Rosanna Dyer Osterman

 Rosanna Dyer was born on 26 February 1809 in Germany. The girl came with her family to America, and they all settled in Baltimore. On 23 February 1825, young Rosanna married Joseph Osterman (1). The man was born in the Netherlands in 1799. In 1838, the Osterman couple relocated to Galveston, TX. They owned a trading business there. Their enterprise started with selling goods from a stall under a tent, and later, turned into a large general store. Soon, Rosanna's brother Isidore joined them in Texas as well. The man became an important figure in the local Jewish community.

Sophienburg Museum, New Braunfels

1842 - Rosanna's husband Joseph retired and passed/sold his business to Isidore Dyer.
In 1850, during the census, Joseph Osterman (age 50), Rosanna (age 40), Hannah Dyer (age 25), Isabella (age 20), and Mary A Browne (age 28) were recorded at Joseph's household in Galveston, TX (2). Hannah was Rosanna's sister and Isabella was Rosanna's niece.

Newspaper clipping: Stuart, H. The Civilian and Galveston City Gazette. (Galveston, Tex.), Ed. 1 Saturday, February 4, 1843, newspaper, February 4, 1843; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth177233/: accessed June 25, 2023), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

 
Being of Jewish background, in 1852, Rosanna's influence brought to Galveston a Jewish rabbi by the mane of N N Nathan, who consecrated the Jewish cemetery in Galveston.

1853/54 - yellow fever epidemic touched Galveston. Mrs. Osterman organized a field hospital on her land and nursed the sick there.

1856, on Yom Kippur, the very first Jewish service was celebrated in the home of Isidore Dyer.
Rosanna gave her family recipe for meat biscuits to Gail Borden. The latter, sponsored by Joseph Osterman, worked on the recipe and experimented with it to make it perfect. A result of those works was the invention of condensed milk.

Monday, 19 August 1861 - Rosanna's husband Joseph was accidentally shot at a shooting gallery. Joseph died two days later.

Newspaper clipping: The Weekly Telegraph (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 27, No. 24, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 28, 1861, newspaper, August 28, 1861; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth236161/: accessed September 6, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
 

Newspaper clipping: The Bellville Countryman (Bellville, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 28, 1861, newspaper, August 28, 1861; Bellville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth177010/: accessed September 6, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

When the Civil War came, Rosanna turned her place into a hospital and cared for the wounded soldiers (of both sides) there.

Once Galveston was taken by the Union, Rosanna stayed in the city and continued nursing the soldiers in her home hospital. It is said that thanks to the information passed to general Houston by the lady, the Confederate Army was able to retake Galveston on 1 January 1863.

2 February 1866 - Rosanna was traveling on the steamboat WR Carter on the Mississippi River when the vessel exploded. Tragically, she died in the accident.  In her will, Mrs. Osterman provided numerous donations to various charities such as for example, hospitals and also creating a home for widows and orphans.

Newspaper clipping: Cushing, E. H. Tri-Weekly Telegraph (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 147, Ed. 1 Monday, February 12, 1866, newspaper, February 12, 1866; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth236296/: accessed September 6, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.

More about

• Galveston Movement: https://www.tshaonline.org/han.../entries/galveston-movement
• Rosanna Dyer Osterman: https://www.tshaonline.org/.../entries/osterman-rosanna-dyer
• Joseph Osterman: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/osterman-joseph
• Isabella Dyer: https://www.tshaonline.org/.../entries/kopperl-isabella-dyer

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This post is part of our series

Sources:
1. "Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4JS-95P : 16 January 2020), Rosanna Dyer in entry for Joseph Osterman, 1825.
2. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXLK-KH2 : 23 December 2020), Rosanna Osterman in household of Joseph Osterman, Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
- "The Jewish Texans. The Texians and the Texans ", Institute of Texan Cultures, University of Texas, Institue of Texan Cultures, San Antonio, 1996.
- https://peoplepill.com/people/rosanna-osterman
- The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/osterman-rosanna-dyer