[1] He earned his primary education near the town of Rushville, New York, before entering Yale College (now university) at the age of seventeen.

[3] Strong's first trial was held on November 12, 1850, in Lewis County near present-day Chehalis, Washington at the home of John Jackson.

[2] Next, 1855 when war with the Native Americans broke out he joined the militia and was assigned to Fort Vancouver as a commander of a company of cavalry.

[1] Strong was able to negotiate with the tribe and bring them back, but his men fired shots in the air in celebration that was misconstrued by nearby listeners as an actual engagement.

[1] In 1856, Strong was elected to the territorial Washington House of Representatives as a Democrat, as the Whig Party he had previously been associated with was no longer a relevant political entity.

[1] On the farm at Cathlamet the family built a log cabin in early 1851, and then a frame house that was completed in March 1853.

[1] At the farm Judge Strong purchased a Native American girl named Wahkeenah as a slave to assist his wife with household tasks.

[1] Once retired from public service, in December 1862 the Strong family moved to Portland, Oregon where William returned to private law practice.