Joseph Osborne diary   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Joseph Osborne, proprietor of a general store in Springfield, Ohio, kept this journal from 1854 to 1857. His daily entries include information about the weather and the status of his business. In the opening pages of the diary, Osborne comments on life in Springfield and current world events, including the war in Europe. In one entry soon after Osborne and his wife's 28th wedding anniversary, he writes of sending a young Irish boy to the poor house after his leg was amputated in a locomotive accident and the boy's family was unable to care for him. In the December 29 to January 3, 1855 entries, Osborne writes about the Fireman's Fair in which Elizabeth Hawkins won $300 in a "gift lottery," which she planned to use for education. In the New Year's Eve entry, he laments at the number of intoxicated young men in the town and asks, "when will we have a law to stop liquor selling and drinking?" The diary is approximately 200 pages long and measures 8" x 12.5" (20.32 x 31.75 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1367_1157228_001
Subjects: Business and Labor; Climate and Weather; Holidays; Expositions and fairs
Places: Springfield (Ohio); Clark County (Ohio)