William was the owner of a printing shop in Independence, where he was printing and publishing a monthly newspaper, The Evening and the Morning Star.[1][2]
On July 20, 1833, Samuel Lucas, a county judge and colonel in the Jackson County militia, and twelve other representatives demanded that William should stop printing. The printing shop was then destroyed by a mob.[3][4][5]
William wrote the lyrics to the hymn The Spirit of God, which was first sung at the Kirtland Temple dedication.[6]