William Andrus Alcott, whose birthdate was August 6, 1798, and death date was March 29, 1859, was also known as William Alexander Alcott. He was an American teacher, educational reformer, doctor, vegetarian, and author of 108 books. Many people still quote from his writings today. They cover a lot of different subjects, such as school reform, physical education, school house building, family life, and diet. The author William Alcott was born in Wolcott, Connecticut. Obedience Alcox, his father, was a farmer and lived from 1776 to 1847. In the 1820s, he changed the spelling of his last name, and it now reads "Obid. Alcott" on his grave. Anna Andrus (1777-1864) was his mother. She was the daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier and educated William the most. During his time in the area, he went to local schools and became close with Amos Bronson Alcott, who lived nearby and was the father of the famous author Louisa May Alcott. Even though they were sometimes just called "cousins," they were actually second cousins. Captain John Alcott, William's grandpa, was the brother of David Alcott (1740-1841). The boys started a small library together, shared books, and talked about their thoughts. There is a way in which almost everything Amos Bronson Alcott wrote and did can be traced back to William, as Odell Shepard wrote about him.
