon
after, another branch was established in New Orleans, La. From 1841 to
1852, Mr. Osborn lived in Richmond and succeeded in building up a large and
successful business, notwithstanding the Southern prejudice against Northern
carriages.
In 1852 he lost the use of his right leg, and was compelled to use a
crutch and cane the rest of his life.
On July 1, 1855, he bought out Mr. Hooker's interest in the factories in
New Haven and Richmond, and formed a copartnership, in 1856, with John B.
Adriance, which lasted until 1879, when he retired from business and devoted
himself to the care of his property.
On June 27, 1853, he was married to Charlotte A. Gilbert, of Seymour, the
fifth daughter of Ezekiel Gilbert a retired New Haven merchant, and a
descendant of Judge Matthew Gilbert, one of the early settlers of New Haven
Colony. They have had six children, five of whom are now living: the Rev.
Robert G., John J., Jr., Frederick A., Virginia, and Selden Y.
During his early life, Mr. Osborn showed those traits of character which
have since marked his business career. Promptness to meet obligations,
caution, strict attention to business, good common sense, and an indomitable
will, have all combined to earn for him an enviable reputation as a
successful business man. He is a large owner of real estate in this city,
and his advice on questions of investment is sought by many.
Mr. Osborn has had but little to do with social gayeties; to his own
hearth he has been faithfully wedded, and those who find him there know well
his kindly welcome and lively spirit.
Bio. of John Joel Osborn-5294
Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,
Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co., 1902. Page 387. (transcript)
JOHN JOEL OSBORN, for many years one of New Haven's leading business men
and prominent citizens, and several of whose children are now identified
with the city's interests, notably John J. and Frederick A. (the latter
engaged in the life insurance business), was a representative of one of New
Haven's Colonial families -- a family whose descendants have been closely
allied with the growth and progress of the city and vicinity, the name
occurring in different lines of trade and in the various professions through
a period of 260 years.
Born Dec. 18, 1817, in New Haven, Conn., Mr. Osborn was a son of Joel and
Nancy (Hitchcock) Osborn, and a grandson of Capt. Medad and Rachael
(Hotchkiss) Osborn, both Captain and Joel Osborn being of New Haven, and
were engaged in farming and manufacturing in the line of woolen goods.
Capt. Medad Osborn was a soldier of the Revolution.
It is stated in Atwater's history of New Haven that John Joel Osborn was
a descendant in the eighth generation from Thomas Osborn, who settled in
New Haven in 1638. Savage, in his "Genealogical Dictionary of New England,"
gives a Thomas Osborn of New Haven, 1639, and as removing to Easthampton,
L.I. in 1650. The town of Easthampton was purchased as far eastward as
Montauk in 1648 by Theophilus Eaton, Governor of the Colony of New Haven,
and Edward Hopkins, Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, for the benefit
of the original settlers, and was assigned to them in the spring of 1651.
Six of the nine original settlers of the town were from Lynn, Mass., to that
point. Thomas Osborn's name is not given as one of the original nine
settlers, but it is one on the list of those who followed, and became very
early their associates. Hedges, in his Address and History of Easthampton,
L.I. (1839), from which the foregoing relative to Easthampton was taken,
says that Thomas Osborn died Sept. 12, 1712, aged ninety years, and that the
"Osborn family appears to have been eminent for their industry, frugality,
morality and piety."
John Joel Osborn early met with a two-fold misfortune -- the loss of his
father and his own health -- his father dying when the lad was eight years
of age, and for seven years John J. was an invalid confined to the house.
After regaining of his health he attended a well-known school at Wilbraham,
Mass. He returned from school in 1833, at a period when the city of New
Haven seemed to be the center of the carriage manufacturing business of the
country. Young Osborn became an apprentice to the carriage business with
Mix & Sons, then one of the two leading firms in the business in that city,
the other being James Brewster. This firm failed during the panic of 1837,
and Mr. Osborn found employment in a carriage factory in the town of
Milford, Conn., and two years later, in 1839, bought out his employer. In
1840 Mr. Osborn closed up the Milford business, and became associated in the
same kind of business as a partner of the late Henry Hooker, of carriage
manufacture note, under the firm name of Hooker & Osborn. These gentlement
in 1841 established a branch house at Richmond, Va., and soon afterward
another branch at New Orleans, La. Mr. Osborn took charge of the house at
Richmond and lived in that city from 1841 to 1852, and built up an extensive
business. On July 1, 1855, Mr. Osborn purchased Mr. Hooker's interest in
the business in Richmond and New Haven, and the following year took in with
him as partner John Adriance, and the two were associated together in
carrying on the business until 1879, when Mr. Osborn retired from active
business, and thereafter until his death, which occurred June 25, 1887,
devoted his time to his private business affairs. His career was one of
marked success, he early displayed characteristics which go to make up a
successful business life. He was a man of excellent judgment and ability,
and his opinions were regarded as of the best -- good and safe -- and he
was not infrequently consulted in regard to business matters. He owned
considerable property in New Haven. He was a plain, unassuming gentleman
and greatly attached to his family and home.
On June 27, 1853, Mr. Osborn was married to Charlotte A. Gilbert, of
Seymour, Conn., a daughter of Ezekiel Gilbert, a retired New Haven merchant,
and a descendant of Judge Matthew Gilbert, an early settler of the Colony of
New Haven. Ezekiel Gilbert, father of Mrs. Osborn, was the son of Thomas
Gilbert, who was a farmer and shoemaker in the town of Huntington, Fairfield
Co., Conn. He served in the Revolutionary war. Six chldren were born to
John J. and Charlotte A. (Gilbert) Osborn, namely: Curtis E., who died an
infant; Robert G.; John J.; Frederick A.; Virginia; and Selden Yale.
Bio. of Norris Galpin Osborn
Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,
Chicago, J.H. Beers & Co., 1902. Page 70. (transcript)
COL. NORRIS GALPIN OSBORN, editor of the New Haven Register, is well and
favorably known throughout the State in which for years he has been an
important factor in the councils of the Democratic party, and figured more
or less conspicuously in public affairs.
Born April 17, 1858, Col. Osborn is a son of the late Hon. Minott Augur
and Catherine S. (Gilbert) Osborn, the former of whom for fifty and more
years was prominently identified with the history of New Haven and the
State, as editor and publisher of the Register, and whose mantle has fallen
upon the son who is proving himself worthy of its wearing. Col. Osborn
descends on both sides from old New Haven families; in paternal lines from
Jeremiah Osborn, one of the patentees of the town of New Haven, and in
maternal lines from English ancestors who came to New England not long after
the Pilgrim fathers.
Mr. Osborn in boyhood attended both the public and private schools of New
Haven, then entered Yale College from which he was graduated in 1880. In
1886 that institution conferred upon him the degree of M.A. After his
graduation he became connected with the editorial staff of the Register, and
was made editor-in-chief in 1884. In this important position he has exerted
a wide influence, and has made the Register recognized as the leading
Democratic organ in the southern part of the State.
Col. Osborn has repeatedly been a delegate to the conventions of his
party -- local, State and National -- and taken a leading part therein. In
1883 and 1884 he was an aid on the staff of Gov. Waller, and in 1896 was
appointed a State prison director by Gov. Coffin. He has also served as a
director in the New Haven University Extension Centre. In the fall of 1901,
he was made the unanimous choice of both parties to represent New Haven in
the Constitutional Convention, and was chosen a member of that body in the
election that followed in November. In the deliberations of this convention
which convened Jan. 1, 1902, and which at this writing (March) is still in
session, Col. Osborn has taken an active interest and borne an honorable
part.
