Back to top

University of Michigan William L. Clements Library

See More About This Repository

Address:

909 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
clements-reference@umich.edu

Thomas and Daniel Osborn family papers, 1737-1885 (majority within 1836-1852)

Navigate the Collection

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.

More ...

Summary

Creator:
Osborn family
Abstract:
The Thomas and Daniel Osborn family papers contain correspondence and documents related to the ancestors and descendants of Yale graduate Daniel Osborn of Cutchogue, New York. The items primarily concern his son Thomas Osborn, a doctor in Riverhead, New York, and his grandson Thomas Gilbert Osborn, a Methodist Episcopal minister in New York and Connecticut. The materials pertain to family relationships and news, religion, property, family history, and other subjects.
Extent:
0.25 linear feet
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Meg Hixon, July 2013

Background

Scope and Content:

The Thomas and Daniel Osborn family papers (81 items) contain correspondence and documents related to the ancestors and descendants of Yale graduate Daniel Osborn of Cutchogue, New York. The materials pertain to family relationships and news, religion, property, and family history, among other subjects.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of correspondence to and between members of the Osborn family, particularly Dr. Thomas Osborn of Riverhead, New York, and his son, minister Thomas Gilbert Osborn of Suffolk County, New York; Connecticut; and New York City. Dr. Thomas Osborn provided his son with family news from Riverhead, New York. Thomas Gilbert Osborn wrote about his experiences at a seminary in New York in 1841 and travel to the Azores on board a whaling vessel in the fall of 1842. Thomas G. Osborn later told his wife Jerusha of his father's failing health and funeral in the summer of 1849. Their letters also refer to finances, local news, and other aspects of everyday life. Thomas G. Osborn's incoming letters from acquaintances frequently pertain to the writers' religious beliefs.

The nine Tomas Gilbert Osborn diaries cover selected months between November 1, 1841, and April 6, 1844. At the time, he lived in Riverhead, New York, and his writings pertain to his educational and social life, employment, and health. He documented his efforts towards entering the law profession, including working with a lawyer in Riverhead, attending a semester at Harvard Law School, and reading legal texts. Othe educational and personal improvement efforts include notes on books read, reflections on historical and prominent figures, religious commentary, resolutions towards upright living, and involvement with the temperance movement.

Thomas G. Osborn's medical ailments are also featured heavily, primarily his ongoing bowel complaints and efforts to adjust his diet and lifestyle to recover his health. Medical notes, excerpts of medical texts, different advice and diets are covered in relation to dyspepsia and chronic diarrhea. In an effort to bolster his health, Osborn went on a mackerel fishing expedition, which he documents in detail, and joined a whaling voyage against his parents' wishes (see esp. entries beginning September 19, 1842). Capt. Rose [Jetur Rose?] was master of the vessel, apparently called Caroline. His entries about the expedition and his role as steward provide insight into labor, personal relations, illnesses, and diet onboard. A subsequent diary relates his and several crewmates' stay at a hospital at Faial, Azores, as they recovered from dysentery and other ailments, as well as an unpleasant sea voyage back to America. Several entries relate to the African American book during that homeward voyage, and sporadic mentions of African Americans can be found throughout the volume. Upon his return home, Osborn's journals turn more to documenting social visits, religious matters, and his entrance into preaching.

The collection includes several documents and ephemeral items. Three indentures concern Daniel Osborn's acquisition of land from 1737-1739, and 2 certificates pertain to claims registered by Samuel and Chatfield Osborn at a land office in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1838. Three medical lecture tickets (1804-1805) and a certificate (August 7, 1806) relate to Dr. Thomas Osborn's medical career, and fragments include an undated item with a lithograph portrait of George Washington surrounded by Civil War-era military paraphernalia and a brief poem.

A notebook contains recipes and instructions for medical treatments and additional notes and accounts, dated as early as 1797 and referring to events as late as 1874. A group of genealogical charts, copied letters, and notes (11 items total) provides information about members of the Fanning, Jagger, and Osborn families from the mid-17th to late 19th century. Two copies of a broadside regard the sale of items from Daniel H. Osborn's estate (March 5, 1867).

Biographical / Historical:

Dr. Thomas Osborn (February 3, 1779-July 25, 1849) was the son of Yale graduate and Cutchogue, New York, lawyer Daniel Osborn (January 24, 1741-July 11, 1801) and Mary Paine (or Payne) (b. October 22, 1758). He practiced medicine in Riverhead, Long Island. He and his wife, Elizabeth Jagger (November 4, 1798-May 12, 1844), married on April 5, 1815, and had five children: Mary Elizabeth (June 29, 1816-December 11, 1845), Thomas Gilbert (October 15, 1820-February 27, 1888), Daniel H. (b. August 13, 1822), Helen Hull (b. January 13, 1831), and Delia Hamilton (b. September 11, 1836).

Thomas Gilbert Osborn graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1840 and briefly studied law before becoming a minister. He preached in Suffolk County, New York; in Connecticut; and in New York City until his retirement in 1880. On March 23, 1846, he married Jerusha Cook (d. August 25, 1857) of Bridgehampton, New York; they had at least two children: Mary Elizabeth (b. July 10, 1849) and Thomas Stephenson (b. 1857). Following Jerusha's death, Osborn married Maria Jane Cook (d. March 5, 1863).

Acquisition Information:
Donated by Peter Wright, 1995; donated by C. Hedger Breed, 2021. M-3170.1, M-7463.1 .
Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

Correspondence is arranged by writer and recipient. Documents, a notebook, and genealogical materials placed at the end of the collection.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Thomas and Daniel Osborn Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan