William Eben “Josh” Furr was born on April 26, 1832, in the western portion of Montgomery County. According to local historian Dottie Plyler, his father John was one of the men who was instrumental in the efforts to split Montgomery County that led to the formation of Stanly County in the early 1840s. According to Plyer, Furr was married twice. He had seven children before joining the Confederate army during the Civil War. After the war, he returned to Stanly County and had 15 more children. Furr was a farmer and landowner. Later in life, he served as the constable in Albemarle. He passed away on May 20, 1913. At his death, in addition to his 22 children, he had 126 grandchildren, 90 great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren. {Lewis Bramlett – Stanly County Historical Society}