In his college life Col. Osborn was a member of the Greek Letter Society,
Delta Kappa Epsilon, and of the Scroll and Key Society. He is a member of
Hiram Lodge, F. & A.M., and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a
member of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, a memiber of the Sons of the
American Revolution, and was formerly governor of the Society of Fdunders
and Patriots, Colony of Connecticut. As a journalist Col. Osborn is a
success. He is a forceful writer, his editorials are trenchant, lively, and
much quoted. As a man he is widely popular through his winning personal
qualities and he is a happy after-dinner speaker, and greatly in demand for
such occasions.
On Dec. 27, 1881, Col. Osborn was married to Kate Louise Gardner, of New
York City, and their five children are: Innis, Minott Arthur, Dorothy,
Gardner and Katherine.
Bio. of Sidney Vivilla Osborn
A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, Vol. II,
New York, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1918. Page 165. (transcript)
SIDNEY VIVILLA OSBORN.
Sidney Vivilla Osborn, now at the head of an extensive coal, grain and
lumber business in Branford, is not only an important factor in commercial
circles but also occupies a prominent position in public affairs, having
represented his district in the state legislature several terms. A native
of Connecticut, he was born in Woodbury, Litchfield county, on the 10th of
March, 1856, and is a worthy representative of one of the oldest families of
this state, his parents being Aaron A. and Polly (Bishop) Osborn. Thomas
Osborn, who settled in New Haven in 1665, had three sons, one of whom
settled in Stratford, Connecticut, and another in Guilford, while the third
remained in New Haven, and it is from the one that went to Stratford that
our subject is descended. The family is of English origin. Our subject's
father, Aaron A. Osborn, was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, which was also
the birthplace of the grandfather, Daniel Osborn. In early life the former
learned the trade of spoon making but later, on account of his health, had
to take up outdoor work and became a mason, which occupation he followed in
Woodbury, Connecticut, until several years after the death of his wife, when
he removed to Milford, this state, where lie passed away. His wife was born
in Woodbury and was a daughter of Ira and Mabel (Spalding) Bishop, who were
also of old New England stock.
During his boyhood Sidney Vivilla Osborn attended the district schools
but his advantages along that line were very limited and he is a
self-educated as well as a self-made man. At an early age he did farm work
and later was in the employ of Burton Brothers in the grain, milling and
grocery business at Woodbury. He gradually worked his way upward until he
became manager of their branch establishment at Minortown and also had
charge of the postoffice. In 1879 he was married at Woodbury and then
located on a farm which he purchased in the northern part of Branford, New
Haven county, being successfully engaged in its operation for twelve years.
At the end of that time he purchased wharf property near the railroad depot
in the village of Branford and in 1892 began business under the name of the
S.V. Osborn Company, dealers in coal, grain, feed, etc. Five years later he
purchased his partner's interest and now carries on the business under the
name of S.V. Osborn, handling coal, grain and lumber. He not only owns and
operates a sawmill and grain elevator but has also erected a large coal
elevator, which was one of the first established in Connecticut adapted to
this method of handling coal. Mr. Osborn was one of the organizers of the
Branford Savings Bank, of which he was a director and auditor for many
years, and he also assisted in organizing the Branford Trust Company, of
which he is still a director.
On the 6th of May, 1879. Mr. Osborn married Miss Emma Tyler, a native of
Middlebury, Connecticut, where her parents, Daniel and Elvira (Hines) Tyler,
were also born. The Tyler family came from England and was founded in
Connecticut early in the seventeenth century. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn have two
children: Sidney Vivilla, Jr., who was born in Branford, January 23, 1888,
and assists his father in business; and Mabel Bishop, born in Branford, May
1, 1902.
The family is identified with the congregational church and Mr. Osborn is
also a member of Widows Son Lodge, No. 66, of Branford; Woodland Lodge,
K.P.; and the New England Order of Protection. In politics he is a stanch
republican and is a recognized leader in the party ranks. He has filled a
number of local offices, serving as town tax assessor, a member of the
school board, first selectman for three terms, and on the board for six
terms. He was the first borough tax collector and collected the first taxes
in the village. In 1899 he was the nominee of his party for representative
to the state legislature but the vote was a tie and he lost. In 1907 he was
elected first selectman and most ably filled the office until 1909. The
following year he was elected to the state legislature and served during the
session of 1911-12, at which time he secured an appropriation of forty
thousand dollars for the erection of a new armory at Branford, that is now
an ornament to the village. Mr. Osborn was defeated for reelection in 1913
when the progressive movement split the regular republican vote but in 1914
and again in 1916 he was elected a member of the house and is still
representing his district in the general assembly. He has served on a
number of important committees, including the roads, bridges and rivers
committee, on which he serves at the present time and which is second in
importance only to the judiciary committee; and he was chairman of the
agricultural committee of 1914-15 and a member of the manufacturing
committee in 1911. Although his advantages in youth were limited he has
steadily overcome all obstacles in the path to success and is today one of
Branford's most prominent and influential citizens and one of the leading
members of the Connecticut legislature.
Genealogy of Timothy Osborn-5336
History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut, Waterbury, CT,
Bronson Brothers, 1854. Page 658. (transcript)
OSBORN FAMILY.
Dea. Timothy Osborn came from Long Island, settled in Southbury, married
Rachel Judd, July 19, 1744, and had issue as follows, Shadrach, b. April 14,
1747; Timothy, d. in Virginia, Dec. 25, 1784; William, bap. Jan. 1, 1749,
d. July, 1801; Simeon, bap. April 3, 1763; Asa, bap. Sept. 27, 1767; Lois,
bap. May 16,1755, and m. Daniel Munn.
Shadrach, son of Dea. Timothy, m. Mary Hinman, May 9, 1774, who d. Jan.
18, 1777, leaving a dau., Mary E., who m. Leman Dunning, now of New Haven.
Mr. Osborn m. 2. Alletta Blagg of New York, she d. March 21, 1845. He d.
Aug. 27, 1838. Ch., 1. Erastus, b. June 15, 1785, m. Martha Curtiss, 1811,
who d. May 19, 1852, no issue; 2. Benjamin B., b. Jan. 18, 1787, m. 1.
Sarah, dau. of Ephraim Stiles, who d. Sept. 4, 1809; m. 2. Ruth, sister of
his first wife, Feb. 27, 1811. He d. Oct. 20, 1839; 3. Alletta, b. May 9,
m. ----- Tompkins; 4. Sally, b. Dec. 17,, 1792, m. E.E. Stiles;
5. Henrietta, b. June 30, 1795, m. Adam Lum.
Asa, son of Dea. Timothy, m. ----- Hyde, 1789, and had, Lucy, b. 1789;
Simeon, b. 1792; Asa, b. 1794; Abijah, b. 1795.
Bio. of Wilbur F. Osborne-7422
Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,
Chicagoo, J.H. Beers & Co., 1902. Page 813. (transcript)
OSBORNE. Through all, saving the first decade and a half, of the century
just closed, the name introducting this sketch has been one of prominence in
mercantile and industrial life in the town of Derby and of Ansonia, as well
as in the social and religious life of those communities. Here have figured
a number of the immediate descendants of Capt. Stephen Osborne, among them
his son, the late John White Osborne, and in turn his son, Major Wilbur F.
