TENNESSEE STATE RECORDS - BIOGRAPHIES - Nicholas Whitson Osburn ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Drogich ddrogich@viaduct.custom.net ==================================================================== Nicholas Whitson Osburn Surnames: Hodge, Sarver, Terra, Clark, Love, Baker, Stewart Locations: Central Tennessee; North Carolina; Tennessee; Kansas; Nebraska; Portland, Oregon Nicholas W. Osburn, a well known farmer in Richland township, was born April 4, 1843, in Highland township, the son of Jesse and Charity C. (Hodge) Osburn, the former a native of central Tennessee. He was the son of Thomas Osburn, also a native of Tennessee, who came to Greene county, Indiana, in 1819 when the father of the subject was seven years old. Thomas, the subject's grandfather, was a soldier in the War of 1812. He entered land from the government in Highland township, Greene county, Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy-seven years. He was a member of the Methodist church. Jesse, the father of the subject, also secured land of the government of that locality when he became a man, on which he made a good farm on which he spent the remainder of his life. He was a strong Democrat and a religious man. Charity Hodge was native of North Carolina. She was the daughter of Rev. Gentry C. Hodge, a Baptist minister, who came to Greene county, Indiana, in an early day, locating in Highland township, where he spent his life. Charity Osburn, the mother of the subject, died at the age of fifty-six years. She was the mother of eleven children, namely: Gentry, Thomas, Polly, Nicholas, Simpson, Abraham, Isaac, Margaret, Jesse, Martha and Charity. Nicholas W. Osburn was raised to manhood on his father's farm and educated in the old-time subscription schools, taught in log school houses. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, Seventy-first Indiana Volunteer Regiment, in which he served until it was changed in the fall of 1863 to the Sixth Indiana Cavalry. His regiment scouted in the eastern part of Tennessee and Kentucky until the winter of 1863-64. In the following spring it was attached to Sherman's army, in which it took part in the fighting around Atlanta. It was sent from that city on a raid to Macon, Georgia, and on the way back met Joe Wheeler's cavalry at Clinton, Georgia, where they were surrounded but escaped. Three days later they were captured near Atlanta and taken first to Augusta, Georgia, where they remained a while, and were later sent to Andersonville on August 3, 1864, but in the following November the subject was taken back to Macon. The Confederates started with him to Mellon prison, in Georgia, but he made good his escape while on the way by jumping off the train. However, he was recaptured five days later by bloodhounds and taken back to Macon, and from there to Mellon, Georgia, where he remained until December, 1864, when he and many of his comrades escaped, but were captured again several days afterward by cavalry and taken to Augusta, Georgia, where he remained until he and six others made good their escape and came to the Union lines at Resaca, Georgia, May 11, 1865. This was after peace had been declared. He was sent to Nashville, where he joined his regiment, but was mustered out at Pulaski, Tennessee, and discharged in Indianapolis, June 27, 1865. Mr. Osburn came home after the war and went to farming, at first renting land, but in 1887 he bought his present farm of forty-three acres in Richland township, Greene county, Indiana. On December 6, 1866, he married Elizabeth Sarver, a native of that community, and the daughter of Thomas J. and Matilda (Terra) Sarver, natives of Tennessee. Her parents were early settlers in Greene county, Indiana. Thomas J. Sarver was the son of George Sarver, also a native of Tennessee, who came to Greene county at an early date. Thomas Sarver was a farmer, who died in 1864, his wife having preceded him by one year. Thirteen children were born to this union, as follows: Margaret and John, both deceased; Rachael, who lives in Missouri, in which state George also lives; Jane lives in Greene county; William, deceased; Elizabeth, wife of the subject; Jacob lives in Kansas; Eliza is deceased; David is also deceased; Frank is living in Kansas; Henry lives in Nebraska; Carrie lives in Greene county; John and George were soldiers in the Civil war, the former dying while in service. The subject and wife had eight children: The first two died unnamed; Andrew, who lives in Portland, Oregon, married Rosa Clark; Edward, the subject's fourth son, who lives in Worthington, Indiana, married Emma Love and they have two children, Iris and Albert; Aderella is the name of the subject's fifth child, who is the wife of Granville Stewart, a farmer in Richland township; they have four children, Ruby Dessa, John W., Dexter and Lexie Lee. The subject's sixth child is Tona, who lives at Jasonville, Indiana. She married Ray Baker. They have three children, John D., Mildred E. and Elnora. Charles, the subject's seventh child, died in infancy, and the last one died unnamed. Mr. Osburn is a Republican and he held the office of supervisor of his home township for a period of twelve years. He is a member of the Methodist church, while Mrs. Osburn is a member of the Church of God. Source: "Biographical Memoirs of Greene County, Ind. with Reminiscences of Pioneer Days", B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis, IN, 1908.