Historical summary:
Emily Hamer McCarty was born on Wednesday; February 9, 1853, in Settle, North Yorkshire, England. She was the daughter of David John Hamer and Eliza (Cave) Hamer.

They lived in Iroquois County, Illinois, near the town of Clifton, for several years, and there the following children were born to them: Clifford, born February 19, 1873, Lulu Etta, born March 15, 1874, and William, born in 1876. Two other children, Rose and Ida, were born in Botna, Iowa, after they moved to that state about 1878.

In Botna, Emily (Hamer) McCarty, with funds remaining from his gold, purchased a farm and owned and operated a general store in the town.

On Thursday, July 3, 1907, Emily (Hamer) McCarty, passed away on the homestead near Belfield, North Dakota. On the Fourth of July, her body was brought to Belfield, South Dakota, to the distress of relatives and friends. The wagon bearing her body somehow was encompassed by the gaily decorated vehicles of the townspeople celebrating the July fourth holiday. This gentle woman of English birth had not survived even one year of life in the rugged conditions of North Dakota. William McCarty took her body to Manning, Iowa, for burial.

After he received his final homestead papers, he moved to Belfield where he purchased a home. About 1918, he moved to Atascadero; San Luis Obispo County, California, with his daughter, Ida (McCarty) Harkins and her husband, Ed.

On January 12, 1925, William McCarty, rugged individualist and adventurer, passed away at the age of 86.