Willem Anker was born in August 1797 in the village of Stolwijk, in the eastern part of the Dutch southwestern province Zuid-Holland, son of Arij Anker and Neeltje Kok.

Willem Anker married on 13 September 1821 in Gouderak, a river village near Gouda in the mideastern part of the Dutch southwestern province Zuid-Holland at the age of 24 years to the two years younger Willemijntje van Dam, born in Gouderak.

The following children were born in Gouderak:
* Pieter Anker, 13 March 1822; died on 30 September 1841 in Gouderak;
* Stillborn female, b. 5 april 1823;
* Arij Anker, b. 28 October 1824, d. 18 Novemver 1894 in Cook County, Illinois, USA;
* Willem Anker, b. 6 December 1825, d. 1905 in the USA;
* Geertruij Anker, b. 23 January 1828; d. 8 April 1829 in Gouderak;
* Klaas Anker, b. 2 December 1829; d. 21 April 1830 in Gouderak;
* Klaas Anker, b. 24 December 1830, d. 11 March 1831 in Gouderak.

They moved then to Willem Anker's birthplace Stolwijk where they had the following children:
* Klaas (Nicholas) Anker, b. 30 June 1832, d. 17 December 1910 in South Holland, Cook County, Illinois, USA;
* Geertrui (Gertrude) Anker, 5 November 1836, d. 8 June 1920 in South Holland, Cook County, Illinois, USA;
* Neeltje (Nellie) Anker, b. 5 November 1836, d. 5 November 1910 in Oakland, Cook County, Illinois, USA;
* Johannes Anker, b. 6 June 1838, d. 29 October 1915 in Cook County, Illinois, USA;
* Pieter Anker, b. 15 November 1841, d. 1888 in the USA;
* Jan Anker, d. 5 March 1843 in Stolwijk, 0 years aged;
* Jan Anker, d. 31 August 1844 in Stolwijk, 0 years aged.

Their son Cornelis (Cornelius) Anker was born on 17 February 1835 in Benschop, about 12 miles east of Stolwijk, in the central province Utrecht. His father Willem Anker was then 37 years aged and a farmer (landbouwer), like in 1832 (bouwman) and his mother Willemijntje van Dam was then 35 years aged.

In 1848 the Anker family emigrated to the USA.

In 1870 William Anker (72 y, born in Holland, farmer), his wife Wilemenka (70, Holland), their children William (42, [should be: 44] Holland), Cornelius (32, Holland), Gertrude Anker (30, Holland) and Peter (26, Holland) lived at an own home, worth $12000 [!] in the Dutch truck farmers setttlement South Holland, just south of Chicago, Thornton Township, Cook County, Illinois. Right next to them lived their son Nicholas [Klaas] (36, Holland, farmer), his wife Anna (32, Holland) and their children Mena [Minnie] (9, llinois), Airai (5, Illinois) and Nelly (2, Illinois) at also an own farm, worth $2500. And next to them lived their son Irwin [Arij] Anker (44, Holland, farmer), his wife Henerika (34, Holland), their children William (10, Illinois), Henirich (7, Illinois), Peter (5, Illinois), Nicholas (3, Illinois) and [his probable father-in-law] William Blank (66, Holland) at also an own farm, worth $2500.

In 1880 William Anker (83, Netherlands), his wife Wyna Anker (82, Netherlands), their children Cornelius (43, Netherlands, William (50, Netherlands) and Katie (42, Netherlands) lived still in Thornton [Township], Cook County, Illinois.

His wife Wilhelmijntje died in April 1882 in South Holland at the age of 83 years. Her widower Willem Andriesen [sic] Anker died in 1889 at the age of almost 92 years in Cook County, Illinois, probably in South Holland too.

In June 1900 his sons Cornelus Anker (65, Feb 1835, Holland, immigrated in 1848, farmer) and William Anker (74, Dec 1825, immigrated in 1848, Holland), both single, lived at an own farm in still South Holland, Cook County, Illinois. Right next to them his son K[laas] Anker (68, born in June 1832 in Holland, immigrated in 1848), his wife Annie (61, July 1839, Holland, immigrated in 1847, mother of 8 children), their sons Peter (25, July 1875, Illinois), Morris (22, September 1878, Illinois), and Annie's mother Nellie Van Zust (84, December 1816, Holland) lived at an own farm too.