Posts Tagged Historical Society

The portraits of Aaron and Harriet Osborn were passed down to Professor Bradner W. Coursen 25 years ago.  He wondered who they were.  In researching his family tree he discovered he was a direct descendent of Aaron Osborn.  Aaron’s grandparents, John & Abigail Osborn (who built the home that is now our museum), lived next door to Aaron. He married Harriet Manning in 1810.  They had 8 children in their brief 17 years of marriage (he died in 1827, she in 1828).  Aaron was the third Postmaster in Plainfield, NJ.

Please join us for the unveiling, and the reception for the Coursen family, at the Osborn-Cannonball Museum located at 1840 E. Front Street in Scotch Plains.  The reception starts at 1:00PM.

The portraits, graciously donated to the museum by the Coursen family, will be unveiled by Aaron and Harriet Osborn’s descendants, two of Professor Bradner W. Coursen’s sons.  Punch and light refreshments fitting of the period of the portraits creation will be served.

The two portraits were painted by the well-known artist Micah Williams. His portraits post-date the War of 1812.  Micah made his own pastel pigments and backed many of his portraits with layers of newspapers.  Both portraits, oil on canvas, are fragile and currently only in fair condition. They require a costly restoration.  Donations are currently being sought for this project.

Please join us in welcoming home Aaron and Harriet Osborn.

CCA Christensen’s Moving Mormon Panorama is one of the few to survive the 1800’s.  A moving panorama is a roll of large paintings sewn together to illustrate a lecture.  Christensen used his painting to illustrate his lecture on the history of his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

CCA Christensen was born in Denmark in 1831 and studied at the Royal Academy of Art before his conversion.  He later immigrated to Utah pulling a handcart across the Midwest in 1857.  For the next 20 years, he farmed when he had to and painted when he could, starting the 24 paintings for his panorama in the 1870’s.  In 1879 he started exhibiting the panorama.  He spent the winters of the next three decades giving shows in communities of the West.  He died in 1912.

At the monthly meeting of the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood on Tuesday evening May 22nd, Regina Ellis, a member of the Historical Society, a Mormon and a direct descendent of CCA Christensen, will show this Mormon Panorama saved by her uncle.  Her uncle took photography of the panorama and made slides from them.  He then gave the slides to Brigham Young University.  The University restored them.  This panorama has been exhibited all over the world.

This unique, historical and educational lecture about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints illustrated with CCA Christensen’s panorama is free and open to everyone.

The meeting will be held at the Scotch Hills Country Club on Plainfield Avenue and Jerusalem Road in Scotch Plains,  on Tuesday, May 22nd at 8:00PM.  Refreshments and fellowship follow the meeting.   Please join us for a most fascinating evening.  Contact Connie Klock at 908-232-9489 for further information or write to us.

At the meeting, we are excited to plan the many things we would like to start and to do.  We hope to see everyone there with their willingness to work, their wonderful ideas and their enthusiasm.

The meeting is open and free to everyone not just officers, staff, board of directors and trustees.

It is held at the Scotch Hills Country Club on Plainfield Avenue and Jerusalem Road in Scotch Plains,  on Tuesday, February 28th at 8:00PM.
Contact Connie Klock at 908-232-9489 for further information or write to us.