William was born Nov 16, 1825 in Madison county New York, he died May 16 1907 in Lane, Oregon and is buried in Janesville, Iowa. He was the sixth child of Obed and Leydia Connable Gaines born after triplets Abigail, Lydia and Obed. William was either adopted or ‘bound out to’ his mom’s first cousin Samuel Newcomb. With Samuel, an early Mormon, William went to Salt Lake Territory in 1850. By 1854 he was married to Sarah Swain and living in Bremer County, Iowa. William was a hotel proprietor, a postmaster, a farmer, an assessor and a carpenter. He and Sarah had 6 children. William in the History of Butler and Bremer Counties.
The 1860 Agricultural census shows William producing 200 lbs. of maple sugar or syrup. William probably had no idea that his great great grandfather Samuel Connable was most likely the person who refined or engineered the way to extract maple syrup: History of Bernardston and The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, And Literature for the Year
William was a widow at age 64. At 70 he lived with his son and family in Wadena Minnesota. At 75 he was living with a daughter in Lane, Oregon.

Obed Gaines married Leydia Connable > William Newcomb Gaines married Sarah Swain > Mary Ella Gaines married James Davis Miller  > William Earl Miller married Lola Miller > Faber Miller married Gladys Cable Miller.