David Cuvier Osborn

REV. DAVID CUVIER OSBORNE was born Aug. 3, 1830, and was reared under primitive conditions, his father having taken up a farm from the government in 1820 in an undeveloped section of New York State. The father was a tanner, following the calling of many of his ancestors. The boy was given the best possible education under the circumstances, attending the local public schools and Wrestfield Academy, and made such good progress that at sixteen he was engaged to teach the village school at Sherman, where the family then resided. All the Osbornes were fond of music and talented in that line, and David was especially gifted. He cultivated his musical skill, spending two years in New York City studying with the best instructors of the time and later teaching music, both vocal and instrumental. For two and a half years he studied law in Panama, N. Y., in the office of Hon. Abner Lewis. But the course he had laid out for himself was changed on New Year's Eve, 1850, when he formally embraced Christianity while attending evangelistic services, and not long afterward he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He had already shown such promise as a public speaker that his friends saw a useful career for him in the ministry, which he soon decided to adopt, and in 1853 he was admitted to the Erie Conference to preach the gospel. The early predictions of his admirers were more than fulfilled. He became one of the leading ministers of the Methodist denomination, setting a standard of earnest and effective work in every pastorate and leaving substantial evidences of the vigorous spirit which animated him in every enterprise. His love for music led him to give it an important place in the church services, and he himself would organize and drill church choirs and labor zealously to provide musical facilities, pipe organs having been installed in many of the churches which he served through his influence. The young were always the special objects of his care and attention. It was not only his idea to make the church and its activities attractive to them, but he planned to make them take the serious responsibilities of maintaining the church organization, and met with great success in this field, no doubt attributable to the never fading youthfulness of his own spirit. He believed that the church should lead in social regeneration, and the famous "Akron Plan," originally used in the First Church, Akron, Ohio, he worked out while pastor of that church in collaboration with Louis Miller, superintendent of the Sunday school and financier of the enterprise, and Jacob Snyder. the architect. They usually met in Dr. Osborne's study to discuss their ideas, which had such wonderful fruit. These progressive souls were anxious to provide a building especially adapted to the needs of Sunday school and church social activities, and it proved so successful at Akron that it was adopted by other congregations with similar problems all over the country. Dr. Osborne was also called upon to help plan the Chautauqua movement, Dr. John H. Vincent asking counsel of him in arranging for and conducting the Chautauqua assemblies. While on the Barnesville district (1893-98) he was superintendent and instructor in the Epworth League Assembly of Bethesda, Ohio, and those who appeared on the program of that assembly in those years were guests at his cottage. A number of ambitious church building enterprises were carried to completion by his energy, his pastorates in every church having been periods of memorable activity. Yet with all the success he had in a material way, he never sacrificed the spiritual to that end—it was rather that he raised the spiritual to a vigor and intensity which made many things possible. His eloquence was appealing, and a number of laymen who proved highly useful to the denomination were brought in under his preaching, notably the late President William McKinley. His pastorates were as follows: Randolph, 1853; Wattsburg, 1854; Dunkirk. 1855-56; Warren, 1857; Franklin, 1858-59; New Castle. 1860-61 ; Erie. First Church. 1862-64; Akron, 1865-67; Erie Street Church, Cleveland, 1868-70; Titusville, 1871-72; Cleveland district as superintendent, 1873-76; Steubenville Kramer Church, 1877-78; Massillon, 1879-80; First Church, Canton, 1881-83; First Church, Youngstown. 1884-86; Painesville, 1887-89; Conneaut, 1890-92; Barnesville district as superintendent, 1893-98; Niles, 18991900; Madison, 1901; superannuated, 1902; moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., where he died Oct. 26, 1912. While there he supplied a pulpit at Comstock, Mich., 1904-07.

On October 23, 1856. Dr. Osborne married Arvilla Maria Hill, eldest daughter of Rev. Bryan S. and Mary E. (Sanborn) Hill and they had children as follows: Bryan Hill is mentioned below: David Winthrope, born at New Castle. Pa., March 16, 1861, died at Kalamazoo, Mich., Nov. 14, 1917; Cyrus Clarke, born at Akron, Ohio, Oct. 19, 1865, married Oct. 12. 1893. to Myra Fay Mackey, of Franklin, Pa., is now residing at Havana, Cuba; Mary, born at Cleveland, Ohio. Sept. 21. 1869. died at Kalamazoo. Mich., Nov. 10, 1904; Donald Platt, born at Steubenville, Ohio. Oct. 28. 1878. married May 15, 1918, to Mrs. Mabel H. Boudeman, is now residing at Kalamazoo. Michigan.

