WILLIAM HENRY ROUSSEAU

(March 9, 1818 - January 24, 1870)

William Henry Rousseau was born March 9, 1818 in Macon, Georgia to Jean Louis Rousseau and his wife Mary Clemments. He died January 24, 1870 in Clear Water Harbor, Florida. During the 51 years 10 months and 15 days of his life, he managed to accomplish a great many things and left his mark on this wonderful world in which we live.

Today the descendants of William Henry Rousseau are numerous and each of them is a living tribute to this great man and the ideals he stood for. No man ever loved his country and his family more than he. At the age of seven when his Father Jean Louis Rousseau died, presumably at sea, young William Henry assumed the role as the man of the house. Legend has it that he was delivering mail on horse back in Columbia County, Florida as early as 1826 at the age of 8.

In 1835 at the age of 17, William Henry enlisted in the Florida Mounted Militia to help combat and control the Indian uprisings in the early days of Territorial Florida. An excellent horseman this early Florida Pioneer, enlisted a second time in 1840 and was a member of McClellan's Company, Dancy's 2^nd Florida Mounted Militia. 

In May of 1841 William Henry married Mary Ann Dean. To this union were born a total 12 children. His two oldest sons Robert Raymond and Henry Winfield Rousseau both fought and died in the Civil War in 1863.

Throughout his life, William Henry was a civic- minded individual and spent a great deal of time in public service. In 1839 he was one of the original petitioners that helped establish the first land office in Alachua County, Florida. That same year he established the first Masonic Lodge in Columbia County, Florida. When Florida became a state in 1845 William Henry was one of the first supervisors of elections for Columbia County. In 1852 he was elected to public office and served as a representative to the Florida State General Assembly. In November 1852 he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, Sixth Session. During this session he received and presented a petition to divide and reapportion Columbia County. On December 21, 1858 Columbia County was divided and Suwannee County was formed. William Henry was one of the four men elected to serve as the first County Commissioners for the newly formed county. 

Prior to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 the new railroad, connecting Jacksonville and Tallahassee was completed. In 1864 a junction with this railroad from Dupont, Georgia was completed and a station established. William Henry Rousseau was appointed the first Station Master. Legend has it that an old Live Oak growing near this station, at William Henry's suggestion, provided the name for the station and the town of present day Live Oak, Florida.

Because of his military experience as a Sergeant in the Florida Mounted Militia during the Seminole Indian wars and his knowledge of the Florida territory William Henry was given a commission and served as a Captain in cavalry of the CSA Army during the Civil War in North Florida.

After the war was over in 1865 William Henry was elected as the first State Senator from Suwannee County. In addition to holding numerous positions in public office William Henry, because of his reputation as a fair and honest man, was called on frequently to settle disputes of a civil nature including the administration of estates and the disposition of property.

In the late 1860's his health began to decline and his doctors' urged him to relocate farther south to a warmer climate. In the summer of 1869, with my 3 year old Great Grandmother, Ida Viola Rousseau Harn riding in the foot of an Ox drawn wagon, the entire Rousseau family moved south and settled at Clear Water Harbor, Florida in what was then, Hillsborough County. They obtained land just west of the Henry Harn property near Allen's Creek and built their new home. 

Unfortunately the change in climate did little to improve his health and William Henry Rousseau died on January 24, 1870. At his request he was laid to rest beneath a cluster of Live Oaks at the northeast corner of his property. William Henry Rousseau was the first person to be buried on this property. On June 19, 1890,  a few months before her death, Mary Ann Dean Rousseau, the widow of William Henry deeded this property and established it  as a permanent family cemetery.

Today the Rousseau Cemetery located on south Hercules Avenue in Clearwater, Florida is one of the oldest active cemeteries in Pinellas County and is the final resting place for more than 100 people. Many of these people are descendants of the great Florida pioneer and statesman, William Henry Rousseau, for whom it is named. The cemetery is preserved and maintained by a trust fund established in 1978 by a group of concerned descendants of William Henry Rousseau.

In the Spring and Fall each year many of the Rousseau descendants get together at the cemetery to landscape and restore the grounds. This informal gathering provides us with the opportunity to preserve a part of our heritage and exchange stories and memories of those that have gone on before us. We all wonder what William Henry Rousseau, the man, was really like. We do know however, that his life provided us with the inspiration and pride of knowing that we are all descended from a truly great individual. For this we are grateful.

Thanksgiving Day November 25,1999

By Ronald Maurice Harn.

Great Great Grandson of William Henry Rousseau