Born November 11, 1818, Wilson Lawrence Waters operated a store in what was then known as the town of Three Forks. In 1845, when the post office moved to his store, the town was officially named Waterstown, which later became known as Watertown. Waters owned and was president of the Lebanon to Sparta Turnpike. A farmer and industrialist, he also organized the Waters and Allen Foundry in Nashville. A leader in the Whig Party, in 1846 Waters was a delegate to the first National Convention held in Philadelphia. In 1860, he was a member of the Republican Party that nominated Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States. From 1865 to 1867, Waters represented Wilson County as a member of the House of Representatives in the 34th Tennessee General Assembly. Wilson Lawrence Waters died on December 3, 1903, and his body was interred in the Waters' Cemetery.