Willard Bowsky (1907 - 1944)

Willard Bowsky was born in New Jersey in 1907 into an Italian-German Jewish immigrant family, the second son of Herman Bowsky and Emma L. Bowsky (née Cimiotti), both born in New York City. Herman Bowsky’s parents emigrated from Germany; while Emma’s father was born in Austria of Italian descent and emigrated from there as a […]

Willem Johan Kolff (1911 - 2009)

Born in Leiden, Netherlands, Kolff was the eldest of a family of 5 boys. Kolff studied medicine in his hometown at Leiden University, and continued as a resident in internal medicine at Groningen University. One of his first patients there was a 22-year old man who was slowly dying of renal failure. This prompted Kolff […]

Willi Baumeister (1889 - 1955)

Artist, writer, stage designer. He studied under Adolf Hölzel at the Kunstakademie in Stuttgart, and his early works were displayed there and in Zurich, Berlin, and Cologne. He was acquainted with the Expressionist painters Franz Marc, Oskar Kokoschka, and Paul Klee. After his service in the World War, he participated in several artists’ alliances, among […]

Willi Graf (1918 - 1943)

Willi Graf (2 January 1918 in Kuchenheim near Euskirchen – 12 October 1943 in Munich) was a Roman Catholic member of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) resistance group in Nazi Germany. Willi Graf’s family moved to Saarbrücken in 1922, where his father ran a wine wholesaler, and was the manager of the Johannishof, the second largest […]

William “1st Baron Strathalmond” Fraser (1888 - 1970)

Oil magnate whose commercial acumen led to the formation of Shell Mex/BP in 1931. Dirextor of BP and of Burmah Oil. (bio by: David Conway)  Family links:  Spouse:  Mary Roberton McLintock Fraser (1892 – 1963)*  Children:  William Fraser (1916 – 1976)* *Calculated relationship

William “Bill” Freyse (1898 - 1969)

Cartoonist. Major Hoople’s chronicler in “Our Boarding House”.  Family links:  Spouse:  Evelyn S. Freyse (1908 – 2003)* *Calculated relationship

William “Bill” Lynch (1941 - 2013)

Lynch was born on July 21, 1941, and grew up near the town of Mattituck in Suffolk County, Long Island, the son of William Lynch, Sr. His father worked as a potato farmer.   In the 1960s, Lynch and his wife Mary moved to Harlem, where he would become a major political figure. Lynch worked […]

William “Billy The Kid” Bonney (1859 - 1881)

Legendary Outlaw. He was born in New York City as Henry McCarty. His mother’s name was Catherine McCarty. Not very much information is known about his father except that he died when the Kid was young. Eventually, Catherine moved with the Kid and his brother Joseph to Wichita Kansas. After his first brush with the […]

William “Billy” Bletcher (1894 - 1979)

Silent Film and Voice Actor. Born in Pennsylvania to Harry and Dora Bletcher. Known as Billy, he is best remembered as the voice behind many cartoon characters for Disney and Warner Bros. Billy provided the voices of various characters for Walt Disney Pictures Black Pete, Short Ghost and the Big Bad Wolf in Three Little […]

William “Billy” Haines (1900 - 1973)

Actor. He was a popular motion picture star of the 1920s and 1930s, and was the top box-office draw of 1930. After refusing to pretend to be “straight” for his studio bosses, his acting career was finished. His second talent was in design, and he built a successful career as the interior designer to the […]

William “Billy” Haines (1900 - 1973)

Actor. He was a popular motion picture star of the 1920s and 1930s, and was the top box-office draw of 1930. After refusing to pretend to be “straight” for his studio bosses, his acting career was finished. His second talent was in design, and he built a successful career as the interior designer to the […]

William “One-Shot” Beaudine (1892 - 1970)

Noted Motion Picture Director and Actor. Prolific director starting in early Hollywood productions. He directed hundreds of films from the 1910s to the 1960s. He began his career by acting in early silent films. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Marguerite Beaudine (1894 – 1970)* *Calculated relationship

William “Stage” Boyd (1889 - 1935)

Actor. Born in New York City. William began his career on stage when a young child. He worked in a circus before studying architecture. In 1906 he was seen on Broadway and he moved to motion pictures in 1913. William would change his name to avoid confusion with the better-known performer working under the same […]

William “Tex” Henson (1924 - 2002)

Cartoon Animator. Henson became an animator after graduating from high school in Dallas, Texas, and moving to California. While in California he joined the Disney Studios. At Disney he was part of a team of animators who helped create such characters as, ‘Chip ‘n Dale. He later helped create Boris and Natasha and Rocky & […]

William “Wild Bill” Elliott (1904 - 1965)

Actor. He was the most prolific B Western performer in Hollywood history.  William “Wild Bill” Elliot in a career that lasted over 30 years, appeared in over 170 films as a supporting or a lead actor.  Elliott hit his stride making dozens of Westerns which landed him a top money earner in the period 1940-1954. […]

