Eliza Osgood collection
Collection
Identifier: L461
Scope and Contents
This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and personal documents of Elizabeth "Bessie" Osgood in Indiana, ranging from 1833 to 1950, concerning her teaching experiences, family activities, friends, romances, social events, church activities, marriages, new babies, and illnesses.
Along with photographs of friends and professors at DePauw University (circa 1880s), the collection also contains Rev. John S. C. Scott's, The Mother at Home (1833), an Indiana University annual catalogue (1855-1856), notes on Owen County, Indiana history (undated), Osgood's funeral registry and obituary (December, 1950), pen nibs, and a piece of wood with autographs of individuals who attended a cave party in July 1887.
Along with photographs of friends and professors at DePauw University (circa 1880s), the collection also contains Rev. John S. C. Scott's, The Mother at Home (1833), an Indiana University annual catalogue (1855-1856), notes on Owen County, Indiana history (undated), Osgood's funeral registry and obituary (December, 1950), pen nibs, and a piece of wood with autographs of individuals who attended a cave party in July 1887.
Dates
- 1833-1950
Creator
- Strain, Eliza Osgood, 1866-1950 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Eliza "Bessie" Eunice Osgood was born November 23, 1866 in Gosport, Indiana to Dr. Howard G. and Harriet (Lyons) Osgood. After graduating from high school, she attended DePauw Univesity in Greencastle, Indiana, where she met Mary "Puss" Allen. Osgood married Jerome F. Strain (1867-1949) on November 2, 1894 and they had a daughter, Helen, who died in infancy (1895) and a son, Howard (1900-1918). She taught Sunday school and was the pianist for the Gosport Methodist Church and was a member of the Women's Society of Christian Service and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Osgood assed away at the age of 84 on December 23, 1950.
Mary Estelle "Puss" Allen was born to Albert and Mary (Talbot) Allen in Indiana. Allen attended DePauw University wear she roomed with Bessie Osgood. The two young women fell in love and dreamed of sharing a life together as partners. They wrote faithfully from 1885 until 1889, when Puss married John Morton Hardman on May 21, 1889 in Orleans, Indiana. The Hardmans had three children: Leon Allen (1895-1963), Albert, and Josephine. Eventually they moved to Paonia, Colorado where John worked as a laborer at a fruit farm. The couple lived in New Mexico by 1930, first in Casa Colorada and Willard.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Leon Allen Hardman." U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Leon Allen Hardman." Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
[Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." 1870 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.]
[Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.]
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Mary Estelle "Puss" Allen was born to Albert and Mary (Talbot) Allen in Indiana. Allen attended DePauw University wear she roomed with Bessie Osgood. The two young women fell in love and dreamed of sharing a life together as partners. They wrote faithfully from 1885 until 1889, when Puss married John Morton Hardman on May 21, 1889 in Orleans, Indiana. The Hardmans had three children: Leon Allen (1895-1963), Albert, and Josephine. Eventually they moved to Paonia, Colorado where John worked as a laborer at a fruit farm. The couple lived in New Mexico by 1930, first in Casa Colorada and Willard.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Ancestry.com. "Leon Allen Hardman." U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Leon Allen Hardman." Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
[Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." 1870 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.]
[Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.]
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary Hardman." 1940 United States Federal Census. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001. Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Mary E. Allen." Accessed January 21, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Extent
0.6 Cubic Feet (2 manuscript boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Tom Dodd in 2002/09.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Historical Context Note
The Indiana State Library strives to provide extensive access to our diverse collections, in person and online. Materials within these collections appear as they were originally published or created and may include content that that some viewers find offensive or objectionable. These materials are preserved and presented to provide a true historical representation of their time and should be viewed in the context in which they were created.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed in 2002 by Beth Herzog. Collection reprocessed 2017/01/26 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2017/01/26 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid revised 2020/05/25 by Brittany Kropf.
Creator
- Strain, Eliza Osgood, 1866-1950 (Person)
- Title
- Eliza Osgood collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
