Matthew Osborn (Grandfather)

Date: 1660 to 5 Apr 1738
Location: Cool Spring, Sussex County, Delaware
Surname/tag: Osborn

Matthew Osborn (grandfather)

Contents 1 Prelude 2 Biography 2.1 Research Notes 3 Sources

Prelude

Every American family has its origin story. In this particular case, it would appear that Matthew Ozbun was apprenticed to a gardener in London, and one evening he failed to cover the tender vegetables. As a consequence, the next morning they were frostbitten. Fearful of the consequence to his body when his master discover his failure, he hide aboard ship about to sail for the American colonies. Thus, Matthew arrived in the new world as a stowaway.^[1][2]

Biography

• Mathew Osborn was born January 1660 o.s. to Norse Osborn and Elizabeth ? in Cheshire, England.^[1][2][3][4] See Research Note 1.
• Matthew emigrated from England. He arrived in Delaware in 1675.^[5] See Research Note 2.
• Matthew was bound out for three years as a man servant for Norton Claypoole by the court in Sussex, Delaware. See Research Note 3.
• More of the indenture and his land acquisitions from 1686-1710 may be found here.^[2][6] He married Mary M Osborn in 1690 in Sussex, Delaware.^[2][1]
• Matthew married Mary M. ? on the n 1690, in Sussex, Delaware,
• Matthew died in the early spring of 1738. His will was published and witnessed on 10th of December 1733; it was proven in probate court on the 5th April 1738 in Georgetown, Sussex County, Delaware. The date that his will was proven (5 Apr 1738) will be used as his death date.^[7]

Children of Matthew Osborn and Mary ?^[7]

1. Jonathan Osborn b 1695, m Sarah Rowland, April 1724.^[1]
2. Matthew Osborn b 12 Aug 1697 m Isabella Dobson 16 Oct 1723^[4]
3. Thomas Osborn b Jan 1661, m Ezilpha Burdsell 1739
4. Henry Osborn b 1705
5. Mary Osborn b 15 Nov 1737,

Research Notes

Research Note 0. The Julian vs the Georgian calendar. In the British dominions the shift from the Julian to the Georgian calendar took place on the 21st of March 1752. The details of the conversion of a Julian date to a Georgian date (or vice versus), while interesting, are of little consequence. It is seldom that one needs to convert a date from one to the other calendar. Dates prior to the 21st of March 1752 are Julian, while those after this date are Georgian. As a consequence, the year 1752 starts on the 21st of March and ends on the 31st of December.

The difficulty enters when working with the Quaker calendar. The Quakers do not use the names of heathen gods to name their months. Instead they number them, the first month at the beginning of the year is the First month, the next month is the Second month, etc. Thus prior to 1752 a Quaker date, 22d 11m 1751y converts 22 Jan 1751 in the Julian Calendar. On the other hand, for a date after 1752, for example 22d 11m 1753 converts to 22 Nov 1753 in the Georgian calendar.

Research Note 1. Birth date and place. Primary sources for the date and place of his birth, as well as, the names of his parents are simple not available. However, there are primary sources which will help us deduce some of this information. First, in the minutes of the Sussex County Court there is a disposition, dated 16 Dec 1737 o.s., by Matthew in which he gives his age as 77 years.^[1] This gives 1660 as an approximate birth date. (This needs to be verified by locating the disposition).

Research Note 2. Immigration to Delaware. Three of our usual four suspects give dates for Matthew's arrival in the new world. Billie Lee Smith in My Friends the Lambs gives "about 1682,"^[1] Frederic Verne Osborn in Mathew Osborn and His Family gives "arrival in America (1682)"^[2], and finally, the contributors at Find a Tree gives "immigrated to America in 1681"^[4] In addition to these three sources, there is a Research Note from a previous version of this profile, which tell us that Matthew arrived as a stowed away on the ship "John and Sarah", which left the Port of London in October 1681, London, England. These claims nee to be verified. As a first step in this process the Ancestry database "U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s," was consulted. This tell us that a Matthew Osborn arrived in Delaware aboard a ship in 1675. ^[5]

Research Note 3. Arrival in America.

1. Matthew's will names, four of his five children: Matthew, Henry, Thomas, and Mary. It is assumed that the fifth, Jonathan, predeceased his father. Also mentioned in the will are two grandchildren: Jonathan and Mary. It has been speculated that these are Jonathan's children.
2. More of the origin of the Osborn family may be found here with a discussion of William Fitzsborn as an ancestor. Excerpt from Frederic Verne Osborn's book. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~baily/pages/osbornhist.html
3. Occupation: He helped with the construction of a bridge, known as Gutters Bridge on 16 December 1737, Delaware, British America

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Billie Lee Smith. "MyFriendsTheLambs, Part 5: The Osborn Family." RootWeb (https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~myfriendsthelambs2/genealogy/part5/other/osborn.html : 5 Mar 2022)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Frederic Verne Osborn. "Mathew Osborn and His Family." Self-published, 1970; electronic copy FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/581200-mathew-osborn-and-his-family : 7 Mar 2022)
3. ↑ Contributors, "Mathew OZBUN-6419," website, Osborne Origins (https://osborne-origins.org/linkrecs/f6419.htm#R6419 : 7 Mar 2022).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 13 October 2019), memorial page for Mathew Osborne, III (12 Mar 1729–22 Jan 1816), Find A Grave: Memorial #77126537, maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8); citing Centre Friends Meeting Cemetery, Guilford County, North Carolina, United States.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s," database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : 9 mar 2022), entry for Matthew Osborn; citing P. William Filby ed. "Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s." Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.
6. ↑ Deed records of Sussex County, Delaware, 1693-1886; general index, 1682-1949? Deeds, book C3-D4, 1698-1721. Citation Film # 008217924 Images 295-298 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSGD-5XNZ?i=294&cat=296734
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Transcript of Last Will and Testament of Matthew Osborn

Also see:

• Craig W Horle. Records of the Courts of Sussex County, Delaware, Volume 1 : 1677-1689. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991.
• Adrienne Boaz. "Specific Ancestral Lines of the Boaz, Paul, Welty & Fishel Families," published in December 24, 2014 by Otter Bay Books, LLC
• SECONDARY SOURCE: Family Tree [1] NOTE: The above family tree has a Biography, which has year of immigration as 1682 ? Carolina)}}