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[Certificate of Appointment to Notary Public for John Patterson Osterhout] (open access)

[Certificate of Appointment to Notary Public for John Patterson Osterhout]

Certificate of appointment to Notary Public in Texas for John Patterson Osterhout signed by the Texas governor, Elisha M. Pease, and the Secretary of State, Edward Clark. In the center of the certificate is a hole that renders parts of it unreadable.
Date: August 28, 1854
Creator: Pease, Elisha M.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Proof of Payment for Military Service] (open access)

[Proof of Payment for Military Service]

Proof of payment by John Patterson Osterhout for the military service of John N. Robinson. The money was due to Eliza Bennett and was paid in full. The payment was signed and dated by John Ridens.
Date: July 22, 1854
Creator: Ridens, John
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Oath of Service in the Western Frontier of Texas for Elijah Collar] (open access)

[Oath of Service in the Western Frontier of Texas for Elijah Collar]

Oath of service in the Western frontier of Texas for Elijah Collar in the fall of 1842 under General Wall. The oath was taken by James J. Allphin and tracked where Private Collar went in the Western frontier. It stated that he served in R. Williams's company as a private. On the bottom, a notary public, James S. Fai[rl]y, certified the oath and added his seal to the paper.
Date: July 5, 1854
Creator: Madison County (Tex.)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Oath of Service in the Western Frontier of Texas] (open access)

[Oath of Service in the Western Frontier of Texas]

Oath of military service in the Western Frontier of Texas during an invasion by Mexico. The oath was made by H. M. Watkins and B. N. Robinson and certified that Private [Juno] D. Banton[deco], deceased, served under General Vasquez. John Davidson, the county clerk, served as a witness to the oath and added his seal of office to the paper.
Date: June 20, 1854
Creator: Walker County (Tex.)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Business Card for John Patterson Osterhout] (open access)

[Business Card for John Patterson Osterhout]

Business card for John Patterson Osterhout, an attorney and collector of claims for Austin and surrounding counties. On the back of the card is a note concerning that if money was collected from a claim, it would be paid to someone while John would retain half as commission.
Date: March 3, 1854
Creator: Osterhout, John Patterson
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Standing for Sarah Brooks from Siloam Baptist Church, November 2, 1853] (open access)

[Letter of Standing for Sarah Brooks from Siloam Baptist Church, November 2, 1853]

Letter of standing for Sarah Brooks from Siloam Baptist Church. The letter stated that Sarah held full membership with the church and that she would be dismissed if she joined a church of the same faith.
Date: November 2, 1853
Creator: Siloam Baptist Church
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Appointment to Notary Public for John Patterson Osterhout] (open access)

[Letter of Appointment to Notary Public for John Patterson Osterhout]

Letter of appointment to Public Notary for John Patterson Osterhout for the county of Austin. It was signed by the governor of Texas, Peter Hansborough Bell, and the Secretary of State.
Date: October 20, 1853
Creator: Bell, Peter Hansborough
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Standing for Charlotte Reed from Bethlehem Baptist Church, December, 1852] (open access)

[Letter of Standing for Charlotte Reed from Bethlehem Baptist Church, December, 1852]

Letter of standing for Charlotte Reed from Bethlehem Baptist Church. The letter included some of the beliefs of the church and stated that Charlotte held full membership with the church and that she would be dismissed if she joined a church of the same faith.
Date: December 1852
Creator: Bethlehem Baptist Church
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Standing for Lucinda Mahan from Bethlehem Baptist Church, December, 1852] (open access)

[Letter of Standing for Lucinda Mahan from Bethlehem Baptist Church, December, 1852]

Letter of standing for Lucinda Mahan from Bethlehem Baptist Church. The letter included some of the beliefs of the church and stated that Lucinda held full membership with the church and that she would be dismissed if she joined a church of the same faith.
Date: December 1852
Creator: Bethlehem Baptist Church
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Sarah Osterhout, March 8, 1852 (open access)

