His father immigrated to the United States in 1908 and worked as a presser in a clothing shop in Baltimore, and the rest of the family arrived five years later.

[4] In July 1912, at age 16, William arrived in Baltimore with his mother, Essie, and sisters Fannie (Feige) and Gertrude (Gittle).

He worked in sweatshops in Baltimore before gaining employment teaching at the city's Hebrew elementary schools, using his income to fund his studies at Johns Hopkins University.

[8]: 9–10 Described by Carlos Otero in Chomsky and the Libertarian Tradition as a "very warm, gentle, and engaging" individual, William Chomsky placed a great emphasis on educating people so that they would be "well integrated, free and independent in their thinking, and eager to participate in making life more meaningful and worthwhile for all.

[8]: 11 [5]: 3  The year after his first wife's death, William Chomsky married Ruth Schendel, by then widowed, who was the mother of one of his elder son's childhood friends.