Josiah Flint Willard (November 17, 1805 - January 24, 1868) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

dairy farmer Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

, naturalist and businessman living in Janesville,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, who served one term as a Free Soiler member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. He was the father of

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Frances E. Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an Americans, American educator, Temperance movement, temperance reformer, and women's suffrage, women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Wom ...

Background

Willard was born in

Wheelock, Vermont Wheelock is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 759 at the 2020 census. History The town was named after Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College. Through a provision of the college dating to , any f ...

, on November 17, 1805. He originally moved to

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of the ...

, to be part of the ministry there. He married Mary Thompson Hill, a schoolteacher. They lived in Churchville, near

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, where their first son Oliver was born about 1834; a daughter, Caroline Elizabeth, died in 1838, and in 1839 came the birth of their daughter Frances Elizabeth Caroline. A third daughter, Mary, was born about 1844. In 1846, Josiah became ill. His doctor advised him to give up his theological studies and move to the open countryside. They moved to a 360-acre farm on a river in Janesville, in the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

some few miles north of the Illinois border. During the family’s stay in Wisconsin, they would convert from

Congregationalism Congregationalist polity, or congregational polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of ecclesiastical polity in which every local church (congregation) is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous". Its first articul ...

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

, a Protestant denomination that placed an emphasis on

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

and service to the world.

Legislature and partisan politics

Willard was elected to the second session of the Wisconsin State Legislature, which convened January 10, 1849 and adjourned April 2 of that year, as one of five members from Rock County; he was the only one from Janesville. In the next session, the only Rock County State Representative from Janesville was William Tompkins, a Whig. He was a delegate to the "Union Democratic Party" (also called the "Free Soil Democrats") convention which convened in Madison, Wisconsin on September 7, 1849. He was elected Vice-President of the convention, and to the state

central committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

of that party.

Farming and other business

In 1849, Willard was elected the first Vice-President of the newly organized

Wisconsin State Agricultural Society Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...

. In December 1851, Willard was elected president of the Rock County Agricultural Society. Willard was credited with getting the

Wisconsin School for the Blind The Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WSBVI) is a state school that specializes in teaching the visually impaired. It is operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI), a unit of the Wisconsin Depar ...

sited in Janesville, and was on its board of trustees from 1851-1857. In 1853, Willard and his neighbor built what is now known as the

Frances Willard Schoolhouse The Frances Willard Schoolhouse is a one-room schoolhouse built in 1853 in Janesville, Wisconsin. Prominent Women's suffrage, women's suffragist and social reformer Frances Willard studied and taught there. In 1977 the school was added to the Nati ...

. The schoolhouse is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Willard was an author of articles such as "Agricultural fences and enclosures",Willard, Joseph F. "Agricultural fences and enclosures," in: Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. ''Transactions of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, with portions of the correspondence of the secretary'' Vol. II (1852) Madison: Beriah Brown, State Printer, 1852; pp. 186-195
/ref> and was one of two compilers (with Orrin Guernsey) of the ''History of Rock County and Transactions of the Rock County Agricultural Society and Mechanics Institute'' (Janesville: Wiliam Doty and Brother, 1856). In 1857, he was one of the 14 Janesville notables who helped form the first board of

trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of The Mutual Life Insurance Co., later to become

Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investme ...

Life.

Personal life

In 1858, the Willard family moved to

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

so that Mary and Frances could attend college and their brother Oliver could go to the

Garrett Biblical Institute Garrett may refer to: Places ;United States * Garrett, Illinois * Garrett, Indiana * Garrett, Kentucky (multiple places) ** Garrett, Floyd County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community ** Garrett, Meade County, Kentucky, an unincorporated commun ...

. The girls had attended Milwaukee Female College, where their mother's sister was a teacher Frances would become a world-famous

and first Dean of Women at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. Willard died in Churchville on January 24, 1868.

Family

Josiah Flint Willard was a 5th great-grandson of

Simon Willard Simon Willard (April 3, 1753 – August 30, 1848) was a celebrated American clockmaker. Simon Willard clocks were produced in Massachusetts in the towns of Grafton and Roxbury, near Boston. Among his many innovations and timekeeping improvement ...

(1605–1676), a Massachusetts colonist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, Josiah Farmers from Wisconsin American naturalists Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Businesspeople from Evanston, Illinois People from Caledonia County, Vermont People from Monroe County, New York Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin Wisconsin Free Soilers 19th-century American politicians Writers from Evanston, Illinois Writers from New Hampshire Writers from New York (state) Writers from Wisconsin 1805 births 1868 deaths Scientists from New York (state)