Bio of WASHBURN, Edson D. (b.1842), Wright Co., MN
========================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information
on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities,
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is
obtained from the contributor of the file.
These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to
use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written
consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter,
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.
  If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives 
Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm
  Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find 
the submitter information or other files for this county.
FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives
Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Hanson
Submitted: April 2004
=========================================================================

524   HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY

Edson D. Washburn, a pioneer of Otsego township, was born in Essex county, 
New York, January 19, 1842, son of John W. and Mahetable (Lawrence) Washburn, 
who brought him to Wright county in September, 1856, and located on section 
23, Otsego township. He spent his youth there, and on August 14, 1862, 
enlisted under Captain Edward Hartley, in Company E, Eighth Minnesota 
Volunteer Infantry. He followed the fortunes of that regiment in the
Northwest against the Indians and in the South against the Confederates, 
and was mustered out at Ft. Snelling after about three years' of hard 
service, having in 1864, been promoted to corporal. Then he farmed on 
section 13, Otsego township for some five years, after which he came to 
the farm which he now owns. He has been very successful 

525   HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY

and has about 300 acres of excellent land, on which is conducted general 
farming and stock raising. Mr. Washburn has served in practically all the 
town offices. He was chairman of the town board two years and justice of 
the peace for twenty years, as well as a member of the school board for 
many terms. He is patriotic instructor of Sedgwick Post, No. 52, G. A. R., 
of Monticello; and a member of Monticello Lodge, No. 16, A. F. & A. M. The 
family faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Washburn was 
married May 26, 1866, to Amelia Wells, a native of New York state.  This 
union was blessed with seven children. Orson M. lives at Seappoose, 
Oregon. D. Cuyler lives in Otsego township. He is a civil engineer and
present county surveyor. Helen is dead. Robert M. is professor of dairy 
husbandry in the agricultural department of the University of Minnesota. 
R. J. is a dentist at Hope, North Dakota. He served eighteen months in 
the Philippines as a private in Company F, Thirteenth Minnesota Volunteer 
Infantry. Lura M. is the wife of C. A. Rowley, of Nortonville, North 
Dakota. Edson lives in Otsego.