Mary Jane (Smith) Osborne (1855 - 1902)

Born 21 Nov 1855 in Boughton under Blean, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of Clarence Augustus Osborne — married 5 Apr 1883 in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States

Descendants

Died 10 Dec 1902 at age 47 in Bancroft, Cuming, Nebraska, United States

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Biography

Mary Jane (Smith) Osborne migrated from England to USA.

Mary Jane (Smith) Osborne was born in Boughton under Blean, Kent, England.

Mary Jane 'Mattie' Smith was born on 21 Nov 1855 in Boughton under Blean, Kent, England. She was the ninth child of John Lever Smith and Mary Ann Dawson. Her father, the son of a successful Confectioner and Bakery Shop owner, supported the family as a Grocer and was also the local Registrar. Census records show they employed three live-in servants, including a governess.

Mary Jane emigrated at age 2 with her family to the United States, settling in Union Grove, Racine, Wisconsin in 1857. Her parents were early Methodists and the move overseas came about after her paternal uncle, a Methodist minister, also emigrated - assigned to support a congregation near Racine. Her uncle was married to her mother's sister so it was a family decision to be near one another, enabling the families to share resources, childcare, and religious community.

Mary Jane's father fell ill within a few years of the move. After his untimely death in 1863, Mary Jane was raised primarily in her aunt's household. At about age 16, she moved to Dickinson, Iowa with her older sister Mary Ann and brother Walter where she taught Sunday School.

She married Clarence A. Osborne on 5 Apr 1883 in Spencer, Clay, Iowa. ^[1] He brought one child to the marriage.

Together, Mary Jane and Clarence had five children:

1. Ella Mildred Osborne 1884-1977^[2]
2. Morton Henry Osborne 1885-1923^[3]
3. Emily Lucile Osborne 1890-1974^[4]
4. Clara Augusta Osborne 1893-1918 ^[5]
5. Russell Smith Osborne 1897-1972 ^[6]

In 1885, Mary Jane, 28, was living with her husband's parents, her husband Clarence, his son Carl, and their daughter Mildred near Spirit Lake in Milford, Dickinson, Iowa. Her husband was a farmer. ^[7] The family relocated to Flandreau, Moody, South Dakota after 1890 to homestead. This was not as successful as they had hoped, and the Osbornes moved south, closer to Sioux Falls, where her husband worked in carpentry and house painting.

In 1900, the family was in Pennington, Minnehaha, South Dakota. ^[8] Before 1902, the family made another move, this time to Nebraska where Mary Jane had family, but plans were interrupted.

Died: Mary Jane died unexpectedly on 10 Dec 1902. She was buried in Bancroft Cemetery, Bancroft, Cuming, Nebraska. ^[9]

Research Notes

After Mary Jane died, the children were taken in by relatives in Iowa and Nebraska. Their youngest son was raised in Iowa by Mary Jane's brother Walter, and their youngest daughters moved between families until reunited with their father in Presho SD about 1906-1910.

Sources

1. ↑ "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJCD-8ZB : Wed Dec 06 21:12:03 UTC 2023), Entry for Clarence A. Osborn and Mary J. Smith, 05 Apr 1883.
2. ↑ "Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XV23-SVL : 13 Jan 2020), Ella Mildred Osborn.
3. ↑ "Montana Death Index, 1860-2007," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VHCL-P39 : 9 December 2014), Morton Osborne, 05 Jun 1923; from "Montana Death Index, 1868-2011," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2009); citing State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Statistics, Helena.
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241113496/emily-lucille-herten: accessed 18 January 2024), memorial page for Emily Lucille “Lucille E” Osborne Herten (3 Jan 1890–20 Nov 1974), Find A Grave: Memorial #241113496, citing Forest Lawn Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.
5. ↑ "South Dakota, School Records, 1879-1970", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK73-7YN9 : Sat Dec 16 17:16:35 UTC 2023), Entry for Clara Osborn and C A Osborn, 1906.
6. ↑ "South Dakota, Department of Health, Index to Births 1843-1914 and Marriages 1950-2016," , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKD8-5MLH : 2 January 2024), Mary Smith in entry for Russell Osborne, 1 May 1897; citing Birth, Moody, South Dakota, United States, South Dakota Department of Health, Pierre.
7. ↑ "Iowa State Census, 1885", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HCR8-9T2 : Wed Oct 04 18:17:47 UTC 2023), Entry for Clarence A Osborn and Mary J Osborn, 1885.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMR8-RV7 : Fri Oct 06 09:30:50 UTC 2023), Entry for Clarance A Osborne and Mary Osborne, 1900.
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57285152/mary-osborn: accessed 05 January 2024), memorial page for Mary Osborn (21 Nov 1855–10 Dec 1902), Find A Grave: Memorial #57285152, citing Bancroft Cemetery, Bancroft, Cuming County, Nebraska, USA.

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