Melvin Durfee Osband was the son of William and Martha Reeve(s) Osband. He was born in Palmyra, New York on April 22, 1824, and a year later the family moved to Nankin Township, Wayne County, Michigan. Osband attended the local schools and during the winter of 1843-44 the Ypsilanti Academy. He taught school and worked as a carpenter before moving to Lansing in 1857, which he served as clerk for Ira Mayhew. On November 15, 1859, Melvin Osband and Helen M. Hoskins of Scio were married. He continued to work as a carpenter and served as city assessor of Lansing. In 1868 he was appointed superintendent of the poor, and in 1864 was elected member of the Lansing School Board. From 1870 to 1871 Osband was a bookkeeper for C.B. Seymour & Co. in Pleasantville. In June 1871 he became clerk to the Michigan Secretary of State and in 1873 was an organizer of the Lansing Iron Works. He left the company after three years. About 1882 he opened a grocery store in Frederic, Michigan. Mr. Osband was a member of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, and contributed to its publications. Some of his notes for these articles are included in this collection. Helen Osband died on August 3, 1892. Melvin Osband died in Grand Rapids in 1911. (from Mich. Pio. Colls. XIV, 431ff; 39:415-19 ; MS/Osband, N8: 1893-1897, p. 183-98)
From the description of Melvin D. Osband papers, 1857-1907. (Detroit Public Library). WorldCat record id: 418043587
