Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his brother regarding land in Texas. He sold a couple hundred acres out of the 400 acres he bought a few years earlier. He wrote about other land he had bought and the cheap pricing of land in Texas. An uncle of theirs was thinking about moving to Texas and John agreed that he should and could get a lot of land for his money. He gave some advice for his uncle if he chose to move to Texas and recommended he should have a few thousand dollars before coming. At the end of the letter, John wrote about several pieces of furniture and cattle he purchased.

Letter from Junia Roberts Osterhout to her sister, Ann Roberts, discussing the possibility of Ann coming to liver with the Osterhouts in Texas. Junia says that she thinks Ann would easily find a husband there.

Letter from Junia Roberts Osterhout to her sister, Mary Roberts, discussing the death of Mary's husband, the birth of her baby, and other news.

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his brother discussing brief news about him and his wife, Junia Roberts Osterhout. He sent gifts to some friends and that he hoped they arrived safely. He had begun constructing a kitchen and dining room for his home and asked that his brother try to locate some seeds that were misplaced somewhere.

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his brother, Orlando Osterhout, thanking him for the news in his letter. John and his wife, Junia Roberts Osterhout, expressed their desire to hear more from Orlando and wanted him to visit their parents to gather more news. He wrote briefly about what he and his wife were doing and in the post script, he asked for a canning recipe for his wife.

Letter from Ann Roberts to her sister, Junia Roberts Osterhout, discussing family news.

Marriage certificate for John Patterson and Junia Roberts Osterhout officiated by William Frear of the Baptist church. The wedding was held at the house of Henry Roberts in Pennsylvania and witnessed by P. M. Osterhout, James Frear, and Henry Roberts.

Minutes of the annual meeting of the Union Baptist Association in Texas include accounts of proceedings at the session, committee reports, statistics regarding Baptist churches in Texas, and other relevant notes and commentaries.

Letter from the Pension Office to John Patterson Osterhout discussing Lewis Summer's request for a war bounty scrip instead of land. The request was view favorably and sent to the Office of the Secretary of the Treasury. Included is an envelope addressed to "John P. Osterhout Esq."

Certificate of appointment to Notary Public in Austin County, Texas for John Patterson Osterhout. The certificate was signed by the Texas governor, Hardin Runners Runnels, and the Secretary of State, J. S. Anderson.

Minutes of the Bellville, Texas Town Meeting on January 18, 1858, which was called in memory of the recently deceased Thomas Bell, "the father of Bellville," who arrived in Texas in 1822 and settled in Austin's Colony and served under Ben Milam during the Texas Revolution.

Minutes of the annual meeting of the Union Baptist Association in Texas include accounts of proceedings at the session, committee reports, statistics regarding Baptist churches in Texas, and other relevant notes and commentaries.

Letter of standing for J. A. Middleton from Beech Grove Baptist Church. The letter stated that Middleton was a member in full standing of the church and was dismissed when joining another church of the same faith.

Letter of standing for Richard and Nancy Rhoades from Harmony Baptist Church. The letter stated that the Rhoades held full membership with the church and that they would be dismissed when they joined a church of the same faith.

Letter of standing for John Bachman from Carrollton Baptist Church. The letter stated that John was a full membership of the church and was dismissed when he joined another church of the same faith.

Letter from P. M. Osterhout to his brother, John Patterson Osterhout, discussing news from home and slavery. After providing John with updates from those at home, he told his brother he was unsure whether or not he would want to receive something from the black Republican in Pennsylvania. He then went on to write about his opinion on slavery and he hoped his brother was not beginning to view it as a blessing.

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his brother regarding his time in Bellville, Texas. He was appreciative of his brother sending him news from home and told him about a real estate sale that had happened recently. People from the U.S., Germany, and Bohemia were in attendance and alcohol was passed around. Money has been short in Bellville because of the cotton and corn crops failing. John needed to borrow money and requested a loan from his brother or anyone else in the family. He requested that his brother write again soon with more news from home.

Text of a sermon given by Horace Clark about Christian Union, discussing his understanding of the need for Christian denominations to create a unified Church, based on various scriptural references.

Minutes of the annual meeting of the Union Baptist Association in Texas include accounts of proceedings at the session, committee reports, statistics regarding Baptist churches in Texas, and other relevant notes and commentaries.

Minutes of the annual meeting of the Union Baptist Association in Texas include accounts of proceedings at the session, committee reports, statistics regarding Baptist churches in Texas, and other relevant notes and commentaries.

Letter from John Patterson Osterhout to his wife, Sarah Osterhout, regarding his time in Bellville, Texas. He apologized for not writing her sooner since he has been busy with setting up his business as a lawyer. He was considering purchasing slaves although he mentioned a preference for having "white hands" to work with like he did in Pennsylvania. Recently, his friends had been telling him that he was in a good position to marry and he told his mother that he had someone from Pennsylvania in mind. The rest of his family was offended that he had not written then, but he felt that they read the letters he sent to each of them and that it would be repetitive to write the same thing to all of them. He told his mother not to share this letter with any of them and shared that his lawyer business was going well.

Certificate of payment stating that E. H. Cantes was owed money and that John Patterson Osterhout, an attorney, would obtain the payment and receive half as commission. On the back the certificate says the payment was received in full on March 15, 1855.

Letter from Diana Maray to John Patterson Osterhout discussing daily life in Athens, Pennsylvania. Letters had been received from other family members and her children were doing well in school. In the state of Pennsylvania, the temperance movement was working to get a prohibitive liquor law passed. She closed her letter by writing about what she felt made a real friend and hoped she would meet John in this life or the next. She included two locks of hair, one from each of her sons. Included is an envelope addressed to "John P. Osterhout."

Appointment of John Patterson Osterhout as Hazel P. Ford's attorney to allow him to receive bounty and law warrants that were due to Ford for military services. At the bottom of the document, a clerk verified that the statement was signed.