Austen Osmon
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Name at Enlist | Austen Osmon |
Birth Name | Austen Osmon |
Other Names | Osten Osmonson; Austen Osmund; Osten Osmon |
Lived | 1841 – 3 Jul 1903 |
Birth Place | Etne, Hordaland |
Birth Country | Norway |
Resident of Muster-In | Lisbon, Kendall County, Illinois |
Rank at Enlistment | Private |
Muster Date | 1 Jan 1862 |
Death Location | Morris, Illinois |
Burial Location | Evergreen Cemetery in Morris, Illinois |
Mother | Isabelle Stangeland |
Father | Osmon Osmonsen |
Immigration | 1849 |
Spouse | Helen Hill |
Married On | 1866 |
Austen Osmon was born “Osten Osmonson” in 1841 in the Etne, Hordaland area of Norway. He came to America in 1849 with his parents, Osmon Osmonsen and Isabelle Stangeland, plus four siblings. They settled in Kendall County, Illinois. Osmon joined the IL 53rd Infantry, Company A. The army listed him as living in Lisbon, Kendall County, Illinois and age 20. He had blue eyes, dark hair, dark complexion, and stood 6’. Osmon enlisted for three years on December 17, 1861 at Ottawa, Illinois, and mustered on January 1, 1862 at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois as a Private (Menig). The regiment was designated to be Cavalry and was sent to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri forcavalry training. On December 25, 1862, the Regiment was renamed Company L and became a part of the IL 15th Cavalry Regiment. Osmon was severely injured in a skirmish at Tuscumbia, Alabama on February 22, 1863. His horse was shot in its front leg and fell. Private Osmon’s foot was caught in a stirrup, and the horse fell on top of him. The horse tried several times to stand and fell each time on Osmon, landing across his abdomen and chest. Osmon never fully recovered from his injuries and he was discharged on January 9, 1865. After the war, he married Helen Hill in 1866 and they had eight children. He suffered a severe abdominal hernia, and in 1892 he was forced to give up farming. He and his family moved into Morris, Illinois. He died in July 3, 1903 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Morris.
Sources: email, Stephen Osman, Fort Snelling Minnesota Historical Society; Nordmaendene i Amerika, Martin Ulvestad, 1907, History Book Co., Minneapolis, MN, p.320; “Osmund, Austen” “Osmon, Osten”.