William W. Stickney was born on March 21, 1840, in Jay, New York, to George and Lydia Stickney. His father was a farmer who owned $1,500 of real estate and $520 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Jay, and by 1860, he was working as a farmer.
He enlisted in the Union army on August 27, 1862, and he mustered in as a private in Company A of the 2nd New York Cavalry. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with light hair and blue eyes. The regiment took part in the Overland Campaign, the Shenandoah Valley campaign, and the Appomattox campaign. He was promoted to corporal on January 1, 1865. He was wounded in the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, and he mustered out on June 5, 1865.
He settled in Taylor, Iowa, after the war, and he married Sarah Torrance around 1866. They had at least three children: David, born around 1867; Lydia, born around 1869; and George, born around 1875. He worked as a farmer, and by 1870, he owned $4,000 of real estate and $800 of personal property. By 1900, he was working as a landlord in Vinton, Iowa. He died on June 5, 1915.