Watson E. Boise, one of the prominent early settlers of Steele county, is a gentleman of good business tact, and is the cashier of the Hope State Bank, organized at Hope, North Dakota, in May, 1900, and was previously bookkeeper in the Steele County Bank for nearly five years. He has been identified with the growth of the country and every enterprise to which he devoted his attention has been successful in its results, and he has gained an enviable reputation as a citizen and business man.
Our subject was born in Huron county, Ohio, September 8, 1857. The name is of French origin, and his ancestors were among the French Huguenots who left their native country for Holland. His ancestry in this country dates to the days of its early settlement, he being a direct descendant of Peregrine White, the first white child born in New England. His grandparents moved from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Ohio by ox team in 1832, and settled in Lorain county, and his grandfather was once a trustee of Oberlin College.
Mr. Boise was the oldest in a family of five children, and was a son of Spencer W. and Celestia E. (Gould) Boise, both residents of Ohio. He was raised on the home farm and remained there until seventeen years of age. He entered the preparatory department of Oberlin College in March, 1875, and graduated from, that institution with the class of 1880, with the degree of A. B. Excelling in the languages, he planned a career as teacher of these branches. He came to Dakota in April, 1881, and upon his arrival entered claim to land on section 26, in Hope township, Tower City being the nearest railroad point. There were no buildings in the township until that spring, and he hauled lumber twenty-five miles from Tower City and erected a 10 x 12 shanty, one of the first buildings in the township. He built a frame house the following fall, and soon afterward had a farm of three hundred and seventy-five acres under plow. He resided on the farm and steadily improved the place and met with unbounded success. Sheep culture was successfully carried on during the years 1890-98. Mrs. Boise's ill health caused him to leave the farm in 1894, and he accepted his present position in 1895.
Our subject was married, in 1882, to Miss Grace S. Pomroy, a native of Bristol, New York. Mrs. Boise was a student of Oberlin College, and was by profession a teacher. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Boise, as follows: David W., Charles W., Howard S., Otis P., Florence M., and Eugene B. Mr. Boise is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Brotherhood of American Yeoman. He is president of the board of trustees of the town of Hope, and is a man of active public spirit. Politically he is a Populist, and is a man who keeps pace with the world and favors reform principles.
Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 332