William Carr was born around 1803 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to John and Susannah Carr. He married Sarah Higgins, and they had at least two children: John, born around 1833; and Albert, born around 1844. They lived in Bath, Maine, and he worked as a carpenter. By 1850, he owned $1,000 of real estate. A decade later, his wealth had grown to $2,000 of real estate. His wife died on August 4, 1872, and by 1880, he was living in his son John’s household in Bath. He died in Bath on September 13, 1886.