the first death was that of Mehitable, wife of P. P. Furber, in 1851.
A post office was established at Cottage Grove village in 1850; J. W.
Furber was postmaster. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad was
completed through the town in 1871. With its fine natural advantages
of soil, and its convenient access to markets, Cottage Grove is well
settled and prosperous.
COTTAGE GROVE VILLAGE
Is situated in section 12. It is a pleasant inland village, well
supplied with stores, shops and dwellings. It has one hotel, one
school house and three churches, Congregational, Evangelical German
Lutheran and Methodist. The Congregational society was organized in
1858, Rev. B. Hall, pastor; the Evangelical in 1874; the Methodist
some years later. The Universalists also have an organization. The
village was platted in April, 1871, by John P. and S. W. Furber, James
A. McClusky, Margaret M. Ellwell and Clarence Smith, in the southwest
quarter of the northwest quarter of section 12; J. W. Furber,
surveyor.
LANGDON VILLAGE
Was platted in December, 1871, in the southwest quarter of section 21,
on the line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad. It contains
an elevator, hotel, three stores, a school house, Catholic church and
other buildings. The Catholic church was erected in 1873. Father
Huxley is the officiating clergyman. The village was platted by Joseph
J. Dodge; C. B. Lowell, surveyor.
JOSEPH W. FURBER was born in New Hampshire in 1813. His ancestors came
to this country with the early colonists of New England. His father
was a soldier in the war of 1812. During his minority he worked at
farming, obtaining, meanwhile, an education in the common schools and
at Foxcroft Academy, Maine. He emigrated to the valley of the
Mississippi in 1838, locating at Alton, Illinois, where he remained
for two years. In 1840 he came to St. Croix Falls and engaged in
lumbering until 1844, when he located in Cottage Grove. In 1846 Mr.
Furber represented Crawford county in the Wisconsin legislature as
representative. He traveled on foot as far as Prairie du Chien on his
way to the capital of the Territory. He represented the First district
in the first Minnesota territorial legislature and was elected speaker
of the house; was again a representative in the eighth territorial
legislature in 1857; was a member of the tenth and seventeenth state
legislatures. In 1857 he was commissioned major general of Minnesota
militia. He was also appointed United States marshal of Minnesota by
President Fillmore. He died at his residence in Cottage Grove in 1883.
He was a man of strong intellect, sound judgment and high moral
character. His widow, Sarah Wimples, to whom he was married in 1843,
one son, William W., and two daughters survive him.
SAMUEL W. FURBER was born in Stafford county, New Hampshire, in 1819.
He removed with his parents to Milo, Maine, and came to Cottage Grove
in 1860.
THEODORE FURBER was born in 1817, in Farmington, New Hampshire; came
West in 1845 and located at St. Croix Falls. In the following year he
moved to Cottage Grove. Mr. Furber was married to Sarah J. Hale in
1843, in Skowhegan, Maine. Mr. and Mrs. Furber visited California in