William A. “Duke” Green (1900 - 1984)

Noted American motion picture actor and stuntman of the 1920s through the 1960s. Appeared with John Wayne in the 1963 comedy “Donovan’s Reef.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)

William A. Breyer (1970 - 1882)

Businessman. He founded the ice cream manufacturing company “Breyer’s Ice Cream”. He mixed “pure ingredients” and fresh fruit to make an ice cream that made Philadelphia famous. The family began wholesale production, and eventually opened retail ice cream shops. The Frankford ice cream merchant died of small pox. (bio by: rjschatz)  Family links:  Spouse:  Louisa […]

William A. Davidson (1870 - 1937)

Businessman. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with his family, he was a co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Corporation. As a symbol of America’s inventiveness, rugged individualism and pioneering spirit, Harley-Davidson became one of the world’s largest and most widely recognized motorcycle manufacturers. To date, Harley-Davidson manufactures its motorcycles at factories in New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, […]

William A. Duncan (1879 - 1961)

Actor. Born in Dundee, Scotland, he was a leading star in the early film industry, working with the major studios of the day and was featured in over a 170 films. When Duncan joined Vitagraph, his contract was worth $1,000,000 a year, which made him the highest paid performer of his time. His many credits […]

William Adam (1970 - 1748)

Architect, Entrepreneur. Born near Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the son of a builder-architect, he inherited a legacy from previous noted Scottish architects Sir William Bruce and James Smith, and rose to be considered the most prominent architect in Scotland during his lifetime. Developing a Baroque style after which he disseminated through his large practice, he was popular […]

William Addison “Billy” Ireland (1880 - 1935)

Beloved cartoonist for Columbus, Ohio Dispatch for 37 years with humorous “Passing Show”. An accomplished political cartoonist.  Family links:  Spouse:  Florence Sayre Ireland (1881 – 1962)* *Calculated relationship

William Addison “Billy” Ireland (1880 - 1935)

Beloved cartoonist for Columbus, Ohio Dispatch for 37 years with humorous “Passing Show”. An accomplished political cartoonist.  Family links:  Spouse:  Florence Sayre Ireland (1881 – 1962)* *Calculated relationship

William Afflis (1929 - 1991)

William Afflis started his career in Chicago in 1955 under the Bruiser moniker where he faced Verne Gagne and Lou Thesz. From there into the late 1950s, Dick the Bruiser wrestled live every Thursday on TV in the Detroit area. His typical opponent was “an up and coming young (unknown) wrestler” who would be pulverized […]

William Alchesay (1853 - 1928)

He was born May 17, 1853 in a part of the Arizona Territory known as Limestone Canyon. He joined the Indian Scouts at Camp Verde December 2, 1872 and served under General George Crook in actions against an uprising of the Chiricahua Apache in the winter of 1872–1873, holding the rank of Sergeant. He was […]

William Alfred Buckingham (1804 - 1875)

William Alfred Buckingham entered into a career in the mercantile industry, and in 1848 helped to organize the Hayward Rubber Company, a business that developed into a successful enterprise. Buckingham served as the mayor of Norwich, Connecticut from 1849 to 1850, and again from 1856 to 1857. He also served as Norwich’s town treasurer and a […]

William Allen (1970 - 1879)

William Allen was born in Edenton, North Carolina and moved to Chillicothe, Ohio in 1819, after his parents’ death. He was of Quaker ancestry. Allen and his sister Mary Granberry Allen lived in Chillicothe together. His sister married Reverend Pleasant Thurman, and their son, Allen G. Thurman, followed in his uncle’s footsteps, becoming a lawyer and […]

William Allen Trimble (1786 - 1821)

William Allen Trimble (April 4, 1786 – December 13, 1821) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served in the United States Senate. Trimble was born in Woodford, Kentucky, the son of James and Jane (Allen) Trimble. He graduated from Transylvania College and was admitted to the bar in 1811. He briefly practiced law in Highland […]

William Allingham (1824 - 1889)

Poet. Prominent Anglo-Irish poetry figure.  Family links:  Spouse:  Helen Patterson Allingham (1848 – 1926)* *Calculated relationship

William Allingham (1824 - 1889)

Poet. Prominent Anglo-Irish poetry figure.  Family links:  Spouse:  Helen Patterson Allingham (1848 – 1926)* *Calculated relationship

William Andrews (1970 - 1992)

Criminal. Murderer who was involved in the 1974 “Hi-Fi Shop Murders” in Ogden, Utah. On April 22, 1974, Dale Pierre, William Andrews, and Keith Roberts, all airmen in the US Air Force, entered the Hi-Fi Shop in Ogden, Utah. Pierre and Andrews forced five people (two women and three men) to drink Liquid Drano. Pierre […]