William Stoddard Williams of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was the son, father, and grandfather of Deerfield physicians. He apprenticed to Dr. Erastus Sargeant of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, from 1781 to 1783, before the first medical college (King’s College, now Columbia University) opened in 1790. He was awarded a degree from Williams College in 1825 at age sixty-three. Dr. Williams was also the Deerfield town clerk for seventeen years and held numerous other positions as well. He and his wife, Nancy (Hoyt) (1760-1821), had five living children.