William's full name is William Henry Harrison Hardcastle.

The name of William's mother was Elizabeth (Plummer) Ramey and she married Ruben Ramey. They both lived in Harlan County, Kentucky at one point. It is said that she, Grandma Ramey, was full blooded Cherokee. Elizabeth is buried in a French cemetery or a French part of a cemetery in Kentucky or Indiana.

The first name of the father of William Hardcastle is unknown but it is rumored that he was born or lived somewhere in the state of New York sometime around 1820-1830, and moved to Fleming County or Warren County, Kentucky.