William was born on November 8th, 1837 in Ohio. William's father was John Dougherty and his mother was Sarah Groves. He had four sisters named Mary, Maggie, Jen and Bell. He was the oldest of the five children.
General Notes
The family left Ohio and settled briefly in Illinois and then settled in Poweshiek County, Iowa. It was here that William married Ellen Lee who was born 1843 in Ohio.