My great-grandfather emigrated from Vals, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland...a small village nestled in the alps, where cows greatly outnumber people. While in Vals, all you hear is the sound of cow bells from the dozens of cows in the hills, along with the rushing of the Valserrhein running through the center of town. My great-grandfather, Christian Anton Furger (aka Chris Fable) arrived in the Port of New York aboard the City of Richmond on 5 October 1874. Some say he left to avoid being conscripted (drafted), while others say he left because the valley he lived in was hit hard by floods. Chris seems to have travelled a bit in Europe and at one time was supposedly a painter in Paris. According to his obituary:
Chris A. Fable passed away at his farm home in Troy Monday, June 14 (1926), just forty-eight hours after being run down by an auto on the main street of Hudson.
Mr. Fable was born in Switzerland on Nov. 23, 1854. He spent the early part of his life in Switzerland, Germany and Paris, France, coming to the United States when he was nineteen years old. He came to live with an uncle in the town of Troy from whom he bought the farm known as the "Old Fable Farm."
In 1878 he was married to Catherine McLaughlin and to them ten children were born, all of whom are living except one, James, who died when eighteen years old.
He is survived by five daughters -- Mary, Winifred, Catherine, Margaret and Frances; four sons, Joe, Clem, Pat and Pete; three step sons, Alfred, Clyde and Terrance Carroll; also twenty-one grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at St. Patrick's church, Hudson, Thursday morning at nine o'clock, solemn High Mass being said by Father Kinney. Celebrants, Father Hildebrand Deacon and Father Cunningham; Sub Deacon. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Father Rice.
Not much is known about Chris Fable's life in Switzerland. Several families from the same small town of Vals, Casanova, Krattley, Gartmann, and another line of Furgers, appear to have left the Vals area around the same period (possibly calling into question the "draft-dodging theory.")
On 20 Nov 1872, Anton Furger, age 18; Catherine Furger, age 23; Anton Gartmann, age 22; and, Nicolaus Kruttli (Krattley), age 39, landed in New York aboard the Cimbria. And, on 18 June 1874, a Jos. Furger, age 25, landed in New York aboard the Westphalia. Joseph is believed to be Chris' brother, who Chris had little contact with even though they lived quite close to each other. Then, on 5 Oct 1874, Chris Fable sailed on the City of Richmond. On board the City of Richmond were Mag. Kratkle (Margaret Gartmann Krattley), age 30; Johan (John) Kratkle, age 7; Jus.(August) Kratkle, age 5; and Maria (Mary) Kratkle, age 3.
According to S. N. Hawkins, in The Arrival of the Emigrants,
"Chris was born in Switzerland on November 23, 1854. He spent the earlier part of his life in Germany and in Paris, France, where he was a painter. At the age of nineteen he came to America. Chris Fable came to America to avoid the draft. He should not have been allowed on the ship for this reason. By carrying a child of a Mrs. Kratley, who was coming to join her husband in America, he gained passage because the officials thought he was the child's father. After arriving in America he came to Troy township to live with an uncle who had come to America earlier."
The Furgers, Gartmanns, Krattleys, and Casanovas obviously knew each other from Vals, and there is a good possibility that they are related. After arriving in St. Croix County, Catherine Furger married Robert Karras. The 1880 Federal Census for St. Joseph Township shows Robert, Catherine, and their family, along with Anthony Furger boarding with them. Next door to the Karras' is Joseph Fabel with his wife Mary. Joseph is probably Chris' brother...we know that Chris did have a brother, Joseph, that came to America and lived in St. Paul for awhile. Then, in the 1900 Federal Census for St. Joseph Township, Robert Karras is listed as a widower (Catherine Furger Karras died in 1898), and living next door is Anton Furger, age 46, with his wife Margaret and five children. There is some connection to this branch of Furgers, since Anton is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery to the left of Chris. Anton and Chris might have been cousins, but it is unlikely they were brothers because Anton was born in March, 1854, making him only seven months older than Chris. And, on 6 Nov 1876, Christian Fable (age 21), Anton Furger (age 21), and Anton Germen (Gartmann)(age 25), went to the St. Croix County Circuit Court and filed their Declarations of Intent to become U.S. citizens. Also, Chris' son, Pete, along with Joe Karras helped Joe, Leo and Frank Casanova at the Casanova Brewing Company in Hudson. Update: A copy of the Furger family tree, going back at least seven generations, recently came into our possession. Chris Fable was first cousin to Catherine and Anton Furger.
Chris did come to America to live with his uncle, Christopher C. Fable, who already owned a farm in St. Croix County. It is not known if Christopher C. Fable was the first of the Fables/Furgers to come to America, but he certainly was followed by several relatives, friends, and acquaintances from Vals. However, it probably was Chris' uncle, Christopher C. Fable, that changed the name from Furger to Fable. On 20 April 1878, Chris bought six hundred and eighty acres from his uncle in sections 11, 12, and 28, of St. Croix County for $12,000. Quite a bit of money for a "kid" fresh off the boat. Only seven years earlier, Chris' uncle, Christopher C. Fable, had bought approximately half of the same parcel, 320 acres, for $1500, from Sarah E. Wright.
Several of Chris and Catherine's sons would operate a threshing machine, helping local farmers with their grain. The boys must have been a big help to their father on his farm, because Chris Fable had lost the lower part of his left arm in a corn shredder.
