newspaperman, politician, soldier, author, b. Conklin, Broome County, N.Y. He moved with his parents to Wisconsin in 1844, but in 1850 returned to New York, where he resided until 1857. Once again in Wisconsin in 1857, Watrous settled in Calumet County, where he taught school (1857- 1859). He attended Lawrence College for one semester, was editor of the Menasha Conservator (1859- 1860), and in 1861 served briefly on the editorial staff of the Appleton Crescent. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Watrous enlisted in Co. E, 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (1861), eventually rose to the rank of sergeant, and for a time was adjutant general of the "Iron Brigade." He was mustered out of service on May 15, 1865, with the brevet rank of captain. Returning to Wisconsin in 1865, Watrous was for a number of years editor of the Black River Falls Jackson County Banner. From 1869 to 1877 he edited the Fond du Lac Commonwealth, and in 1879 moved to Milwaukee where, for a number of years he was one of the editors of the Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph. A Republican, he was state assemblyman (1867), served as Wisconsin state pension agent (1887-1889), and from 1890 to 1892 was Milwaukee collector of customs. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Watrous was commissioned major in the regular U.S. army (1898), served for a time as paymaster of the Department of the Columbia, with headquarters at Portland, Ore., and in 1900 was sent to Manila. In Dec., 1901, Watrous was made chief paymaster of the Department of the Southern Philippines, and served in this capacity until Sept., 1904, when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and retired from active service. Returning to Wisconsin, Watrous settled in Milwaukee, where he devoted his remaining years to his interest in history. He wrote numerous articles on military and historical subjects, was the author of Memoirs of Milwaukee County (1909), and was for many years a prominent figure in the Wisconsin G.A.R. J. A. Watrous, Memoirs of Milwaukee Co. (2 vols., Madison, 1909); E. B. Usher, Wis. (8 vols., Chicago, 1914); Madison Wis. State Journal, June 5, 1922; J. A. Watrous Papers.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Jerome A. Watraus Papers for details.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]