William Calhoun was born in May, 1826, in Williamson, Tennessee, to Jacob (Jack) Julian Calhoun (1802-1856) and Rebecca McCall (1797-1869).

William and Martha Rhodes, who was also from Tennessee, were married Oct 17, 1850 in Tennessee; he was 24, she was 19.

In 1852 their daughter Elizabeth was born, followed by William Thomas in 1853. After his birth the family moved to southern Illinois, Johnson County, in the corner of the state between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. There their daughter Amanda F. was born in 1856, James A. in 1862, Susan in 1863, Samuel H. in 1866, Robert M. in 1868, son Alphus in 1871, and daughter Arsula Jane in 1873. Martha apparently died in childbirth or soon after the birth of Arsula.

In the 1860 federal census, William listed himself as a carpenter. He registered for the draft in 1863. In the 1870 census William listed himself as a farmer. He and Martha were both listed as illiterate. The value of their real estate was $800, personal estate $600.

After Martha’s death, William took his family of eight children to western Arkansas, Bates Township, south of Fort Smith, just east of the Oklahoma border, where he farmed and worked as a carpenter. By this time William, as well as all of the children, were listed as literate. His oldest daughter Elizabeth kept house for William.

Ten years after Martha’s death, in 1883, William married Eunice Rebecca Davis in Sebastian Co.

In the 1900 census, William and Rebecca lived with son Samuel in Eagle Township, Sebastian Arkansas, in the Ouachita forest. Samuel was head of the family, born in 1866; he was 33 years old, married to Effie, who was 29. William was listed as a farmer.

William’s youngest daughter Arsula married William Wilburn Amos Christmas, 1890. His granddaughter Bessie Lura Amos married Claude Largent in 1911.

William died soon after, in 1900. His widow Rebecca died in Stigler in 1920.