OSBORN-Thomas - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Thomas OSBORN of the Willows was born in Franklin Co IN Jan 1, 1824. He is the son of Daniel and Rebecca (French) Osborn who are natives of Ohio. His grandparents, Cyrus and Esther (Baldwin) Osborn removed from Newark, NJ to Butler Co OH during the latter part of the last century. Cyrus Osborn was one of the party who went to the scene of St. Clair's defeat to bury the dead. He lived to return to his home, but died soon after. Daniel Osborn served under General Harrison In the he War of 1812. When his son Thomas was but a few months old, he became a pioneer settler of Fountain County, Indiana locating there two years before the county was organized. There the subject of this sketch was reared, assisting in his youth in clearing a farm in the dense forest. His schooling was limited to a few weeks' attendance, each year at subscription schools. On the 20th of October 1847 he was married to Miss Harbaugh, who is a native of the state of PA. They have 8 children, 4 of whom were born in Indiana and four in Wisconsin they having removed to Dane Township, Dane County of that state in 1849. There they lived until 1858, thence returning to Fountain County, Indiana. In 1868, they removed to Vermillion County, Illinois and again, in 1872, to Veedersburg, Indiana. Here Mr. Osborn conducted a hardware business for one year, and in April 1873, became a Californian settling in Tulare County where he bought a ranch, which he stocked with 6,000 sheep. This business he followed for about six years, when he sold his sheep and engaged in attle raising at the same place. His ranch contained 800 acres, while his range covered thousands of acres. Selling his property, Mr. Osborn established himself in his present home in January 1885. It is situated in the Willow District, near the junction of Lincoln Avenue and the Almaden Road. For this property, which had been previously improved by John W. Badger, he paid $450 per acre. It contains 14 acres, devoted to fruit, consisting principally of apricots and Silver prunes. The names of their children in order of their birth are: Alice, wife of Isaac Waldrip, of Fountain County, Indiana; Joel S, engaged in stock business in Tulare County; Oliver D, a resident of Los Angeles; Eve, wife of William Duncan, Danville, Il; Elizabeth living at her father's home at the Willows; Daniel, an employee of the Southern Pacific Road; Mary m, a teacher and a member of the home household as is also Butler, the youngest. Mr. Osborn, a man of kindly, honest nature has devoted his life to agriculture, and has made a success in that line, as his surroundings prove. He is a Republican of long standing, having been one of the organizers of the party, in Dane County, Wisconsin. In religion, he is a Baptist, with which denomination both he and his wife are identified.