The Rev. Mr. Osborn was ordained at Bristol, Rhode Island., where he remained for five years. He then traveled through Europe and Palestine. Upon his return, he was pastor of a church in Baltimore, Md., after which he returned to Andover for advanced studies. With this extensive preparation and cultural backround, he took up his work in our church.
Rev. Osborne was a forceful speaker in the pulpit and was educated beyond the average minister of his time. He combined these qualities with a pleasing personality, which made him many friends.
During his pastorate, he lived in the house on the corner of Main Street and Vermont Avenue. Mrs. Osborne was the former Miss Ellen Smith of Westfield, Connecticut, and his children were Mabel, Harold, and Grace, the latter having been born in Southington. Mr. Osborne advised his children to take the words and life of Christ for their guide and not worry about views on dogma. His children felt that his outlook on life shone clearly in his last picture in 1907, of which our church has a copy.
Upon leaving Southington, Mr. Osborne served a pastorate at Branford, Connecticut, and then one at Fayetteville, N.Y. He became Field Secretary of the Boston Seaman’s Society, an office which he held until his death in 1912. He often contributed poems to seamen’s paper, which was called "The Sea Breeze."