Lloyd Osbourne - Early Life

Early Life

Lloyd Osbourne was born in San Francisco to Fanny Osbourne (née Vandegrift) and Samuel Osbourne, a lieutenant on the State Governor's staff. They married when Fanny was just seventeen years of age, and Lloyd's older sister Isobel Osbourne (or 'Belle') was born the following year. Samuel fought in the American Civil War, went with a friend sick with tuberculosis to California, and via San Francisco, he ended up in the silver mines of Nevada. Once settled there he sent for his family. Fanny and the five-year-old Isobel made the long journey via New York, the isthmus of Panama, San Francisco, and finally by wagons and stage-coach to the mining camps of the Reese River, and the town of Austin in Lander County. Life was difficult in the mining town, and there were few women around. Fanny learned to shoot a pistol and to roll her own cigarettes.

The family moved to Virginia City, Nevada. Samuel began going with saloon girls, and in 1866 he headed off gold prospecting in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, and Fanny and her daughter journeyed to San Francisco. There was a rumour that Sam had been killed by a grizzly bear, but he returned to the family safe in 1868. Shortly thereafter Lloyd was born. But Samuel continued philandering and Fanny returned to Indianapolis.

The couple were reconciled again in 1869, and lived in Oakland where a second son, Hervey, was born. Fanny took up painting and gardening. However, her husband's behaviour did not improve, and Fanny finally left him in 1875 and moved with her three children to Europe. They lived in Antwerp for three months, and then in order to allow Fanny to study art, moved to Paris where Fanny and Isobel both enrolled in the Académie Julian. Hervey sick with scrofulous tuberculosis, died on 5 April 1876, and was buried in a temporary grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery. While in Paris, Lloyd's mother met and befriended the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. He became deeply attached to her and in 1880 they were married when Lloyd was just 12 years old. As a boy, Lloyd and his stepfather painted a map of an imaginary island, and this quickly formed the inspiration for Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. Although he would study engineering at the University of Edinburgh Osbourne desired to become a writer, an idea that was encouraged by his stepfather.