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Introduction
Hello All!
Todays story, just like last week, was sent into me. The person who emailed me these images (and links to the libraries where she found them) had been doing research on her family history. This included finding obituaries of her ancestors. In those obituaries a story about family and love made itself clear to her.
Below are the documents she emailed me. I’ve also included the comments she left for me alongside them. They’re listed as archival notes.
I have bolded any text which she highlighted in the images.
Content Warnings:
- Environmental Homophobia
- Assumed Heterosexuality
- Mentions of death (many)
Family Documents
Archival Note: Obituaries are abridged of names which are not needed to give a full picture of the story.
OBITUARY OF OSBORNE, GEORGE:
George Osborne was listed by official reports as killed in the battle at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff on October 19th, 1861, following injuries to the chest. He will join in heaven those who have passed before him He is survived by his wife, Jane Osborne, and his mother.
OBITUARY OF SEYMOUR, BENJAMIN:
On October 24th, 1861, Benjamin Seymour lost his life to disease. He was injured in valiant fighting during the Battle of Ball’s Bluff three days before he died. His earthly body will be moved to its final place of rest on October 28th. He will be laid to rest beside his childhood friend George Osborne who preceded him in death by three days. He is survived by his wife, Susan Seymour, and their two children, William and Lucretia. He will be missed by his family and community.
OBITUARY OF SEYMOUR, WILLIAM:
William Seymour was killed in a tragic accident on September 28th, 1879. From a young age, his life was defined by his father’s service and dedication to the United States of America. Benjamin Seymour preceded his son in death after an injury fighting for the Union in the Civil War.
William’s mother ensured he knew the courage of his father and supported William’s decision to join the Army at age 18. William Seymour returned from the Army 2 years later. He continued his public service by taking a seat in the City Council. William Seymour is preceded in death by his father and paternal grandparents. He is mourned by his community and family, including his mother, Susan, his sister Lucretia, and his godmother Jane Osborne.
A ceremony celebrating William’s life and mourning his loss will be held on October 2nd at One PM. He will be buried in Hayward’s Military Cemetery as his father was before him.
Archival Note: Neither woman remarried. The 1890 census lists them as living in the same home. Lucretia (William and Susan’s daughter) does marry a man named Edward Clyburn and had 3 children with him.
Below are 2 other articles where we can get a little more insight into these women after their husbands died.
The factory girls are managed by Jane Osborne, the Widow of the late George Osborne, who gave his life in the Civil War. Mrs. Osborne has managed the third floor, where shirts have been assembled since the war. Thirty years ago, the factory had the honor of making clothing for soldiers in the war. Now they make ready-made shirts for men. The factory produces hundreds of articles a day, many under the supervision of Mrs. Osborne. Her dedication to the company and the community would have made her husband proud.
Among the women present were Susan Seymour and Jane Osborne. Both women are widows of the war. Though Mrs. Osborne has been a working woman for many years, Susan Seymour has used her late husband’s pension to support her family. At the celebration, she said, “This memorial will be wonderful for those of us who lost someone in the war. My love [Jane Osborne] and I will surely use this as a place to pay respects to the men we lost.”
OBITUARY OF SEYMOUR, SUSAN:
On August 3rd, 1913, Susan Seymour was reunited with her husband in heaven after suffering a stroke. Susan Seymour had been a pillar of the social scene of Hayward up until her passing. She was a member in good standing with several local social groups, including the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
Mrs. Seymour was not a stranger to life’s challenges. She lost her parents when she was young, and her husband Benjamin gave his life in the civil war. Her military pension hardly made up for the sacrifice of her husband, but Susan was able to sustain her two children and herself. She remained in her husband’s home until the tragic loss of her son, William, in 1879. She then moved to the north end of town and petitioned the court to allow herself and fellow military widow Jane Osborne to own a simple one bedroom house.
