Roger Williams
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Vernon 2nd district
In office
January 6, 1879 – January 5, 1880
Preceded byAllen Rusk
Succeeded byDavid C. Yakey
Personal details
Born(1836-01-21)January 21, 1836
Oswego, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 20, 1916(1916-12-20) (aged 80)
Hillsboro, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Ellen Melissa Matteson
​
​
(m. 1842; died 1903)​
Children
  • Ella R. Williams
  • George A. Williams
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1862–1864
Unit110th Reg. N.Y. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Roger Williams (January 21, 1836 – December 20, 1916) was an American merchant, farmer, and Republican politician. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1879) and served ten years as chairman of the town of Hillsboro, Wisconsin.

Biography

Williams was born on January 21, 1836, in Oswego, New York. At age 14, he joined the crew of a merchant ship, and worked in the sea-faring merchant trade for the next nine years.[1] At age 23, he engaged in a grocery business in New York, where he worked until the outbreak of the American Civil War.

In 1862, Williams volunteered for the Union Army, and mustered into service with Company I of the 110th New York Infantry Regiment.[2] The 110th New York Infantry shipped out from Baltimore to Fort Monroe, Virginia, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana, for service in the Lower Seaboard Theater of the American Civil War. They were assigned to the Department of the Gulf and participated in the Siege of Port Hudson and the Battle of Irish Bend.[1] Williams resigned due to disability in early 1864 after 18 months of service.[2]

In 1865, he purchased a partially improved farmstead in the town of Hillsboro, in Vernon County, Wisconsin, and settled there in October of that year.[2] He was elected chairman of the Hillsboro town board for ten years, was a leader on the local school board, and represented Hillsboro on the Vernon County Board of Supervisors.[2] He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly for the 1879 session, representing Vernon County's 2nd (eastern) district.[1]

In 1884, he moved into the village of Hillsboro, where he owned a restaurant, though he continued to cultivate his farm.[2] He served the last 30 years of his life as a justice of the peace for Vernon County.[3]

He died December 20, 1916, at his home in Hillsboro, after a short illness.[3]

Personal life and family

Williams married Ellen Melissa Matteson in 1842. They had at least two children before her death in 1903. At the time of her death, Williams was still living.[4]

Williams was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Masons.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warner, Hans B., ed. (1879). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin, for 1879 (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 505. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company. 1884. pp. 578. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "East End Pioneer and Veteran Gone". Vernon County Censor. December 27, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "The wife of Hon. Roger Williams died at Hillsboro..." Vernon County Censor. June 24, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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