Mrs. Arvilla Maria (Hill) Osborne, born Dec. 29, 1837, at Sheridan, N. Y., daughter of Rev. Bryan S. and Mary E. (Sanborn) Hill, died Oct. 18, 1913. at Kalamazoo, Mich., was the eldest of their family, the others being: (2) Robert Allen, born March 23, 1839, died April 29, 1858. (3) Mary E., born Oct. 3, 1840, died April 23, 1859. (4) Adeline, born Aug. 20, 1842, married Nov. 17, 1864.

copied from:

VENANGO COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA HER PIONEERS AND PEOPLE Embracing a General History of the County

PREPARED BY CHARLES A. BABCOCK, A. M., LL. B. f of Oil City, Pennsylvania

Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio, Embracing the Counties ofAshtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Co., 1893. Page 145. (transcript)

Also on page 145 of Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio, Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake published by The Lewis Publishing Co., 1893.

DAVID C. OSBORNE, D.D., a prominent minister of the East Ohio Conference, stationed at Conneaut, Ohio, has long been identified with the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Following is a brief sketch of his life.

David C. Osborne was born in Ripley, Chautauqua county, New York, August 3, 1831, son of P.S. and Mary A. (Platt) Osborne, natives of Washington county, New York. His father was a tanner, currier and shoemaker in early life, and later a merchant in Sherman, New York. He filled several minor offices in his county, and was well known there. He was reared in the United Presbyterian Church, but became a Methodist and was a member of that church up to the time of his death, in 1871, at the age of eighty-three years.

His wife died July 31, 1846, at the age of forty-three. She was a Presbyterian for many years. They had a family of four sons and six daughters, David C., the subject of this article, being the oldest. The other sons are Platt S., Harris B. and James W. Platt S. learned his father's trade and was engaged in business until death, September 12, 1887.

He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was an active and useful man, being gifted in music. Harris B. is an eminent physician in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and James W., also of Kalamazoo, has attained prominence as an attorney. Of the daughters we record that Lucretia is the wife of Dr. C. P. Graves, of Alden, Illinois; Ann, wife of Dr. S. McNair, Blackberry, Illinois; Harriet, wife of Hon. S.P. McCalmont, of Franklin, Pennsylvania; Cynthia died at the age of thirty-three years; Isadore, wife of F.L. Brown, of South Vernon, Vermont; and Mary, widow of Mr. Benedict, Sherman, New York.

David C. Osborne entered the ministry at the age of twenty-two years, and has since been actively engaged in the work of the Master. Previous to the division of the Erie Conference, he was a member of that body, and since then has belonged to the East Ohio Conference, filling many of its best appointments, both as stationed minister and as Presiding Elder. Among the appointments he has filled we mention those of Franklin, Titusville, New Castle and Erie in Pennsylvania, and Akron, Cleveland (Erie Street Church), Steubenville, Massillon, Canton and Youngstown, in Ohio. In many of these charges churches were built or improved during his pastorate. He came to Conneaut in October, 1890, and in his labor here has given a high degree of satisfaction. The present Methodist Church of Conneaut was begun in 1886 by T. F. Phillips. When it was completed money was subscribed to provide for the debt. The amount, however, was not paid up, and other means were used to raise the money. Upward of $9,000 has been paid within the past two years and a half. The church membership has increased, and both the church and Sabbath-school arc in a flourishing condition.

Dr. Osborne was married in 1856 to Miss Arvilla M. Hill, daughter of Rev. B.S. and Mary Hill, of Wattsburg, Pennsylvania. Rev. B.S. Hill, a clergyman in the Methodist Episcopal Church, was at one time the Tract Secretary of the Erie Conference and a Presiding Elder of the Jamestown district. He was also a delegate to the General Conference at its session in Boston, Massachusetts, when, by reason of ill health, he was compelled to assume a supernumerary relation to the Conference, his friends were so many that he was elected to the Legislature from the Erie (Pennsylvania) district. He was appointed Chaplain of the lower house by his official colleagues, who recognized his great Christian integrity.

He retired from the active ministry and was appointed Postmaster by President Grant, and continued to hold this office by successive appointments, until the election of President Cleveland, in 1884. He also served as Justice of the Peace for two or three terms, and was recognized as a man of great ability and force of character.

Five children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Osborne, and all received excellent educational advantages, by which they have duly profited. The names of the children are as follows: Bryan H., David W., Cyrus C., Mary and Donald P.

Dr. Osborne is a member of the Masonic fraternity. In person he is tall, of commanding presence, dignified yet cordial in manner. After more than forty years in the pulpit, he is still an earnest student. He is a preacher of more than ordinary ability, is modest and retiring in deportment, and is public-spirited and patriotic. He has been successful in all lines of church work, and has, by his ability as a preacher and his personal worth as a Christian man, won the admiration and love of those to whom he has ministered. Mrs. Osborne is a clergyman's wife in every sense of the word, being loyal to the cause of Christ and in perfect sympathy with her husband's work.

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Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley Pennsylvania By John W. Jordan, LL.D. – Volume I - 1913

Rev. David Cuvier Osborne, son of Platt Smith and Mary A. (Platt) Osborne, was born at Ripley, Chautauqua county, New York, August 3, 1830, died at Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26, 1912. His father, a tanner by trade, was one of the pioneers of New York state, having taken up his farm from the government in 1820. Their home was the simple, God-fearing home of industrial people of that day. David C. gave early evidence of an active mind and had made such good use of the school privileges in the public school and at the Westfield Academy that, at the age of sixteen, he taught the village school at Sherman, where the family was living at that time.

The Osborne family were naturally musicians, and David C. was specially endowed with musical gifts. He spent two years in New York City studying music under the best instructors of that time, and later taught music, both vocal and instrumental. He spent two and one-half years in the study of law in the office of Hon. Abner Lewis in Panama, New York. On New Year's Eve, 1850. while attending evangelistic services he became a Christian and soon thereafter united with the Methodist Episcopal church. His persuasive speech, even at that time, led many of his friends to say that the Gospel ministry would be his life's work.

In 1853 he was admitted, not to the bar to practice law, but to the Erie conference to preach the Gospel. Thus began the active ministry of one of the foremost Methodist pastors of the Middle West. He was noted for his work among the young people, it being one of his principles that they should share largely in his responsibility of the church's activity. He kept the spirit of eternal youth in his soul and never grew old.

He was noted for the attention he gave to church music. He organized and drilled church choirs and installed pipe organs in many of the churches which he served. He perhaps was still more widely known for the church building enterprises which he conducted. In this connection mention should be made of the First Church, Akron, Ohio, which was the original "Akron Plan" church. This plan was the result of long hours of thought on the part of Dr. Osborne, the pastor, of Louis Miller, the superintendent of the Sunday school, and financier of the enterprise, and of Jacob Snyder, the architect. The pastor's study was the place where most frequently this trio met to compare their ideas. The Akron Plan was one of the fruits of an earnest soul who wanted to see the best sort of a building constructed for Sunday school and church social activities.

Dr. Osborne served as pastor of the Methodist church at Randolph, 1853; Wattsburg, 1854; Dunkirk, 1855-56; Warren, 1857; Franklin, 1858-59; New Castle, 1860-61; Erie, First Church, 1862-64; Akron, 1865-67; Cleveland, Erie Street, 1868-70; Titusville, 1871-72; Cleveland district, as superintendent, 1873-76; Steubenville Kramer Church, 187778; Massillon, 1879-80; Canton, First Church, 1881-83, Youngstown, First Church, 1884-86; Painesville, 1887-89; Conneaut, 1890-92; Barnesville district as superintendent, 1893-98; Niles, 1899-1900; Madison, 1901; superannuated, 1902, moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. While living there he supplied the pulpit at Comstock,. Michigan, in 1904-07.

Dr. Osborne was one of those with whom Dr. John H. Vincent took counsel in the founding of the Chautauqua movement; and he took an active part in the planning and conducting of the Chautauqua Assemblies. While on the Barnesville district, 1893-98, he was superintendent of instruction in Epworth Park Assembly of Bethesda, Ohio, and those who appeared on the program of that assembly in those years were guests in his cottage. With all his genius in the conduct of large church enterprises he was intensely evangelistic, and very many prominent and useful laymen were converted under his ministry, among them William A. McKinley, who afterward became president of the United States.

He was married to Arvilla Maria Hill, eldest daughter of the Rev. Bryan S. and Mary E. (Sanborn) Hill, October 23, 1856. Children: Bryan Hill, mentioned below; David Winthrop, born at New Castle, Pennsylvania, March 16, 1861; Cyrus Clarke, born at Akron, Ohio, October 19, 1865; Mary, born at Cleveland, Ohio, September 21, 1869; Donald Piatt, born at Steubenville, Ohio, October 28, 1878.