Mrs. Seymour continued to be an active member of several social groups as well as a doting grandmother. Susan Seymour was known by all to be kind, caring, and dependable. She was an honest woman who held respect in the community. In the absence of a husband to serve, she served the children near her. In her spare time, she was known to help make clothing for those in our community who could not afford it.
Susan Seymour is survived in life by her friend Jane Osborne, her daughter Lucretia Clyburn, her Son-in-law Edward Clyburn, and three grandchildren. She will join in heaven those who have passed before her, including her parents, her husband Benjamin Seymour, and her son William Seymour. Susan Seymour’s funeral service will be held on August 5th at Hayward’s Baptist Church. She will be laid to rest in the church’s cemetery. Any gifts meant for the family should be sent to her friend Jane Osborne who is assisting in the settlement of her estate.
OBITUARY OF OSBORNE, JANE:
Jane Osborne passed away from a sudden heart attack on August 7th, 1913. She died in her home in the company of her family friend, Lucretia Clyburn née Seymour. Born and raised in Hayward, Jane married George Osborne in 1859. She was widowed during the Civil War and was never remarried.
Jane Osborne will be mourned and remembered by the family of Lucretia Clyburn, who was like a daughter to her. She will also be missed by those who she worked with for over 50 years at the William Murray Clothing Factory. She is preceded in death by her husband, George Osborne, and her friend Susan Seymour.
In compliance with their requests, Jane Osborne will be laid to rest beside her lifelong friend Susan Seymour in Hayward’s Baptist Cemetery. The service will be held on August 10th.
OBITUARY OF CLYBURN, LUCRETIA:
On Wednesday, May 13th, 1951, Hayward lost a true pillar to the community. Lucretia Clyburn passed away in her home, surrounded by her family. In the wake of her failing health over the past few months, Mrs. Clyburn asked not to be monitored. She lived her final days uninhibited by assessments of her physical well-being. Those near her say she remained herself until hours before her death. An official cause of death will not be released to the public. Lucretia’s children want her mother to be remembered for her life and not for her death.
A celebration of this life will be held at Haywards Baptist Church on Saturday, May 16th.
Mrs. Clyburn was preceded in death by her parents, Susan and Benjamin Seymour, her brother William Seymour, her husband, Edward Clyburn, and her lifelong friend Emily Boone. She is survived by her 3 children, 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. At her request, she will be buried beside her mother in Hayward’s Baptist Cemetery.
Archival Note: The letter below is what convinced me to send in this email. It confirms things you could only sort of see when reading through the other newspapers. I knew there was something between the women in this story, my great aunt had mentioned them to me before. This is more proof than I expected to find.
The article below was published May 20th 1951 in The Hayward Times.
OPINION: LETTER FROM LUCRETIA CLYBURN
A letter was discovered while finalizing the estate of Lucretia Clyburn née Seymour. In an attempt to respect her written wishes, it is being published. The publication of this document is happening with the permission of her children and the editor-and-chief of Hayward Times, a close friend to Mr. and Mrs. Clyburn.
The letter is quoted in it’s exact language below
To my dear friends and family,
You will not be able to read this letter until I’m gone. If you are reading this while I am still alive, please knock it off. It is to be published when I no longer have to answer for its contents. As many of my friends know, I often claimed to have a secret I would take with me to my grave. I am now in my grave. In an attempt to clear up my own history, as well as to respect the truth of my family’s history, I want to share this secret now.
My mother was a homosexual. She may not have known the word, but she was. Anyone who knew my family when she was alive knew she was widowed when I was a babe. Her friend Jane was widowed the same week. Jane Osborne was a second mother to me. More than that, she was as good as a wife to my mother. If the world were right, my mother, Susan Seymour, would’ve had Jane Osborne’s name on her marriage certificate. If the rumors I heard as a child are to be believed, their husbands were more interested in each other anyway.