Osborne, the latter for years the president of the Osborne & Cheeseman Co.,
and at this time president and assistant treasurer of the Union Fabric Co.,
both of Ansonia, as well as being interested in various enterprises.
Capt. Stephen Osborne, of New Haven, with his wife and family, the wife
formerly being Apama Gorham, a granddaughter of Capt. George Gorham, came to
Derby to live in 1817. Both Capt. Osborne and Capt. Gorham were patriots
and saw active service in the war of the Revolution. A Capt. Stephen
Osborne is referred to in the records of Connecticut men in the Revolution
as being of Wallingford, and was commissioned a lieutenant on July 26, 1777,
promoted captain May 1, 1778; while Capt. George Gorham is given as being,
in 1779, in the company commanded by Abner Robinson, and in Samuel
McClellan's regiment. Capt. Gorham was one of the men who assisted in
stretching the famous iron chain across the Hudson to obstruct the British
from going up the river.
Both long before and after the Revolution Derby was the scene of much
shipbuilding which was the greatest industry of the town. One Thomas
Wheeler, of Stratford, who settled on Birmingham Point in 1657, was probably
the first engaged there in such industry. After some six years he was
succeeded by Alexander Bryan, a merchant, and the latter later by the
Hawkenses, and from 1712 to 1720 it was a prominent trading point. Another
busy shipyard was, in the early days, at the Cove where were built vessels
called Boston Coasters. Some distance below figured the Leavenworths, who
built the old bridge in 1798. At what was styled the Red House were built
by Capt. Edmund & Sons, Gideon and Edmund Leavenworth, many vessels,
schooners and sloops. Gideon Leavenworth was another of the patriots of the
Revolution. He was in command of a company of infantry in 1777, and was
himself wounded in the battle of White Plains. Packets were built up the
Naugatuck river earlier than 1797, opposite the "old Parsons place." Soon
after that date Capt. George Gorham built and launched a schooner from near
the present Naugatuck and Derby stations. Capt. Gorham built many vessels
below the Point of Rocks now known as Hallock's old ship-yard. Sea-captains
and sea-faring men, too, were numerous about Derby, some of whom sailed to
all points of the world. One George Gorham was a sea captain.
Capt. Stephen Osborne, at his death, left an estate whcih in those days
was considered quite valuable, but the trustee of the estate invested the
money in the Derby Bank which failed, and the family were left without
means. The son, John White Osborne, who was born June 26, 1810, in New
Haven, came with the family to Derby in 1817, and early learned the
shoemaker's trade, receiving for his services his board and $25 per year.
On the completion of his trade he accepted a position with George W.
Blakeman, then a grocer and dry goods merchant on the ast side of the river.
He remained with Mr. Blakeman for a number of years when at the latter's
suggestion and with his assistance young Osborne, in 1843, opened a grocery
store, on the west side of the river in Birmingham, and at a point where now
stand the buildings of the Ousatonic Water Co. (corner Main and Water
streets). In about 1845 he formed a partnership with George W. Cheesman and
they moved into the "stone store," built by Daniel Judson in 1836. These
gentlemen transacted a large business, operating two stores (the other in
Waterbury) until 1859. In 1858 the firm also engaged in the manufacture of
hoop skirts, and in the following year removed the business of this industry
to Ansonia, still retaining for a time the Birmingham store. The formation
of the business firm in the middle forties, of Osborne & Cheesman, was the
beginning of a business connection, which for so many years was a great
factor in the manufacturing interests of Ansonia and Shelton.
In 1866 the Osborne & Cheeseman Co. was organized as a joint stock
corporation, with a capital of $120,000. Before its organization and under
the original firm, in 1861, was built the main factory, on the site of the
burned Ansonia Clock Works. Subsequently the building was enlarged, and the
line of manufacture largely increased to include web goods, suspenders and
wire woven tape for skirts. A shop for metallic goods was also run. On the
organization of the company John W. Osborne was made president; Charles
Durand, secretary, and George W. Gheeseman, treasurer. Mr. Osborne remained
the executive head of the company until his retirement from active business
in the early seventies. He had led an active, busy and successful business
life.
In his early life, prior to merchandising, Mr. Osborne had engaged to
some extent in school-teaching in Derby Neck, which point later for many
years was the home of the family, and where the son, Major Wilbur F.
Osborne, continues his residence. Mr. Osborne had no taste for public life,
and held but one political office in his life time. He was once elected a
grand juror but refused to qualify until on a Sunday during divine services
at Church, a man more or less intoxicated took from his pocket a bottle of
whiskey, and began pouring the contents over the congregation. Mr. Osborne
qualified to prosecute this man. When quite a young man Mr. Osborne was
confirmed in the Episcopal Church, but soon thereafter became a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and ever afterward remained a consistent and
active Christian. His life was an example to all men -- one ever upright
and honest, free from malice and always full of kindness for everyone. His
life was a tower of strength and a blessing to many who, upon turning from
sin, found the new life seemingly hard and the cross heavy to bear. His
disposition was such that care rested upon him lightly, and from the time he
became a member of the church to the day of his death he gathered strength
and courage from all vicissitudes. He was one of the leaders of the church,
ever high in its councils. He at one time led the choir and for many years
directed the music, was almost continually steward and a member of the
official body, and for a long period was super-intendent of the
Sunday-school. He often discoursed to the congregation and his talks were
full of light. All through his long life in the church he was the comforter
and adviser of all -- the one sought and the one turned to in time of need.
The effect of his life in the church was the same on the outside upon all
with whom he came in contact. He was a man among men. He had his opinions
in temporal as well as in spiritual affairs, and when they differed from the
opinions of others it had not the sting of malice and spite. His opinions
were always respected. He died with friends innumerable and without an
enemy. Always full of energy and life he was active to the end, his more
than four score hears falling lightly upon him. His death occurred March 6,
1895.
Mr. Osborne was married three times, first to Susan H. Durand, of Derby;
second to Mary Douglas, of New York; and third to Miss Eliza Hill, of
Reading, Penn. His children, all born of the first marriage, were Wilbur
F.; Fannie W., born in 1836, married isaac D. Drew, and died April 11, 1884;
Harriet J., born in 1844, died in 1860; and Helen V., born Jan. 15, 1848,
married E.H. Krehbiel, and died May 10, 1894.
Mrs. Susan H. (Durand) Osborne, the mother of these children, born in
1816, and died in 1859, was the daughter of the late Samuel Durand, and a
descendant in the fifth generation from Dr. John Durand, who was early at
Stratford, Conn., marrying there Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Bryan, and
granddaughter of Alexander Bryan. Dr. Durand settled in Derby about 1685.
From this ancestor Mrs. Susan H. (Durand) Osborne's line of descent was
through Joseph, Noah and Samuel Durand.
(II) Joseph Durand, son of Dr. John, born Dec. 20, 1709, married April
25, 1734, Ann Tomlinson. She died Feb. 14, 1778, and he passed away Aug. 6,
1792.
(III) Noah Durand, son of Joseph, born May 12, 1740, married Abigail,
daughter of Caleb Tomlinson, and lived on Great Neck, and there died April
12, 1818. His widow died Nov. 2, 1831.
(IV) Samuel Durand, son of Noah, born July 13, 1783, married (first)
Susan Hawkins, (second) her sister Sally Hawkins, and (third) Nancy Beers,
of Trumbull, Conn., and (fourth) Nancy Brown, of New Bedford. Mr. Durand
was a farmer on Bare Plains. He died in February, 1852. His children were:
Charles, Sarah, Susan H. (Mrs. Osborne) and Samuel.
