William Ryan was born in 1849 in Manhattan, New York City, NY to Patrick and Ellen Ryan, two Irish immigrants. Before his incarceration, William lived in Gloucester, MA, and worked as a laborer. In 1896, he married Mercy Smith, of Rockland, Maine, in Boston, MA. He was widowed by 1910, according to that year’s census.
Mr. Ryan died of angina pectoris and coronary sclerosis on July 12, 1910, at the Massachusetts State Prison. He was 61 years old.
