William Blair (1842 - 1903)

Born Aug 1842 in New York, United States

Husband of Mary (Brown) Blair — married 31 May 1865 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States

Died 1903 at about age 60 in Fort Smith, Sebastian, Arkansas, United States

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Biography

William Blair was born in New York.

William Blair was a Wisconsinite.

William Blair was a Kansan.

William Blair was an Arkansan.

William Blair was born August 1842 in New York. Later sometime after 1851, his family moved to Wisconsin. In 1860, he lived in Springvale, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin near the Rosendale post office. At eighteen years of age, he still lived at home with his family and worked as a laborer to earn a living.^[1]

William married Mary Brown on May 31, 1865 in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.^[2] After his marriage he lived in Larmartine, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. He farmed to earn a living, and his real estate was valued at $6,000 and his personal estate at $1,000. He employed two farm laborers to help on the farm and a domestic servant to help in the house. His first daughter was born in 1866.^[3]

In 1880, he moved to Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas. He lived on 8th Street and worked as a grain dealer to earn a living.^[4] While there he build up a flour mill business before he went into banking. He organized the First National Bank in Russell, Kansas. He later sold his interest and moved the family to Fort Smith, Arkansas around 1887. Here he bought a large interest in the American National Bank along with his son-in-law Emory Haskett. He also built a flour mill and a lumber mill, but both burned down within a year. He later became mayor of the city.^[5]

William died of heart failure around 1903 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. During his time in the city, he had become one of its most beloved and well-respected citizens. All local businesses shut down for one hour during his funeral.^[5] He was buried at Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith.^[6]

TimeLine

Birth 1842

William Blair was born August 1842 in New York.^[1]

Residence 1860

William Blair lived in Springvale, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin near the Rosendale post office.^[1]

Marriage 1865

William Blair married Mary Brown on May 31, 1865 in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.^[2]

Residence 1870

William Blair lived in Lamartine, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.^[3]

Residence 1880

William Blair lived on 8th Street in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.^[4]

Residence 1900

William Blair lived at 718 North 7th Street in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.^[7]

Death 1903

William Blair died around 1903 in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.^[5][6]

Burial

William Blair was buried at Oak Cemetery in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} 1860 United States Federal Census: Year: 1860; Census Place: Springvale, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Roll: M653_1408; Page: 949; Family History Library Film: 805408 Ancestry Record 7667 #36042690
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Index, 1808-1907: Ancestry.com. Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Index, 1808-1907 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000. Original data: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Wisconsin Vital Record Index, pre-1907. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Vital Records Division Wisconsin Historical Society. Pre-1907 Vital Records Collection. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Historical Society Library Archives. Ancestry Record 4997 #214267
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} 1870 United States Federal Census: Year: 1870; Census Place: Lamartine, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1714; Page: 394B Ancestry Record 7163 #5764695
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} 1880 United States Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Concordia, Cloud, Kansas; Roll: 376; Page: 213D; Enumeration District: 040 Ancestry Record 6742 #26375603
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Fort Smith Historical Society Inc. "William Blair." Accessed 9 Oct 2022
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/45785588/william-blair: accessed 9 October 2022), memorial page for William Blair (Aug 1842–1903), Find A Grave: Memorial #45785588, citing Oak Cemetery, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by Karen Winters (contributor 48123293) .
7. ↑ 1900 United States Federal Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Fort Smith Ward 2, Sebastian, Arkansas; Roll: 77; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0126; FHL microfilm: 1240077 Ancestry Record 7602 #14876599