MAJOR WILBUR F. OSBORNE, son of John W., is a native of Derby, and has
thus far in life made that town his home; his business life, however, since
the formation of Ansonia, has been in the latter town. He has grown up in
the business enterprises established by his father, and from boyhood taken
an active and prominent part in planning and developing the business out of
which since have come a number of branches, as well as having engaged in
various other enterprises. A few years subsequent to his father's
retirement from the presidency of the Osborne & Cheeseman Co. he became the
executive head of the concern. In 1882, as an offshoot of the above named
company, there was incorporated the S.O. & C. Co., which has since been
engaged in manufacturing eyelets and eyeleting machinery, and also metal
goods. Some years later, in 1887, the Union Fabric Company was
incorporated, to cover steel and other wires for use in skirts, bustles,
etc. Of this company, Major Osborne was made president, a position he still
holds. He is also president of the Schneller Stay Works, of Ansonia, and
treasurer of the Connecticut Clasp Co. of Bridgeport. The Major was one of
the original incorporators of the S.O. & C. Co., of Ansonia, and of the
Derby Silver Co., of Shelton, now a branch of the International Silver Co.
He is one of the prominent manufacturers of the Naugatuck Valley, and is
recognized as an enterprising and public-spirited citizen, both in Ansonia
and in Derby. He is president of the Derby Neck Free Library.
Major Osborne served three years and seven months in the Civil war,
having enlisted in April, 1861, from the Wesleyan University, first, in the
three months service, and later in the first regiment that was sworn into
the United States service for the entire Civil war. He received promotion
to sergeant, second and first lieutenant, and captain of artillery; was
artillery instructor of the 2d Connecticut Artillery; inspector general of
defences at Washington, South of the Potomac; ordnance officer, acting
quarter master, etc.
Bio. of Wilbur Fisk Osborne-7422
Men of Mark in Connecticut, Col. N.G. Osborn, Hartford, CT,
William R. Goodspeed, 1908. Page 274. (transcript)
WILBUR FISK OSBORNE
OSBORNE, WILBUR FISK. It falls to the lot of few men to leave behind them
such a worthy record of good citizenship as that left by Wilbur Fisk Osborne
in the associated communities of Derby and Ansonia. The best monument is
the memory of his fellow townsmen, but for the coming generations there will
be an abiding cenotaph in the Derby Neck Library which he established and
with which his name must always be connected in veneration and gratitude.
Early in life Mr. Osborne became prominent in the industrial and municipal
affairs of the allied towns and he was recognized as a potent influence in
the advancement of their material prosperity. but it is as a permanent
benefactor of their culture adn their spiritual and intellectual development
that posterity shall know him.
Wilbur Fisk Osborne was born in Derby, January 14th, 1841, and was the
son of John W. Osborne and Susan Durand. His father was one of the pioneers
of the brass industry in this country, and founder and president of the
Osborne and Cheeseman Co.
As Derby was Major Osborne's boyhood home, he received his early
education in the public schools of that town. He subsequently entered
Wesleyan University, where he graduated in 1861, as valedictorian of his
class, immediately enlisting in the service of the Union in the Civil War.
He served nearly four years and was promoted to sergeant, second and first
lieutenant, and captain of artillery being in Companies C and G of the
First Connecticut Artillery. He was also military instructor of the Second
Connecticut Artillery, inspector-general of the defenses at Washington, and
south of the Potomac, ordnance officer, acting quartermaster, and the
incumbent of other responsible military offices and commissions. After the
war he became an active member of Kellogg Post, G.A.R.
As soon as he was released from active military service by the close of
the war, Wilbur Osborne returned to Derby and became identified with his
father's industry, the Osborne and Cheeseman Co. From early boyhood he had
taken a keen interest in the progress and success of the corporation, and
was eager to become a factor in the development of the business. Through
his thorough mastery of the details of the industry and his complete
knowledge of it he was entirely fitted to take his place at the head of the
company on his father's retirement. In 1882, a branch company was
incorporated, known as the Schneller, Osborne and Cheeseman Co. Not long
after, the Union Fabric company was organized with major Osborne as its
president, where he remained until his death. He was also president of the
Schneller Stay Works of Ansonia, and the Connecticut Clasp Company of
Bridgeport, and held these offices up to the time of his death. He was one
of the incorporators of the Derby Silver Company, now consolidated with the
International Silver Company. In all these responsible positions in the
industrial world he was not only a thorough, progressive and capable captain
of industry, and an honorable dependable business man, but a considerate,
kindly and just employer, who devoted much time and thought to having his
mill and factories sanitary, convenient, and comfortable for his employees,
whose health and general welfare and rights he deemed most important and
interesting.
Mr. Osborne was always actively interested in any scheme for civic
betterment, but, in the latter years of his life, the foundation of a public
library, -- one of the best of its size in this country, -- for that section
of the community in which he lived and worked, became his favorite project.
The library took its incipiency in a donation of books, chiefly fiction,
which he made to a mission school in Derby Neck. The immediate appreciation
and popularity of the idea encouraged him to make it a circulating library
of importance, and it was definitely organized in 1897. Mr. Osborne was a
liberal contributor and he used his widespread influence and acquaintance to
enlarge the collection by special gifts. In recent years he perceived that
the library had assumed the importance of a municipal institution and he
succeeded in getting Mr. Andrew Carnegie to assist the association to erect
a suitable building for a permanent home. As a result a handsome and
appropriate edifice, one of the artistic and decorative features of the
allied cities remains to stimulate the memory fo the founder of the Derby
Neck Library, and to foster the culture of the community. Mr. Osborne did
not live to see the completion and consummation of his cherished plans, but
they were reverently carried out under the direction of his daughter, Miss
Frances E. Osborne, and the building was formally dedicated and opened last
year.
Mr. Osborne had high ideals of good citizenship, but his efforts were
sane and practical, not those of a Utopian dreamer, but of a man whose mind
had the most thorough scientific training and of whose judgment was formed
by unremitting study. The honesty of purpose and the sincerity of his
humanitarianism conspired to make his relations with the working-class
singularly felicitous. Although he was a man of distinguished scholarship
and erudition, especially in respect to English literature and American
history, he was always approachable, and his manner was simple and kindly
and cordial, and although he declined public honors and had neither time nor
tase for a political career, he was influential in forming high-minded
public opinion in the stand for right conditions in the labor world.
Major Osborne has been well described as an "ideal citizen." In business
relations he was level-headed, honorable, energetic, and just. He was
sagacious in his judgment of men and motives, wise and generous in advising
others, conscientious and frim in maintaining his own splendid ideals.
Socially he was genial, whole-souled, democratic, and sincere. He made
friends universally and their loyalty was composed of admiration as deep as
their affection.
Mr. Osborne's career was a happy instance of high living and right
thinking and his influence is perpetuated in a noble philanthropy.
Bio. of John W. Osborne-7423
Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut,
Chicagoo, J.H. Beers & Co., 1902. Page 929. (transcript)
JOHN W. OSBORNE (deceased) was for many years prominently identified with
the industrial and business interests of Derby and Ansonia, New Haven
county, and was one of the most highly esteemed citizens of his community.
He was a native of New Haven, and a son of Stephen Osborne, who was engaged
in business in that city for some years.
