Charles Osborn grave marker dedication photographs
Collection — Folder: SP168
Identifier: SP168
Scope and Contents
This collection includes 4 black-and-white photographs taken at the dedication for the Charles Osborn historical plaque in Quakerdom Cemetery in Porter County, Indiana on September 28, 1958. The images most likely appeared in the July 1959 Indiana History Bulletin. A small group of African American girls sang at the event.
Dates
- 1958/09/28
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
Charles Osborn was born to Daniel and Margaret (Stout) Osborn on August 21, 1775 in Guilford County, North Carolina. Osborn was a minister in the Society of Friends. Osborn was ostensibly expelled from the Quaker community in North Carolina for his strong abolitionist stance. He moved to Knox County, Tennessee where he met his first wife. Osborn married Sarah Newman on January 11, 1798 and they had seven children: James (1798-), Josiah (1800–1862), John (1801–1874), Isaiah (1803–1846), Lydia (1805-1805), Elijah (1807–1886), and Elihu (1810-1910). The family moved to Lost Creek, Jefferson County, Tennessee in 1811. Sarah Osborn died the following year on August 10, 1812. Osborn then married Hannah Swain (1790–1878) in September 1813 and they had nine children: Narcissa (1814-1826), Cynthia (1815–1851), Gideon S. (1817–1875), Charles N. (1818–1898), Parker B. (1821-1901), Jordan (1823–1902), Benjamin W. (1825–1849), Sarah S. (1828–1885), and Anna (1830–1907).
In 1815, Osborn started an abolitionist society in Tennessee, but found little support in the slave state. The following year, he and his family moved north to Mouth Pleasant in Ohio, a free state, where Osborn began publishing The Philanthropist, the first anti-slavery newspaper in the country, of which he was editor, publisher, and printer. He contended that only the immediate emancipation of the enslaved was acceptable, unlike many abolitionists of the day who were in favor of gradual emancipation. Osborn sold the newspaper to Elisha Bates in October 1818, who continued publishing it until 1822.
The Osborns moved to Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana in 1819 where there was good, low-cost farmland. Osborn and seven other abolitionists were apparently removed from office in the Society of Friends, reputedly for refusing to withdraw from anti-slavery activities in 1842. The eight men then formed the Society of Anti-Slavery Friends. Osborn traveled extensively to drum up support for his causes and is credited with organizing anti-slavery societies in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Canada. Osborn died on December 29, 1850 in Valparaiso, Indiana and was buried in Quakerdom Cemetery in Porter County.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." 1840 United States Federal Census. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." U.S., Hinshaw Index to Selected Quaker Records, 1680-1940. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Bernhart, Rollie. "Plan Special Rites at Quakerdom Cemetery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
"Entertains Historical Society." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Findagrave.com. "Charles Osborn." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed April 28, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17833113/charles-osborn.
"Jackson Man Is Opposed to Slavery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), March 27, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Ohio History Connection. "Charles Osborn." Ohio History Central. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Charles_Osborn.
In 1815, Osborn started an abolitionist society in Tennessee, but found little support in the slave state. The following year, he and his family moved north to Mouth Pleasant in Ohio, a free state, where Osborn began publishing The Philanthropist, the first anti-slavery newspaper in the country, of which he was editor, publisher, and printer. He contended that only the immediate emancipation of the enslaved was acceptable, unlike many abolitionists of the day who were in favor of gradual emancipation. Osborn sold the newspaper to Elisha Bates in October 1818, who continued publishing it until 1822.
The Osborns moved to Jackson Township, Porter County, Indiana in 1819 where there was good, low-cost farmland. Osborn and seven other abolitionists were apparently removed from office in the Society of Friends, reputedly for refusing to withdraw from anti-slavery activities in 1842. The eight men then formed the Society of Anti-Slavery Friends. Osborn traveled extensively to drum up support for his causes and is credited with organizing anti-slavery societies in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Canada. Osborn died on December 29, 1850 in Valparaiso, Indiana and was buried in Quakerdom Cemetery in Porter County.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." 1840 United States Federal Census. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." U.S., Hinshaw Index to Selected Quaker Records, 1680-1940. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Ancestry.com. "Charles Osborn." U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935. Accessed April 29, 2022. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Bernhart, Rollie. "Plan Special Rites at Quakerdom Cemetery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
"Entertains Historical Society." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Findagrave.com. "Charles Osborn." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed April 28, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17833113/charles-osborn.
"Jackson Man Is Opposed to Slavery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), March 27, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Ohio History Connection. "Charles Osborn." Ohio History Central. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Charles_Osborn.
Historical Note
On September 28, 1958, a new marker composed of a bronze plaque mounted on a large boulder was erected and dedicated in honor of abolitionist Charles Osborn at his grave in Quakerdom Cemetery, Porter County, Indiana. It was a joint effort by the William Henry Harrison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Porter County Historical Society, the Duneland Historical Society, and the LaPorte County Historical Society. The old marker was placed with the Porter County Historical Museum.
Sources:
Bernhart, Rollie. "Plan Special Rites at Quakerdom Cemetery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
"Entertains Historical Society." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Sources:
Bernhart, Rollie. "Plan Special Rites at Quakerdom Cemetery." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
"Entertains Historical Society." Vidette Messenger (Valparaiso, IN), September 24, 1958. Accessed April 28, 2022. NewspaperArchives.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
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.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2022/04/29 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2022/04/29 by Brittany Kropf.
- Title
- Charles Osborn grave marker dedication photographs
- 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
