Jacob Osgood
Encyclopedia
Jacob Osgood was the founder of a 19th-century Christian
sect in New Hampshire
known as the Osgoodites.
Osgood was born in South Hampton, New Hampshire
. At age 12, his family moved to Warner, New Hampshire
, where, as a young adult, he married Miriam Stevens, with whom he had eight children.
Osgood became a farmer in Warner and was a member of the local Congregational Church
. In the early 19th century, both Calvinism
and Universalism
were vying to become the dominant theological perspective among New England
Congregationalists. Osgood was averse to both approaches and left the Congregational Church in 1805. He initially joined the Free Will Baptists, but by 1812 he had begun his own separate congregation.
Osgood taught his version of Christianity to others in the Congregationalist Church in Warner. He claimed to be a prophet
who could heal physical deformities and illness through the laying on of hands
. Thomas Hackett was Osgood's first disciple, and Osgood's following grew throughout New Hampshire in the 1820s. The first congregation of Osgoodites was established in Warner, with a second one of approximately thirty families being organized in Canterbury
in the early 1820s. Osgood also had numerous followers in Mink Hill, Sutton
, Bradford
, Gilford
, Gilmanton
, South Hampton, and Newton
. He also attracted followers from Amesbury
, Newbury
, and Byfield
in northern Massachusetts
. The group did not build church buildings but met in homes or schoolhouses and held regular outdoor revival meeting
s at which Osgood would preach. Osgood weighed more than three hundred pounds, and it was customary for him to preach with his eyes closed while seated in a large throne
-like chair on an elevated platform in front of the congregation.
Osgood taught that anything that was established by man was the work of Satan
, and this included man-made law
. Thus, he taught his followers to withdraw from all influences of government. Members refused to vote, serve in the military, or pay taxes. Osgood preached frequently on the evils of the law courts, lawyers, judges, town meetings, medical doctors, and paid clergy. In 1819, as a result of some of his followers refusing to pay taxes, some Osgoodites were arrested and imprisoned; in 1820, Osgood himself was imprisoned in New Hampshire, where he began to write his autobiography and set out his teachings in detail. In 1823, while on a preaching trip, Osgood fell off his horse and was severely injured. He refused to seek medical care from a doctor and later claimed that he was healed by the laying on of hands of his fellow believers.
Osgood and his followers dressed in an old-fashioned manner and avoided spending time on personal grooming or other issues of appearance. The men and women in the group avoided cutting their hair and the male Osgoodites were usually identifiable by their unkept appearances.
Osgood fell ill in August 1844 and died on 29 November. After Osgood's death, Charles H. Colby and Nehemiah Ordway succeeded him as joint leaders of the Osgoodites. The Osgoodite movement continued until the 1880s, but by 1890 it had entirely disappeared from New Hampshire.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
sect in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
known as the Osgoodites.
Osgood was born in South Hampton, New Hampshire
South Hampton, New Hampshire
South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 814 at the 2010 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest.- History :...
. At age 12, his family moved to Warner, New Hampshire
Warner, New Hampshire
Warner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,833 at the 2010 census. The town is home to The College of Saint Mary Magdalen, Rollins State Park and Mount Kearsarge State Forest....
, where, as a young adult, he married Miriam Stevens, with whom he had eight children.
Osgood became a farmer in Warner and was a member of the local Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. In the early 19th century, both Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and Universalism
Universalism
Universalism in its primary meaning refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability...
were vying to become the dominant theological perspective among New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Congregationalists. Osgood was averse to both approaches and left the Congregational Church in 1805. He initially joined the Free Will Baptists, but by 1812 he had begun his own separate congregation.
Osgood taught his version of Christianity to others in the Congregationalist Church in Warner. He claimed to be a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
who could heal physical deformities and illness through the laying on of hands
Laying on of hands
The laying on of hands is a religious ritual that accompanies certain religious practices, which are found throughout the world in varying forms....
. Thomas Hackett was Osgood's first disciple, and Osgood's following grew throughout New Hampshire in the 1820s. The first congregation of Osgoodites was established in Warner, with a second one of approximately thirty families being organized in Canterbury
Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,352 at the 2010 census. Canterbury is home to Ayers State Forest and Shaker State Forest. On the last Saturday in July, the town hosts the annual .- History :...
in the early 1820s. Osgood also had numerous followers in Mink Hill, Sutton
Sutton, New Hampshire
Sutton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,837 at the 2010 census. Sutton is home to Wadleigh State Beach on Kezar Lake.-History:...
, Bradford
Bradford, New Hampshire
Bradford is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2010 census. The main village of the town, where 356 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Bradford census-designated place , and is located west of the junction of New Hampshire...
, Gilford
Gilford, New Hampshire
Gilford is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census. Situated on Lake Winnipesaukee, Gilford is home to Governors Island, Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap Mountain State Forest, Gunstock Mountain Ski Resort, and Meadowbrook U.S...
, Gilmanton
Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Gilmanton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,777 at the 2010 census. Gilmanton includes the villages of Gilmanton Corner and Gilmanton Ironworks...
, South Hampton, and Newton
Newton, New Hampshire
Newton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,603 at the 2010 census.- History :The sixth town to be granted from the Masonian land purchase of 1746, Newton was originally part of Salisbury, Massachusetts; later, part of Amesbury, Massachusetts; then...
. He also attracted followers from Amesbury
Amesbury, Massachusetts
Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Though it officially became a city in 1996, its formal name remains "The Town of Amesbury." In 1890, 9798 people lived in Amesbury; in 1900, 9473; in 1910, 9894; in 1920, 10,036; and in 1940, 10,862. The population was 16,283 at...
, Newbury
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
, and Byfield
Byfield, Massachusetts
Byfield is a village in the town of Newbury, in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It borders West Newbury, Georgetown, and Rowley. It is located about 30 miles north-northeast of Boston, along Interstate 95, about 10 miles south of the border between New Hampshire and...
in northern Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The group did not build church buildings but met in homes or schoolhouses and held regular outdoor revival meeting
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
s at which Osgood would preach. Osgood weighed more than three hundred pounds, and it was customary for him to preach with his eyes closed while seated in a large throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
-like chair on an elevated platform in front of the congregation.
Osgood taught that anything that was established by man was the work of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, and this included man-made law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. Thus, he taught his followers to withdraw from all influences of government. Members refused to vote, serve in the military, or pay taxes. Osgood preached frequently on the evils of the law courts, lawyers, judges, town meetings, medical doctors, and paid clergy. In 1819, as a result of some of his followers refusing to pay taxes, some Osgoodites were arrested and imprisoned; in 1820, Osgood himself was imprisoned in New Hampshire, where he began to write his autobiography and set out his teachings in detail. In 1823, while on a preaching trip, Osgood fell off his horse and was severely injured. He refused to seek medical care from a doctor and later claimed that he was healed by the laying on of hands of his fellow believers.
Osgood and his followers dressed in an old-fashioned manner and avoided spending time on personal grooming or other issues of appearance. The men and women in the group avoided cutting their hair and the male Osgoodites were usually identifiable by their unkept appearances.
Osgood fell ill in August 1844 and died on 29 November. After Osgood's death, Charles H. Colby and Nehemiah Ordway succeeded him as joint leaders of the Osgoodites. The Osgoodite movement continued until the 1880s, but by 1890 it had entirely disappeared from New Hampshire.