Our subject, who was one of a large family of children, came to Derby
with his parents during childhood, and was there reared and educated. When
a young man, in 1842, he formed a copartnership with his brother-in-law,
George W. Cheeseman, and embarked in general merchandising, which business
they carried un until 1858, when they turned their attention to the
manufacture of hoop-skirts. The following year they moved their plant to
Ansonia and were engaged in business there for many years, meeting with
marked success in their undertakings and becoming quite well-to-do.
In 1864 Mr. Osborne married Mrs. Eliza Hill Baker, of Redding, Conn. Our
subject died March 6, 1895, at the age of eighty-four years. Politically he
was a Republican, and he gave his support to every enterprise which he
believed would prove of public benefit, or would advance the moral or
material welfare of his town and county. He was one of the founders of the
Methodist Episcopal Church of Derby, and took a very active and prominent
part in all church work, contributing liberally to its support. He
commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact,
either in business or in social life, and in his death the community lost
one of its best citizens.
Bio. of George Wakeman Osborn-7394
Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, Vol. III,
New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1911. Page 1375.
(transcript) (bio. is accompanied by portrait)
OSBORN
The Osborn family is one of great antiquity in this country, dating back to
the early part of the seventeenth century. Their coat-of-arms, created
February 11, 1662: Argent, a bend, between two lions, rampant. Crest: A
lion's head erased, argent, ducally crowned, or. Motto: Quantum in rebus
inane! (How much frivolity in human affairs). The seat of the family is at
Chicksands Priory, Shefford, Bedfordshire. Peter Osborn, Esq., son of
Richard Osborn, of Tyld Hall, had a grant of the office of treasurer's
remembrancer to himself and his heirs in the reign of Edward VI, and was
likewise privy-purse to that monarch. In the reign of Elizabeth he was one
of the high commissioners for ecclesiastical affairs, and purchased in 1576
Chicksand Abbey. He married Anne, daughter of Dr. John Blyth, and had
eleven sons and eleven daughters.
(I) Richard Osborn, the first representative of the line herein
considered of whom we have definite information, was born in London,
England, 1612, died in Westchester, new York, 1686. He sailed from London,
England, in the ship "Hopewell," Captain Thomas Wood, master, bound for
Barbadoes, February 17, 1634. He was then twenty-two years of age. In 1635
he was one of the company that met with the Rev. Peter Hobart and drew for
a home lot in the settlement of Hingham, Massachusetts (Mass. Historical
Collections). It does not appear that he remained long there, for in 1637
he served in the Pequot war, being one of the gallant soldiers from Windsor,
Connecticut (Stiles' "History of Windsor"). His name occurs among the
original ree planters of New Haven in 1639, in which he signed the
fundamental agreement at the gathering of the church on June 4; shared in the
divisions of land in 1643; took the oath of fidelity before Governor Eaton,
July 1, 1644. His pew in the church was No. 4, "on the other side of the
door" (New Haven Coloniah Records). He removed to Fairfield, Connecticut,
between 1650 and 1653, and purchased of Thomas Pell a house and home lot
lying between John Cable's and Thomas Shevingston's. He purchased other
places and finally a house and home lot adjoining that of Cornelius Hull's.
He became one of the divident landholders of the town. "For his good
services in the Pequot war," the general court of Connecticut in 1671
granted him eighty acres of land, to be taken up in Fairfield, where it did
not interfere with other grants, which were set off to his heirs in 1707 by
Captain nathan Gold and Judge Peter Burr (Connecticut Colonial Records, also
Schenck's "History of Fairfield"). The following is a description of the
land grant to Richard Osborn in 1671: "Eighty acres of land granted to
Richard Osborn for services in Pequot war, surveyed for Capt. John Osborn,
Nov. 26, 1707, as follows: Surveyed then for Capt. John Osborn of Fairfield,
a certain tract of land lying between Danbury bounds and Fairfield bounds
upon the neck and situate between the Eastermost and Westermost branches of
Saugatuck river, south west side of an hill and running thence northerly
east 90 rod to a black oak on the North East, Eastermost side of said hill,
runs thence north west by north 143 rod to a chestnut, being one of the
three growing near together by a small swamp, then runs south west by west
90 rod to a chestnut oak, then runs in a straight south east by south 143
rod to chestnut tree first mentioned, being the place of beginning. This
tract contains 80 acres, surveyed by one John Meredith, county surveyor.
The above land was set out pursuant to a grant of the general court and
usual instructions of not hindering the settlement of any town or
prejudicing any plantation already settled being duly attended." (Recorded
March 11, 1709-10.)
In 1666 he had interest in lands in Newtown, Long Island. His long lot
in Fairfield was thirty-four rods twelve feet in width, and extended twelve
miles north in the wilderness; a division of this was made to his heirs and
legal representatives April 3, 1751 (Fairfield Probate Records). He removed
to Westchester, New York, and November 17, 1682, he deeded to his son John
and his heirs all his housing and home lots, orchards, wood and timber in
the town of Fairfield, together with all his uplands and meadows, his
privilege in the undivided commons, and all his right and title in the
Colony of Connecticut, provided he paid all his debts and dues in Fairfield
and the following sums of money to his other heirs, viz.: to the five
children of his eldest daughter, twenty shillings each, when of age; to his
daughter Priscilla's (wife of Cornelius Seeley) two sons, forty shillings
each, and twenty shillings to each of her two daughters, when of age; to his
daughter Sarah's seven children twenty shillings each, when of age; to his
daughter Mary's (wife of Thomas Bedient) three children forty shillings
each, when of age; to his daughter Elizabeth fifty pounds (who perhaps
married James Beers) (A. Town Deeds p. 449). Besides the son John mentioned
in this will, he also had a son David. His will is signed in Westchester,
New York, December 19, 1684.
Of the time of his marriage or name of his wife, inquiry has been
fruitless (Savage). His daughter Hannah may have been the unnamed daughter.
Children: 1. John, see forward. 2. David, settled in Eastchester, New York,
1666, married, 1669, Abigail, daughter of Philip Pinkney; children: Sarah,
married (first), July 31, 1692, Jonathan Sturges, (second) Judge Peter Burr;
Richard, settled at Ridgefield, Connecticut, 1713, and purchased of Richard
Whiting one-twenty-ninth part of that town, he is said to have lived to the
advanced age of one hundred and three years; Abigail, married, October 7,
1691, William Hill, of Fairfield. David the father of these children, died
in 1679. 3. Hannah, married, November 19, 1663, John, son of Nathaniel
Baldwin; five children. 4. Priscilla, married Cornelius Seeley; two sons
and two daughters. 5. Sarah, married -----; seven children. 6. Mary,
married Thomas Bedient; three children. 7. Elizabeth, married James Beers.
(II) Captain John Osborn, son of Richard Osborn, was born (probably) in
New Haven, Connecticut, 1640-50, died intestate in Fairfield, Connecticut,
July 15, 1709, leaving a large estate for those times. He was a prominent
and influential man of Fairfield, and was deputy to the general court from
Fairfield at times from 1699 to 1709, the year of his death. He married
Sarah, daughter of James Bennet, prior to 1673. His widow Sarah and his
son Samuel were appointed administrators of his estate under bonds of six
hundred pounds. Total inventory, May 19, 1710, 1616 lb. 2d. His estate was
distributed December 26, 1710 -- to his widow, lands and valuables, 396 lb.
7s. 10d.; son Samuel, land and movables, 337 lb. 5s; John, lands and
movables, 169 lb. 2s. 8d.; David, lands and movables, 169 lb. 2s. 2d.;
Joseph, lands and movables, 169 lb. 2s.; Sarah, lands and movables, 169 lb.
2s. 8d.; Elizabeth, lands and movables, 169 lb. 2s. 8d. Children:
I. Hannah, born July 26, 1677. 2. Samuel, 1680; Married (first) Abigail
Smith; (second) Hannah Couch. 3. John, born 1682; married Abigail -----.
4. David, married Dorothy Buckley. 5. Joseph, see forward. 6 Elizabeth.
7. Sarah.
(III) Joseph, son of Captain John and Sarah (Bennet) Osborn, was born in
Fairfield, Connecticut, about 1686, died intestate in Fairfield, 1731. He
resided in the parish of Greenfield in Fairfield. The inventory of his
estate was taken March 7, 1731, and showed about 1200 lb. John and Hannah
Osborn were appointed administrators December 21, 1731. Nathan Osborn, of
Fairfield, was appointed guardian of Peter Osborn, son of Joseph, late of
Fairfield, on December 6, 1743, also Nathan Hubbell, of Greenfield, guardian
of Sarah, Abigail and Olive Osborn, daughters of Joseph Osborn, late of
Fairfield. His estate was situated in the parish of Greenfield in Fairfield
district. A division of his estate was made January 26, 1743. He married
Hannah, baptized May 19, 1795<sic>, daughter of Samuel Hubbell. Children:
1. Elizabeth, baptized June 18, 1719. 2. Nathan, born January, 1720-21.
3. Hannah, baptized June 21, 1724. 4. Sarah, baptized May 5, 1726.
5. Abigail. 6. Olive, baptized September 7, 1729. 7. Peter, see forward.
(IV) Peter, son of Joseph and Hannah (Hubbell) Osborn, was born in
Fairfield, Connecticut, May 1, 1731 (Bible, formerly owned by his daughter
Eunice, now in possession of William H. Grumman, of Easton, Connecticut),
and was baptized May 23, 1731 (Greenfield church records). He removed from
Fairfield to Stephentown, Westchester county, New York, between 1783 and
1790, and thence to Kortright, Delaware county, New York, between 1790 and
1803, where he probably died, the date of his death being unknown. He
married (first) Lois, who died June 29, 1758, aged about twenty-four years;
(second) Elizabeth Banks, who died April 23, 1760, aged eighteen years two
months; (third) Sarah -----. Children of first wife: 1. Eunice, born March
10, 1754, died September 12, 1798. 2. Ephraim, see forward. There were no
children by his second marriage. Children of third wife: 3. Olive, born
July, 1762. 4. Nathan, march, 1764. 5. Sally, September, 1765. 6. Lois,
September 18, 1768. 7. Peter, December, 1771. 8. Polly, December, 1773.
9. Elisha, December 1, 1779.
(V) Ephraim, son of Peter and Lois Osborn, was born in Fairfield,
Connecticut, May 1, 1756, died intestate in Weston, Connecticut, February
2, 1828, aged seventy-one years nine months. He resided in the parish of
North Fairfield, later known as Weston and later still as Easton, in the
locality now known as Aspetuck, where he was engaged throughout the active
years of his life in agricultural pursuits. The house in which he lived
was standing in 1911. He married (first) March 2, 1780, Mary Merwin, date
of death unknown; (second), January 30, 1794, Abigail Olmstead, born May 11,
1765, died October 23, 1821. Children of first wife: 1. Elizabeth, baptized
January 21, 1781, probably died young. 2. David, see forward. 3. Ephraim,
born February 14, 1785, died in Trumansburg, New York, July 9, 1853, where
he had removed, February, 1816; he married (first) 1808, Lydia Gilbert, who
died in 1809; (second) November 18, 1810, Lois Wakeman, who died July 15,
1869. 4. Lois, died about 1860; married Philo Foot, and removed to
Trumansburg. 5. Betsey, married Jesse Scudder; resided in new Fairfield,
Connecticut, and died soon after marriage. Children of second wife:
6. Peter, born March 30, 1796, died November 13, 1868; married Catherine H.
Banks. 7. Mary, born April 19, 1799, died January 20, 1889; married Alvord
Nichols. 8. John W., born January 23, 1801, died November 20, 1867; married
(first) Annie Banks, who died November 8, 1841, aged thirty-five years;
(second) Betsey Grumman, who died April 18, 1882. 9. Harriet, born March 7,
1804, died August 19, 1888; married, April 1, 1828, Alva Beers.
10. Laurinda, born October 31, 1809, died February 27, 1895; married,
December 14, 1828, Jeremiah Grumman.
(VI) David, son of Ephraim and Mary (Merwin) Osborn, was born October 26,
1782, in the parish of North Fairfield, later known as Weston, and later
still as Easton, Connecticut, in the locality now known as Aspetuck. In
1808 he purchased a farm of Zachariah Lyon, and in 1809-11 adjoining land of
Jeremiah Osborn, situated in that part of the town of Weston, now Easton,
about one-half mile west of Easton Center, where he resided sixty-three
years and devoted his time and attention to the tilling of the soil. He was
a man of large stature and genial disposition, and for many years served as
keeper of the poor of the town of Easton. He married, about 1807, Priscilla
Hull, born February 7, 1785, died January 15, 1857, daughter of Moses Hull,
a lineal descendant of George Hull, who came from Plymouth, England,
1629-30, settled in Dorchester, Massachusets; resided in Windsor,
Connecticut, 1636-46, when he removed to Fairfield, Connecticut. He was a
surveyor, representative to the general court which declared war against the
Pequots in 1637, and jointly with Roger Ludlow as granted a monopoly of the
fur trade on the Connecticut river. His son Cornelius was also a surveyor,
deputy to the general court, and lieutenant in King Philip's war in 1675.
Cornelius Jr., great-grandfather of Moses Hull, was founder of Hull's Farms,
Connecticut. David Osborn died testate in Easton, Connecticut, July 26,
1871, aged eighty-eight years nine months. Children: 1. Malinda, born
August 20, 1808, died August 7, 1863; married, September 20, 1827, John S.
Thorp, born in Weston, connecticut, April 19, 1807, died in Easton,
Connecticut, September 27, 1893; he was a farmer by occupation, and they had
children: Sherwood, born July 15, 1829; George, August 10, 1832; Sarah, June
24, 1835; John Wesley, June 7, 1839; Moses, June 27, 1842; Charles, July 7,
1844; Linda, August 7, 1847; Carrie E., May 17, 1851. 2. Sally, born
February 18, 1814, died unmarried, July 1, 1830. 3. David Hull, see
forward.
(VII) David Hull, only son of David and Priscilla (Hull) Osborn, was born
in that part of the town of Weston which is now Easton, Connecticut,
January 20, 1821, died intestate in Easton, after a brief illness, May 18,
1897. He was a prominent farmer and followed that occupation all his life.
He resided on the paternal homestead until 1877, when he purchased for the
sum of $11,000 a farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, formerly owned
by the late Jesse Wakeman, situated about one mile west of Easton Center,
where he resided up to the time of his death. He was a man of strict
honesty, great industry and economy, and was able to accumulate a
comfortable competency from his labors, being at the time of his death the
largest taxpayer in the town of Easton. Politically he was always a staunch
Democrat. At one time he served as a member of the school committee of his
district.
Mr. Osborn married, June 14, 1857, Melissa, youngest daughter of Medad
and Polly (Betts) Banks, of Easton, in the Rock House district, where she
was born September 15, 1835, and she died at the residence of her son, Dr.
