Who Gathered at the Osborns for Christmas?

Annie Osborn had ten siblings spanning three decades, since her father was married three

times (widowed twice). Here are some glimpses of who may have joined her on Martha’s Vineyard for her family Christmas in 1863:

Her father, Captain Abraham Osborn, and his wife Ann Eliza (Mayhew)
Her oldest brother Abraham and his fiance Lucy Hobart, who married in 1874 and later went a-whalin’ together
Her sister Eunice Cross and husband Jim, who lived in Milwaukee
Her brother John, who apparently joined the Navy and later visited Annie in Kansas
Her younger sister Mary, who married in 1875 and moved to Brooklyn

It is doubtful that Annie’s finance Daniel Anthony could attend, since he would visit the Vineyard only a month later to marry Annie. This may have been Annie’s last Vineyard Christmas.

All these Osborns appear in my upcoming historical novel entitled The Truth About Daniel. If you have more information about this family, please share it on this blog.

Photo by Jeanne Gehret at The Rowley House Museum, Williamsport, PA