Chris married Catherine McLaughlin, daughter of James McLaughlin, and had ten children, Joseph, Mary, Winifred, James, Christopher, Patrick, Catherine, Peter, Margaret, and Frances (my grandmother). After Catherine McLaughlin Fable's death in 1905, Chris married Mary Carroll, a widow with three sons, in 1908, giving the Fable house a total of 13 children. Although there were five Fable sons, this branch of the surname Fable ended with my grandmother's generation. Joe and Clem didn't have any children, James was a teenager when he died, Pat had two daughters, and Pete had one daughter and a son that died in infancy.
Joe Fable worked on his father's farm before he married Justina "Gustie" Faltesek and owned a farm just north of River Falls. Joe and Gustie had no children. Joe would stop by my grandparents' (Loughneys') for lunch. He could easily clean out the ice box with his voracious appetite, eating eight eggs at one sitting. He is also rumored to have been quite adept at eating his peas with a knife. ~~ Mary Jane (Mayme) married Leo Rohl and raised seven children on a farm a few miles east of the Loughney and Fable farms. It was always a treat for the nieces and nephews to spend a few days during the summer at the Rohl farm, where they would get to ride on King, the Rohl's horse. Mayme could "ride like the wind (without a saddle)," even until late in life. Aunt Mayme would always make her nieces and nephews something special when they visited, like pretty new pajamas. Later, the Rohl's would retire to the Fable family home on 4th Street in Hudson. Mayme would live here until her death in 1946. ~~ Winnie married Al Faltesek and had seven children, five of which would reach adulthood. She and her husband owned the Hudson Ice House and delivered ice to the City of Hudson, cutting ice on the St. Croix River. They would lose a team of horses on the river when they went through the ice. The Falteseks spent some time in Montana and would move to St. Paul where they ran the Certified Ice Company. Winnie died in 1971 in a Hastings rest home.
Clem, who was "very handsome," married Theresa Ruemmele, who's family owned a farm in the Town of Troy. Clem and "Tress" would move to a farm near River Falls. Clem died quite young of leukemia in 1930, before he and Tress would have any children. ~~ Pat Fable worked on the family farm and ran a threshing rig. Pat worked and threshed for most of the farmers in the area, including his cousins, the Kinneys. Pat later sold his rig and after his farm auction moved with his wife, Myrtle Foss, and two daughters to St. Paul. Pat and Myrtle would later divorce. Pat worked at the Cathedral of St. Paul as an engineer until his retirement. ~~ Kate married John Ryan, another local farmer in the Town of Troy. They had six daughters, five of which are still living. It was always a good time to go to the Ryans', especially to see their "three-legged" dog. Between the death of Catherine McLaughlin Fable in 1905 and Chris' marriage to their much-beloved step-mother, Mary Carroll, in 1908, Kate became the matriarch of the family...keeping the home fires burning.
Pete lived and worked on the Fable farm until his marriage to Erna Trebus. He and Erna moved to a farm that was known as "The Eighty," since it consisted of eighty acres. Though she died young from blood poisoning, leaving Pete with a young daughter, those who knew Erna were very fond of her. Pete's daughter, Marge, made her home with several aunts, including the Loughneys, and my mother considered her a sister. Marge would later move to her father's farm until her marriage. Pete would often stop by the Loughney farm after mass on Sunday for dinner and to visit with the Loughneys and his daughter. Every Sunday Pete would show up for dinner with a bucket of Strawberry Revel ice cream. Pete was "quite a character" with a wonderful sense of humor. ~~ Margaret married Ed Wink and farmed in Union Center. They had two children and one on the way when Ed died. Margaret moved her children back to the Fable farm in Hudson and raised her children there. After the sale of the farm, she bought a home in Hudson. Often times we would stop by Margaret's on the way to the cabin. She would always have a hot roast ready to bring along for dinner. Margaret was my partner when we played cards at the cabin. She was the only one patient enough to deal with a beginner...or maybe it was that she was allowed to see my cards while she "assisted" me. Compared to my grandmother (Frances), Margaret was rowdy and boisterous and was my ally when she thought that I was given too many chores. In 1982, Margaret was murdered in her home. Her assailant is still in prison. ~~ Frances, my grandmother, took a job with the Omaha railroad as a secretary after her graduation from Hudson High School. She commuted daily to the Twin Cities. She enjoyed traveling and made several trips out West, probably with passes from the railroad. She lived with her father on 4th Street in Hudson until her marriage in 1923. She was close to her sisters and they often got together, enabling all the cousins to get to know each other and have many good times.
Chris Fable farmed most of his life in St. Croix County before he retired and bought a home in Hudson. Chris had two of his younger children, Pete and Margaret, run the farm. Chris would finally take his Oath of Allegiance on 28 April 1913, completing his naturalization process over 37 years after he first filed his Declaration of Intention. Chris did make a trip back to Vals, supposedly for a wedding. As the story goes, he was scheduled to leave on his return trip from England aboard the Titanic on its fateful voyage, but was detained because several of his nieces were sick and he stayed to help his sister, Barbara, take care of them.
| Naturalization, Land & Will Records |
Photos of Vals, Canton Graübunden |
Rösti Recipes |
| Fable Weddings |