George W. Osborn, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, June 14, 1900, on the
forty-third anniversary of her marriage. She was a woman of genial
disposition and great determination, and a zealous member of the Baptist
church of Easton. She was of the seventh generation in direct descent from
John Banks, a lawyer by profession, a highly educated and wealthy man, who
came from England and became one of the first settlers of Windsor,
Connecticut, but removed from there soon after 1643 to Fairfield,
Connecticut, where he was prominent in all the exciting events of the
period. The line of descent is through John, Benjamin, Benjamin, John,
Nathan, grandfather of Mrs. Osborn, who was a soldier in the revolutionary
war, and Medad Banks, father of Mrs. Osborn, who was one of the prominent
and successful farmers of Easton. Her mother, Polly (Betts) Banks, was
daughter of Moses Betts, of Greenfield Hill, Connecticut, who served in the
revolutionary war; was a lineal descendant from Thomas Betts, who came from
England to America in 1639 and was one of the founders of Guilford,
Connecticut. The site of her birthplace is now occupied by the Greenfield
Hill Country Club. Children of Medad and Polly (Betts) Banks: 1. Morris,
born October 10, 1815; married Amelia Mallet, November 17, 1842; died in
Easton, Connecticut, May 12, 1881. 2. Fanny, born August 13, 1818; married
Gould S. Weed, of New Canaan, Connecticut, November 28, 1845; died April 16,
1897. 3. Betsey, born November 27, 1819; married Andrew J. Weed, of New
Canaan, Connecticut, March 30, 1851; died January 31, 1910. 4. Bradley,
born April 15, 1823; married Hannah E. Jennings, of New Canaan, Connecticut,
May 2, 1852; died in Easton, Connecticut, June 16, 1876. 5. Joel, born
January 8, 1828; married Julia Hull, September 29, 1852; still living in
Fairfield, Connecticut. 6. Medad, born July 2, 1829; died August 8, 1843.
7. Clarissa, twin sister, born September 15, 1835; married George S. Banks,
of Easton, Connecticut; still living, and resides with Dr. George W. Osborn
at Bridgeport, connecticut. 8. Melissa, as above.
Children of David Hull and Melissa (Banks) Osborn; 1. George Wakeman, see
forward. 2. Orlando Banks, born January 1, 1868; married, November 14,
1901, Edith Osborn, of Easton, Connecticut. 3. David Franklin, born July
20, 1873, and who is unmarried.
(VIII) Dr. George Wakeman, eldest son of David Hull and Melissa (Banks)
Osborn, was born in Easton, Connecticut, November 6, 1860. His preliminary
education was acquired at the district school of his native village and at
Staples' Academy in Easton, where he was prepared for college. In 1878 he
taught a district school in Easton for a period of five months. He entered
the academic department of Yale University in 1880 from which he graduated
in June, 1884, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In that year he
matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the medical
department of Columbia University, New York City, from which he was
graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in May, 1887. He then
served an internship of one year (1887-88) as house physician of the
Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and on June 1, 1888,
established an office in Bridgeport where he has since continued the active
practice of his profession. He was city physician and surgeon to the
Emergency Hospital of Bridgeport about eight years, 1888-92, 1895-99, and in
addition to these duties served in the capacity of medical examiner for the
Metropollitan Life Insurance Company of New York since 1889, and physician
and examiner for many fraternal and benefit organizations. Dr. Osborn was a
member of the Board of Health of the city of Bridgeport, 1904-06, also since
January 1, 1910, and has been elected president of that body. He has been
surgeon in the Fire Department since April 1, 1910. In the summer of 1904
he made a tour to the Pacific coast. In 1905 he was appointed physician and
surgeon in the Department of Children, St. Vincent's Hospital, Bridgeport.
For several years he has attended operations and clinics in the hosptitals
of New York City. Being fully equipped in surgery and medicine, Dr. Osborn
assumed a high position as a medical practitioner, and among his many
patients are the members of some of the best families of Bridgeport.
Dr. George W. Osborn is a member of the Bridgeport Medical Association,
of which he was vice-president in 1900; the Fairfield County Medical
Society; the Connecticut Medical Society; the American Medical Association;
the American Academy of Medicine; the Bridgeport Scientific and Historical
Society; the Algonquin Club; Bridgeport Democratic Association; the Society
of the sons of the American Revolution, and Fairfield County Yale Alumni
Association. Dr. Osborn has attained the thirty-second degree in the
Masonic fraternity, being a member of Lafayette Consistory, Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite; of St. John's Lodge. No. 3, Free and Accepted
Masons; of Jerusalem Chapter, No. 13, Royal Arch Masons; of Jerusalem
Council, No. 16, Royal and Select Masters; of Hamilton Commandery, No. 5,
Knights of Templar; of Pyramid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is
also a member of the Foresters of America, the Red Men, New England Order
of Protection, the Modern Woodmen of America, and of Bridgeport Lodge No.
36, Benevolent and Protective Orderr of Elks. In his political affiliations
he is an adherent of the Democratic party, and is president of the
Democratic Association. He has never sought or held public office,
preferring to devote his time and attention to his profession. He is a
member of the Young Men's Christian Association, and his family attend
Christ's Episcopal Church. He is methodical in his habits, exceedingly fond
of rational outdoor life, and his chief recreations are hunting, fishing and
sea-bathing.
Dr. Osborn married, December 27, 1888, Nellie Maria Boynton, of Peabody,
Massachusetts. She was born in South Danvers, Massachusetts, December 16,
1862, daughter of James A. and Ellen M. (Very) Boynton, of Peabody, whose
ancestry can be traced to William the Conqueror. She is a lineal descendant
in the ninth generation from John Boynton, who was born in Yorkshire,
England, in 1614, and settled in Rowley, Massachusetts, 1638, and a
descendant in the thirtieth generation from Bartholomew de Boynton, who was
seized of the Manor of Boynton in 1067. Her great-great-grandfather, James
Boynton, was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. "On the
tablets on the gates of the Charlestown Training Field are the names of
those who fell at the battle of Bunker Hill. Among the names is James
Boynton, of Boxford, of Frye's regiment, Perley's company." Mrs. Osborn
obtained her early education in the public schools of Peabody,
Massachusetts, and this was supplemented by a course of study in the State
Normal School, Salem, Massachusetts, from which she was graduated in
January, 1881, after which she was engaged as teacher for several years in
the public schools of Peabody. In 1900 Dr. and Mrs. Osborn made a tour
across the continent of Europe and of Great Britain, visiting many foreign
countries. She is a member of Mary Silliman Chapter, Daughters of the
American Revolution.
Children of Dr. and Mrs. Osborn: 1. Lelius Boynton, born November 7,
1890, died July 3, 1891. 2. Beatrice Melissa, born April 18, 1892.
3. Helen Eugenie, born February 20, 1897. 4. Richard Galen, born December
14, 1903.
Bio. of George Wakeman Osborn-7394
History of Bridgeport and Vicinity, New York, S.J. Clarke
Publishing Co., 1917. Page 140. (transcript)
GEORGE WAKEMAN OSBORN, M.D.
The demands made upon the physician are many. Not only must he possess
broad scientific knowledge and ability to accurately apply its principles
but it is demanded of him also that he possess keen intuition and unfailing
sympathy combined with courtesy and a spirit of optimism that inspires
confidence and hope in others. Meeting every requirement Dr. George Wakeman
Osborn has made for himself a - most creditable position in professional
circles in Bridgeport, and he is constantly promoting his efficiency through
his broad reading and study. Connecticut numbers him among her native sons.
