Osbun Family. Letters, 1862-1866, 1906 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

This collection consists of photocopied letters addressed to Private Freeman Osbun of Company D, 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. The letters in this collection are addressed to Freeman Osbun from family members and other parties.

Private Freeman Osbun (1843-1923) enlisted in Company D, 102^nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at the age of 19. He served primarily in Kentucky and Tennessee. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Osbun returned to his hometown in Richland County, Ohio, where he had been born. He married Matilda Waldo in 1872, and the couple had three children. Osbun passed away in his home in Richland County at eighty years old.

The collection contains letters addressed to Freeman Osbun from various family members or other parties. The letters, written primarily by women, describe their perceptions of the Civil War in the United States, Copperhead sentiments against the war, and life on the home front. Many of the letters also mention the railroad construction nearby and problems with Irish railroad workers. Also included is a letter describing the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Most of the letters Osbun received were from his immediate family in Mansfield, Ohio, especially his sister Emma, his brother Mel, and their parents, Ezra and Emily Osbun.

The Library created photocopies of the original letters, held by  Kelly Grant of Champaign, Illinois, in 1991.