[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Sarah Osterhout, March 8, 1852

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his mother, Sarah Osterhout, regarding his time in Bellville, Texas since his recent move there. He was undecided about whether or not he would remain in the county or travel around Texas. He wrote about how sparse buildings were where he lived and that the way wealth was measured there was not by amount of land, but by the amount of slaves owned. Many in the area had begun growing their own gardens and he had learned from them that he needed to be careful of poisonous spiders and centipedes. John told his mother that the mail was arriving with irregularity and they were lucky if they got it once a week.
Date: March 8, 1852
Creator: Osterhout, John Patterson
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Sarah Osterhout, December 21, 1851] (open access)

[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Sarah Osterhout, December 21, 1851]

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his mother, Sarah Osterhout, discussing his safe arrival to Bellville, Texas. He told her he might be staying there for a few months and starting a school, but was unsure. He promised to write her a longer letter soon and let her know the mail only came through once a week.
Date: December 21, 1851
Creator: Osterhout, John Patterson
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter to General, December 12, 1851] (open access)

[Letter to General, December 12, 1851]

Letter from unknown to general discussing the author's travels from Pennsylvania to the South. He detailed the route he took through Pennsylvania and where he made stops, including Philadelphia and Delaware county.
Date: December 12, 1851
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Petition Related to the Fisher Estate] (open access)

[Petition Related to the Fisher Estate]

Legal petition related to the estate of minors Alexander P. and Minerva P. Fisher (wards of Austin County) from their trustees, describing costs related to their care and requesting additional funds due to special circumstances (laid out in the text). A statement at the end indicates that the petition was accepted by the Court.
Date: 1851
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Legal Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Standing for Sarah from Mount Gilead Baptist Church, August 1849] (open access)

[Letter of Standing for Sarah from Mount Gilead Baptist Church, August 1849]

Letter of standing for Sarah, a "sister of colour," from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church. The letter stated that Sarah held full membership with the church and that she would be dismissed when she joined a church of the same faith.
Date: August 1849
Creator: Mount Gilead Baptist Church
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter of Standing for Martha Stephenson from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, April, 1849] (open access)

[Letter of Standing for Martha Stephenson from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, April, 1849]

Letter of standing for Martha Stephenson from Mt. Gilead Baptist Church. The letter stated that Martha was in full standing at their church and was dismissed when she joined another church of the same faith.
Date: April 1849
Creator: Mount Gilead Baptist Church
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Orlando Osterhout, October 30, 1838] (open access)

[Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to Orlando Osterhout, October 30, 1838]

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his brother, Orlando Osterhout, discussing recent events in his life. He attended a Baptist convention in Independence, Texas and planned to return there to attend an examination of students at Baylor University. He wrote about the woman he was courting and told his brother that he hoped he would not remain a bachelor. John intended to return home and considered the different routes he could take while also requesting that his brother give him access to transportation in the winter so he could visit a friend. Soule University planned to lay a cornerstone soon in a Masonic ceremony and John wanted to be attendance. The letter ended with John making fun of the LaGrange Volunteer Rifle Rangers.
Date: October 30, 1838
Creator: Osterhout, John Patterson
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from J. W. Mann to Robert M. Johnson, October, 1837] (open access)

[Letter from J. W. Mann to Robert M. Johnson, October, 1837]

Letter from J. W. Mann to Robert M. Johnson introducing an attorney by the name of John Patterson Osterhout. Mr. Mann regards John Osterhout highly and informed Mr. Johnson that he was going to Arkansas to practice law.
Date: October 1837
Creator: Mann, J. W.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Passport to Travel for James E. Flowers] (open access)

[Passport to Travel for James E. Flowers]

Passport to travel for James E. Flowers issued by David G. Burnet under the power of the Republic of Texas. The passport entitled Mr. Flowers, a citizen of the republic, to pass freely.
Date: October 6, 1836
Creator: Burnet, David G.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History