Will this Civil War soldier Bible find its way back to his family?

Blog reader Brian W. sent me images of this Bible and wondered if I could investigate who had owned it. (CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.)

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On a rainy and cold Saturday, boredom set in as it tends to do whenever Mrs. B flees to warm and sunny Florida without me. (Psst: I hope she doesn’t spot the mold growing on dishes in the sink. 😀) So I put on my detective cap to help the owner of a Civil War soldier’s Bible track down the man’s 21st-century descendants.

In early January, blog reader Brian W. sent me information about a Bible found with the possessions of his father, who died in 2003. On an inside page a label included the signature of the long-ago owner — James Osborne of Company A of the 21st “NYLHS” — and these details:

James Osborne's obituary in the 
Poughkeepsie Eagle-News on
July 3, 1928.

“Should I die on a battle field, or in the Hospital, for the sake of humanity acquaint Obediah C. Osborne residing at Pawling, Dutchess County, New York of the fact and where my remains may be found.”

On another page, someone — probably the long-ago Bible owner — had written about “800 rebel prisoners captured at Gettysbug, Pa.,” “Fort Delaware” and being aboard the “Propellor Putnam.”

With those clues, I did what any red-blooded Civil War detective would: I Googled like hell and plunged into newspapers.com and ancestry.com.

Per a geneaology site, “James B. Osborne, of the firm of Madison & Osborne, is a son of Obadiah C. Osborne. His mother was Sarah Ann, daughter of Jordon Lee. His parents were natives of Poughkeepsie. On the paternal side, his grandfather, Robert C. Osborne, was born in New York City and married Catherine VanVlack. His greatgrandfather, Dennis Osborne, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was killed in the struggle for American Independence.”

Ancestry.com revealed James was a 19-year-old carriage maker apprentice in 1860. Newspapers.com revealed he became the prominent owner of a box company in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Another site revealed Osborne had served with the 21st New York State Militia, a 30-day regiment that formed in June 1863 and had traveled to Baltimore — that’s where James obtained the Bible from the Maryland State Bible Society.

Presumably, Osborne served as a guard for Confederate prisoners in the aftermath of Gettysburg. But this, of course, requires deeper investigation.

According to Osborne’s 1928 newspaper obituary, he was a well known in political and financial circles. “Voted both times for Abraham Lincoln,” reads a headline atop the 87-year-old Civil War veteran’s obituary.

With these clues and other breadcrumbs, Brian tracked down a descendant of soldier James Osborne. How cool is that? I’ll keep you posted about what happens next.

Let’s keep history alive. 👊👊

The label inside the Bible provided great clues.

Writing inside the Bible references "800 Rebel prisoners captured at Gettysburg, Pa."