William Frisbie Watrous (August 10, 1825July 18, 1910) was an American

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

farmer and pioneer of

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 ...

and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. He was a 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, ...

, representing

Calumet County Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton. The county was created in 1836 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1850. Calumet ...

during the 1862 session. He later served fourteen years on the Colorado Board of Agriculture and was instrumental in funding construction of

Colorado Agricultural College Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...

Biography

William F. Watrous was born on August 10, 1825, in

Bridgewater Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania Bridgewater Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,582 at the 2020 census, but is now estimated to be 2,754. History Bridgewater Township was formed in November 1806 from parts of Tunkhann ...

. At age 6, he moved with his parents to

Broome County, New York Broome County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 198,683. Its county seat is Binghamton. The county was named for John Broome, the state's lieutenant governor when Br ...

, where he was raised and educated. In 1849, he moved west with his wife and infant daughter and settled in the heavily forested

Calumet County, Wisconsin Calumet County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,442. The county seat is Chilton. The county was created in 1836 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1850. Calumet ...

, following after his older brother Orrin J. Watrous. There, he constructed a cabin on his land and worked for years to clear trees to make space for a productive farm, where he took particular interest in growing fruit in the northern climate. He was elected to the

in 1861, running on the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

ticket. He represented all of Calumet County during the 1862 session. In 1864, he sold his land in Calumet County and moved to the town of

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

, where he expanded his fruit growing plans. He subsequently moved to the vicinity of

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

, where he started another large fruit orchard. He prospered in Colorado, and, in 1877 was appointed to the state board of agriculture, serving for fourteen years. While serving on the board, he participated in the project to fund and built the

, and donated from his own funds to ensure the building was completed. He died in his bed on the afternoon of July 18, 1910, after a long, gradual decline in health.

Personal life and family

William Watrous was a son on Ansel Watrous and his wife Demis (' Luce). His older brother, Orrin, preceded him in settling in Wisconsin, but died shortly after their arrival. Their younger brother, George, brought Orrin's family back to Pennsylvania, but William and his family remained in Wisconsin at that time. Orrin's son,

Jerome Anthony Watrous Jerome Anthony Watrous (September 6, 1840June 5, 1922) was an American journalist, historian, and soldier. He served with the Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac throughout the American Civil War, and later served one term in the Wisconsin S ...

, would later return to Wisconsin, where he also served in the state legislature. Another son of Orrin,

Ansel Watrous Ansel Watrous (November 1, 1835August 6, 1927) was an American newspaper editor and historian. A longtime resident of Fort Collins, Colorado, Watrous is noted for ''History of Larimer County, Colorado'' (1911), the first comprehensive published h ...

, served as sheriff of Calumet County during the 1860s and was a noted historian of Larimer County, Colorado. The Watrous family were descendants of Jacob Waterhouse, who emigrated from England to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

sometime before 1637. William Watrous married Jane Bevier Carrier on November 4, 1847. They had at least four children together, who survived him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watrous, William Frisbie 1825 births 1910 deaths People from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania People from Broome County, New York People from Calumet County, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin pioneers 19th-century Wisconsin politicians