He was born in Easton, November 6, 1860, his parents being David Hull and
Melissa (Banks) Osborn. He has two brothers, Orlando Banks and David
Franklin, both farmers, residing in Easton. In the paternal line he comes
of a family of prominent farmers. The Osborn family has been represented in
Connecticut for more than two and a half centuries, Dr. Osborn being a
representative in the eighth generation of the lineal descent of Captain
Richard Osborn, who in 1634 came from London, England. He settled in
Hingham, Massachusetts, the following year and removed to New Haven,
Connecticut, in 1639, there remaining until 1653, when he was granted eighty
acres of land at Fairfield, Connecticut, to which tract he added until his
landed possessions became very extensive. His first grant was accorded him
in recognition of his services in the Pequot war of 1637. His grandmother,
in the paternal line, was Priscilla Hull, a lineal descendant of George
Hull, who came from Plymouth, England, in 1629-30, settled in Dorchester,
Massachusetts, resided in Windsor, Connecticut, 1636-46, when he removed to
Fairfield, Connecticut. He was a surveyor, representative to the general
court, which declared war against the Pequots in 1637 and jointly with Roger
Ludlow was granted a monopoly of the fur trade on the Connecticut river.
His son Cornelius was a surveyor, deputy to the general court, and
lieutenant in King Philip's War in 1675. His son, Cornelius, Jr., was the
founder of Hull's Farms, Connecticut.
On the maternal side of Dr. Osborn is descended in the eighth generation
from John Banks, a lawyer who was one of the first settlers of Windsor,
Connecticut. He was appointed town clerk in 1643 and was assigned the
duties of sizing the weights and measures of the several towns of the
colony. Soon afterward he removed to Fairfield and became one of its
wealthiest residents and one of the largest landholders of Fairfield county,
where he took a prominent part in all of the leading events which shaped its
early history. He represented one of the distinguished families of England.
Nathan Banks, the great-grandfather, a resident of Fairfield, served with
the American army in the Revolutionary war. Medad Banks, the grandfather,
was a prominent farmer of Easton, Connecticut, and married Polly Betts, a
lineal descendant of Thomas Betts who came from England in 1639 and was one
of the founders of Guilford, Connecticut.
The two families were united in the marriage of David Hull Osborn and
Melissa Banks and their eldest son was Dr. George Wakeman Osborn, who, after
acquiring a district school education in his native village, prepared for
college in Staples' Academy in Easton. In 1878 he was engaged to teach the
district school in Easton for a period of five months and later entered the
academic department of Yale University for study from 1880 until June, 1884,
when he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In college he
was a member of Gamma Nu. In that year he matriculated in the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, the medical department of Columbia University of
New York city, and won his professional degree in May, 1887. Through the
succeeding year he was house physician of the Bridgeport Hospital, and on
the 1st of June, 1888, entered upon independent practice by opening an
office in Bridgeport, where he has since followed his profession, and,
advancing step by step, he has long since left the ranks of the many to
stand among the more successful few. He was city physician and surgeon of
the Emergency Hospital from 1888 until 1892, and again from 1895 to 1899,
and became medical examiner for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company of
New York in 1889. He has since served in that capacity, is also examiner
for the Massachusetts Accident Company, and has also been physician and
examiner for many fraternal and beneficial organizations. The only public
offices he has held have been in the strict path of his profession. He
served as a member of the Bridgeport board of health from 1904 to 1906, and
again from 1910 to 1912, of which he was president. He was surgeon of the
fire department from 1910 to 1912, and in 1905 he was appointed physician
and surgeon in the Department of Children of St. Vincent's Hospital of
Bridgeport, and has been a member of the medical staff of that institution
since 1911. He has also attended operations and clinics in the hospitals of
New York city for several years, thus gaining broad and valuable knowledge
and experience. Since 1914 he has been medical examiner of the Life
Extension Institute of New York and in 1913 he was made a member of the
board of United States Pension Examining Surgeons, of which he is the
secretary.
On the 27th of December, 1888, Dr. Osborn was married to Miss Nellie
Maria Boynton of Peabody, Massachusetts, who was born in South Danvers, that
state, on the 16th of December, 1862, a daughter of James A. and Ellen M.
(Very) Boynton of Peabody, whose ancestry can be traced back to William the
Conqueror. She is also a lineal descendant in the ninth generation of John
Boynton, who was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1614, and settled in Rowley,
Massachusetts, in 1638. She is likewise a descendant in the thirtieth
generation of Bartholomew de Boynton, who was seized of the Manor of Boynton
in 1067. Her great-great-grandfather, James Boynton, was killed at the
battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. On the tablets on the gates of the
Charlestown training field are the names of those who fell at Bunker Hill,
including that of James Boynton, of Boxford, of Freye's regiment, Perley's
company. Mrs. Osborn is now a member of Mary Silliman Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution. After attending the public schools of
Peabody she studied in the state normal school at Salem, Massachusetts, and
following her graduation in January, 1881, devoted several years to teaching
in the public schools of Peabody. Dr. and Mrs. Osborn have become parents
of four children: Lelius Boynton, born November 7, 1890, died July 3, 1891.
Beatrice Melissa, born April 18, 1892, was graduated from the Bridgeport
high school in 1911 and on the 21st of October of that year became the wife
of Alan Edmund Aube of Bridgeport, by whom she has one child, Virginia
Osborn, born July 11, 1912. Helen Eugenie, born February 20, 1897, was
graduated from the Bridgeport high school in 1914, from the Bridgeport
normal school in 1916 and became a teacher in the Elias Howe school.
Richard Galen, born December 14, 1903, completes the family. In 1900 Doctor
and Mrs. Osborn made a tour across the continent of Europe and of Great
Britain, visiting many foreign countries and in 1904 he visited the Pacific
Coast.
Dr. Osborn and his family attend the Episcopal church and he was formerly
a member of the Young Men's Christian Association. He greatly enjoys
hunting, fishing and sea bathing and other forms of outdoor life, to which
he turns for needed rest and recreation. In politics he is a democrat and
ex-president of the Democratic Association, but has never sought nor filled
political office. In 1912, however, he became a member of the board of
education of Bridgeport of which he is vice president. His membership
connections show the breadth and nature of his interests and activities. He
has attained the thirty-second degree in Masonry, holding membership in St.
John's Lodge, No. 3, F. & A.M., Jerusalem Chapter No. 13, R.A.M., Jerusalem
Council No. 16, R. & S.M., Hamilton Commandery No. 5, K.T., Lafayette
Consistory A. & A.S.R., and Pyramid Temple A.A.O.N.M.S. He likewise has
membership with Court Pequonnock, No. 62, Foresters of America,
Konckapotanauh Tribe No. 30, Improved Order of Red Men, the Loyal Order of
Moose, Ida Lodge, No. 10, New England Order of Protection, Dewey Camp, 7033,
Modern Woodmen of America and Bridgeport Lodge No. 36, B.P.O.E. Educational
and patriotic organizations receive his indorsement and support. He is
identified with the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, with the
Fairfield County Yale Alumni Association, the Bridgeport Scientific and
Historical Society and with the Algonquin Club. He is also a member of The
National Geographic Society. Along strictly professional lines he has
connection with the Bridgeport Medical Association of which he was vice
president in 1900, the Fairfield County Medical Association, the Connecticut
Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the American Academy
of Medicine, thus keeping in close touch with the trend of modern medical
research and scientific investigation, his work being accordingly advanced
in its efficiency.