William Duncan McRae was born in Montgomery County, North Carolina on January 4, 1897. A resident of Wadeville, Montgomery County, in 1918 he was arrested along with his brother Lacy for violating the prohibition law. They were sentenced to time on the Stanly County roadwork chain gang, but he was later pardoned by Governor Thomas W. Bickett so that he could serve as a private during World War I. When he returned home, Will and his brother Lacy both testified against Nevin C. Cranford, their former superintendent on the chain gang who was on trial for murdering three African American prisoners. McRae died in Montgomery County on February 26, 1981.