William R. Gaston was born on August 5, 1809, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He married Sarah A. Finger, and they had at least seven children: John, born around 1833; Elizabeth, born around 1836; Harriet, born around 1840; Joseph, born around 1843; James, born around 1845; Ezra, born around 1851; and Emma, born around 1853.
The family lived in Morefield, Ohio, and Gaston worked as a farmer. They moved to Wingville, Wisconsin, around 1853, and by 1860, he owned $5,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property. Two of his sons died fighting for the Union army during the Civil War, and his wife passed away in December 1868.
By 1870, Gaston owned $9,000 of real estate and $1,000 of personal property. He sold his farm in 1871 and moved back to Pennsylvania, and he married Jane Shingle there in September 1874. She died in November 1883, and he returned to Wingville around 1888. He died there on July 27, 1890.