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

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

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and businessman living in Janesville,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

. 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 vo ...

Frances E. Willard.

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 ...

, on November 17, 1805. He originally moved to

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin ...

, 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 in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, 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 in 1843, and died in 1862. 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 and 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. Belm ...

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

Congregationalism Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, a Protestant denomination that placed an emphasis on

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

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 of that party.

Farming and other business

In 1849, Willard was elected the first vice-president of the newly organized Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. In December 1851, Willard was elected president of the Rock County Agricultural Society. Willard was credited with getting the Wisconsin School for the Blind 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 suffragist and social reformer Frances Willard studied and taught there. In 1977 the school was added to the National Register of ...

. The schoolhouse is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. 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, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

of The Mutual Life Insurance Co., later to become

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

Life.

Personal life

In 1858, the Willard family moved to

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

so that Mary and Frances could attend college and their brother Oliver could go to the Garrett Biblical Institute. 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 (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. Willard died in Churchville on January 24, 1868, and was buried at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...

in Chicago.

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 improvem ...

(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 Politicians from Caledonia County, Vermont People from Monroe County, New York Politicians from Janesville, Wisconsin Wisconsin Free Soilers 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) Burials at Rosehill Cemetery 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature