Born: March 1, 1820, Belmont Corner, Maine.
Died: September 11, 1901, Somerville, Massachusetts.
Buried: Forest Hills Cemetery, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.
William was the son of Joseph and Mary McDonald.
He became a Methodist Episcopal pastor at age 19, and joined the Maine Conference in 1843. In 1855, he transferred to the Wisconsin Conference, and in 1859 to the New England Conference.
For fifteen years he edited the Advocate of Christian Holiness.
McDonald wrote a number of books on religious subjects, several biographies, and edited or co-edited several music collections, including:
If you know where to get a good photo of McDonald (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),