William Crutchfield was born at Jamestown, in the Province of Quebec, May 22, 1829. He received his primary education in Canada but going to New England when quite young, he acquired a good business education there.

In 1856, he came to Kansas. The letters of William Phillips, in the New York Tribune attracted his attention to Kansas and he decided to take part in the struggles against slavery. He started with Dr. Calvin Cutter and Major Starr Hoyt, from Springfield, Mass. with one hundred Sharps rifles. At St. Louis it was arranged to separate the slides or locks from the guns, and Dr. Cutter and Mr. Crutchfield carried the slides overland while Major Hoyt started by boat with the remainder of the guns. Mr. Crutchfield traveled on foot much of the way through Missouri, but arrived safely in Kansas with his portion of the guns, soon to learn that Major Hoyt had been robbed of the remainder.

Major Hoyt was murdered on the Wakarusa the following summer. We might add that twenty years afterwards through the efforts of Mr. Crutchfield, a handsome monument was erected to the memory of this noble martyr, in Oak Hill Cemetery, Lawrence.

On Mr. Crutchfield's arrival at Lawrence he took part in all it's interest. In 1857, he built the first bridge over Stranger Creek and in 1865 purchased a fine quarter section in Wakarusa Township, where he made one of the best farms in Douglas County.

He was an efficient soldier in Captain Bickerton's artillery company and took part in the capture of Fort Saunders and Fort Titus. He witnessed the destruction of the Free State Hotel. He helped with the defense of Lawrence, Sunday, Sept. 14, 1856, when it was besieged by 2,700 pro-slavery men from Missouri.He took position with a company of ten men under Caleb Pratt, near Massachusetts Street. It was then that John Brown arose and addressed the people as near as Mr. Crutchfield remembered: "Gentlemen, I have no authority, have no command. The prospect is we will have a fight. Those who have Sharps rifles will volunteer and go up the hill," pointing to the elevation on which now stands the Friends Yearly meeting house. Mr. Crutchfiled was also in the battle of Westport when men fell around him and was also in the battles of Big Blue and Little Blue.

This picture was given to Spencer Research Library by Mrs. E.R. Learned on Feb. 4, 1932.