William Wesley Cantonwine was the son of Jacob and Christena (Dilling) Cantonwine and the grandson of Charles and Mary Magdalena (Scholl) Cantonwine.

Charles, the patriarch of the Cantonwine family, immigrated to America from Prussia in 1806, arriving in Philadelphia, Penn., aboard the ship Orlando. The ship's passenger list shows Chr. Kuntentwine, single man. The name Kuntentwine later evolved to Cantonwine and Charles appears to be the only surnamed Kuntentwine/Cantonwine to immigrate to America. Eight or so years later, in about 1814, Charles married Mary Magdalena Scholl, daughter of Charles Jacob Scholl, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania.

William was a Turret freighter, a miner, teamster, and cattle dealer in the Alpine District of Chaffee County. He never married.

"Where the Bodies Are in Central Chaffee County, Colorado, pp. 58-59, by June Shaputis, Chaffee county historian
It is said that [William] was one of the earliest people to be diagnosed with diabetes and that he was a huge man. William weighed around 300 pounds, but because of his large frame, he carried the weight well. He would fry three dozen eggs in the morning. One dozen would be eaten for breakfast, one dozen at lunch and the last dozen at supper time. He was warned by the physicians to be careful of his diet because of the diabetes, but he fooled all the doctors by living to such an advanced age [81].

A story is told about William killing a bear with only a neck yoke. It seems that while freighting on the plains, headed west from Missouri, William stopped to make camp. William began unhitching his four-horse team. He was removing the linch pin from the neck yoke of the second set of horses and was preparing to lift the neck yoke from the wheel team. A bear suddenly attacked one of the horses tied to a tree. William quickly swung the neck yoke that he was holding and crushed the bear's skull using only the neck yoke as a weapon. The bear died. A renowned painter pictured the incident showing a man using a rifle to kill the bear because he considered the story to be too fantastic to believe.

William W. Cantonwine, one of the oldest settlers in Chaffee county, died Thursday at Red Cross hospital. Kidney trouble was the cause of death. Mr. Cantonwine was 81 years old and a native of Iowa. He had never married. He has many relatives in this county and he was widely known. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 o'clock Saturday at the Stewart chapel. The Rev. G. W. Dawson will officiate. Interment will be in the Centerville cemetery.
--The Salida Mail (Salida, CO) Jan. 30, 1931