Freeborn, Minnesota

This township has a name identical with that of the county. Its immediate surroundings are Waseca county on the north, Faribault county on the west, Carlston county on the south, and Hartland on the east. It is constituted, as are all the townships in this county, of a full congressional township, containing 23,040 acres, known in legal parlance as township 104, range 23. Free¬ born is principally a prairie town, not so much inclined to be rolling as most of the towns, but level and in places marshy. The lakes are surrounded by a small growth of the shrubby varieties of timber. The soil is a dark and sandy loam, with a sub-soil of clay and gravel, and almost the entire area is well adapted to agricultural purposes, and has a large cultivated acreage, yielding good crops of the cereals and other products of the latitude, and in the low lands hay is a most valuable crop. The township is well watered by numerous lakes and streams, which diversify the scenery and help make the land valuable for agricultural purposes. First in order should be mentioned the lake bearing the name of Freeborn, which extends from Carlston township, in which a greater part of the lake lies, northward, and covers a few acres of land in section 35, just south of the village of Freeborn. Lake George lies about one mile to the north, in sections 26 and 27. Still further north, in sections 11 and 14, is located another small body of water, known as Spicer lake. Trenton lake covers quite an area in sections 2 and 3, and extends northward into Waseca county. Another body of water, known as Prairie lake, is located in the extreme southwestern part of the town. Two rivers, known as the Big and Little Cobb rivers, traverse the town from the southeast to the northwest, almost parallel, within about two miles of each other, and enter Faribault county.

Passage source: History of Freeborn County, Minnesota, published 1911.

Early Settlement. In the early days it was generally agreed that the first settlers in this township were T. K. Page and William Montgomery, who came from Dodge county, Wisconsin, and in July, 1856, located in section 26 and commenced improvements, the former erecting the first house, of logs. They remained sev¬ eral years, when they returned to their former homes. The first permanent settlers came June 13, 1856, and were H. T. Simms, who located on a tract of land in section 10 ; Jeremiah Davis, and son, D. C., who located in section 2. and John W. Avars, who settled in the northern part of the township on sections 3 and 4. Another member of the party was a Mr. Heritage, who remained in the township but a short time and then returned to Wisconsin. This party of pioneers came from Wisconsin in covered wagons, drawn by ox teams, and for weeks after their arrival here they camped in their wagons while rude log houses were being erected. The locality in which these people located is still known as Seventh Day Adventists' Grove. About the same time came E. S. Dunn, long a justice of the peace, who settled in the northern part of the township. Mr. Dunn remained upon this farm until 1857, when he removed to the southern part of the town, and in June took 320 acres of land in sections 34 and 35, under the provisions of the law allowing it for townsite purposes. He lived here until 1881, when he removed to Missouri. September 10, in 1856, came Charles Giddings, Parker Page and L. T. Scott, from Dodge county, Wisconsin, who all settled upon sections 35 and 26. Mr. Giddings remained about six years, when he removed to Fari¬ bault, and from there to Blooming Prairie, Steele county. Mr. Page remained about eight years, when he went to Nebraska. Mr. Scott now lives in the village and is one of the most successful as well as most prominent men. This party came with ox teams, bringing also a few cows. Mr. Scott brought with him his wife, as did Parker Page. Theodore Page had a wife and boy with him, while Mr. Giddings also brought his wife and a small child. Among the pioneers of Freeborn township and vicinity may be mentioned: Stephen Fuller, Jason Goward, John G. Harrison, Henry Olin, Thomas, John B., Alexander and William Purdie, John A. Scroen, John Bostwick, Ezra Stearns, George Snyder, Nathan McQuinney, F. M. Snyder, Nathan McQuivey, W. H. Miller, D. A. Scoville, Charles Scoville, Levi W. Gilmore (in Carlston), Henry Simmons, Geo. M. Chase, E. D. Rodgers, Andrew Aughenbaugh, John Penny, Levi Stearns, C. H. Derby, Morris Stillman, John G. Harrison, George Seath, Alfred Crandall, Rus¬ sell D. Burdick, James Hanson, Francis Drake, Orville S. Gilmore, Ole Johnson, N. P. Stillman.

Passage source: History of Freeborn County, Minnesota, published 1911.

Historical Sketch. This sketch of the township, prepared by D. G. Parker, president of the Old Settlers' Association, was read by him at their annual reunion in the spring of 1877. Freeborn was settled by T. K. Page and William Montgomery in July, 1856. The former built a house of logs and opened a farm. The same season, being in advance of any other, Clark and West opened a small store in the winter of 1857-58 in the village, but left in the following spring. E. D. Rogers, a blacksmith, was the first me¬ chanic. J. R. Giddings was the first lawyer, and located in 1860. In 1861 J. K. Moore offered his services as the first doctor. The first school was taught at the village in E. S. Dunn's log house by Emeline Allen, in the summer of 1857. The first schoolhouse was built by district No. 13, in the fall of 1858. In 1857 L. T. Scott

Passage source: History of Freeborn County, Minnesota, published 1911.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Freeborn City - it names this place 2 more 2 times.