William Thomas Hamilton was born into a wealthy family in England but was brought to America when he was two years old. A sickly youngster, he was sent west by his father in 1842 with a trapping party headed by Old Bill Williams (who would gain notoriety as the guide of General John C. Fremont's fourth expedition into the Western territories) to improve his health. Hamilton remained in the West for the rest of his life. He died in Missoula, Montana.
