William S. Tuttle was born in New York, the son of Rennselear and Clarisa (Crozier) Tuttle. His 11 Jan 1883 Obituary on page 3 in the Green Bay Advocate stated he was born in Broome County, New York, and at the age of 2 and one-half years relocated with his parents to Ohio.

On 27 Dec 1835, William Tuttle married Lucy Ann (Gray) Herriman in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. They had four children together: Lucy (1836-1836), Oliver H. Perry(1837-1912), Stephan Decautur Tuttle (17 Nov 1839-11 Feb 1908) and Lewis W. Tuttle (7 Feb 1842-20 Feb 1842). Lucy Ann (Gray) Herriman Tuttle died after the birth of son Lewis in early 1842.

William then married Hannah Brown (1825-1896) 17 Aug 1842 near Granville, Licking, Ohio. Their first three children are born in Ohio prior to the family relocating to Wisconsin - first to Eden and Auburn, Fond du Lac County, and then to Wrightstown in Brown County in 1866. He and Hannah had a total of 15 proven children together.

On 23 Jan 1862, at the age of 45, William enlisted in Co. G, 14th Reg., of the Wisconsin Volunteers. He served for only 6 months before being discharged on 12 Jul 1862, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, for a disability. He'd become blind in his left eye due to inflammation and exposure.

Per his discharge paperwork, William was 6' tall, light complexion, blue eyes, light hair.

In 1867 he applied for an Invalid Pension but was rejected as his disability did not prevent him from working as a farmer.

From a biography of William's son Edwin Ruthvan Tuttle found in Historical and Biographical Albums of the Chippewa Valley Wisconsin publ 1891, pg 742: "His father [William S. Tuttle] was born in 1817 in Greene County, N.Y., where he lived until 1847. He was a sailor in early life, was master of a vessel on the lakes, and was at Green Bay, Wis., in 1840 when it was only a trading post. He owned and managed the Sherman House at Wrightstown, Wis., at one time. In 1858 he was a member of the Wisconsin Legislature and was the first man to introduce a bill relating to the lien law and was successful in carrying it through. He also held many local offices in his district." Not completely accurate as we find William in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1835. Edwin also cites all his siblings as being children of Hannah Brown, which we know is not accurate.

According to his obituary, in the weeks previous to his death, he had cut his foot with an ax and this was the eventual cause of his death. He was interred on 5 Jan 1883 in Riverside and the news account stated the funeral "was one of the largest ever seen at Wrightstown." The article also stated, "Mr. Tuttle was a very intelligent, kind, and affectionate man and was held high in esteem by every one. He leaves behind a wife, six daughters, and five sons, the youngest 13 years of age to mourn his sad departure."