Lots of folks talk about how their parents’ marriage acted as an example for their own lives. I don’t remember my mother’s marriage to my father, but she taught me how to love when she was with Jane. Their relationship gave me examples of compromise, patience, trust, and care that served as the foundation of my marriage to Clyde. Jane helped my mother raise her children, and I truly believe she felt the loss of my brother William as if he was her own son. In some ways, he was. My granddaughter Mavis is adopted. I know this fact doesn’t stop my son from loving her. I knew Jane loved me just the same. I knew because she told me so.
It was an open secret in my household that my mother loved Jane. My late husband Clyde was a family friend and knew this when he proposed to me. He also knew that I had no interest in him. Lots of women laugh when they hear it took Clyde three tries to get me to say yes to his proposal. The true reason I said no is not because I was unsure of Clyde. I was unsure of myself.
I am also a homosexual.
Though this may shock some of you, I do not think it will shock any who saw me with my late love, Emily Boone. I found it hard to hide how I felt for her whenever I was able to be in her presence. I grew to love Clyde as much as I could love any man. He knew this and loved me anyway. Do not let it be said our house lacked love. Do not let it be said that Clyde was also a homosexual. He loved me in a way I could not love him back. He appreciated my love for Emily, and he never used my difference as an excuse to treat me poorly. Clyde was a good husband, and this letter should not be used to stain his legacy.
I loved Emily in a different way. I loved Emily in the way that burns through every part of the body and pulls one soul toward the other. Though I was never wed to Emily Boone, we were as close as two women could be. I have said it many times in the twenty years since she lost her life to cancer, Emily Boone was sent to this world to improve my life and the life of everyone else around her. She knew before she died that I would one day write this letter. Though she never said it, I think she was glad that she would not be around to see the outcome of the letter. I suspect this letter will come as a shock to her family. I apologize to them for the shock, but I will never apologize for loving Emily with all of my heart. She was the best woman in the world, and I will always be grateful that she loved me back.
There’s a lot of talk right now about homosexuals. This letter isn’t meant to be political, it’s just true. My other mother, Jane Osborne, was a good worker and a true American. She was also homosexual. My love Emily Boone served in World War I and received awards for her service. She was also a homosexual.
As I write this letter, I am only writing about people who have gone before me. This letter should not leave a stain upon any of my living relatives.
I will leave you with this, my final words for the living world:
Loving in silence is hard. Living without love is impossible. Be kind to your neighbors.
Lucretia Clyburn
The publication of this letter in the opinion column of The Hayward Times does not serve as an endorsement of the views expressed within it. In light of the letter, we would like to add the following correction to the obituary of Lucretia Clyburn, née Seymour
Mrs. Clyburn was preceded in death by her parents, Susan and Benjamin Seymour and Jane Osborne, her brother William Seymour, her husband, Edward Clyburn, and her life partner Emily Boone. She is survived by her 3 children, 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. At her request, she will be buried beside her two mothers in Hayward’s Baptist Cemetery.
Paul Hayward
Editor in Chief
Archival Note: Lucretia Clyburn is my great-great grandmother. The letter which Paul Hayward (a family friend) posted in his paper was used as evidence of three of Lucretia’s grandchildren (My grandma, her brother, and one of their cousins). They were interrogated during the lavender scare. So was Paul Hayward. All four of them lost their jobs.
My grandma is the one who told me to start looking into these women. She knew her grandmother was gay, and once I showed her this paper she remembered reading it when it was published. My grandma’s bisexual, she married my grandfather Howard in 1962. When I came out to her as a lesbian 10 years ago she told me ‘you always did remind me of grandma Lucretia.’
I hope you and/or your readers find something worthwhile in their story.
Below I’ve included a diagram of the people involved in this story in case they get lost with all of the names.
Outroduction
Thank you all for reading! I’m so honored to be able to help share this story. It stretches further into the future than most of the stories I find, so we are able to see these people described in words we still use today.
I have another story ready for two weeks from now.
Stay queer and take care of yourselves,
Chrys
