William appears on the 1850 Rabun County, Georgia, census as William D. Page, age 13, with Harmon and Mary Page. On January 21, 1852, however, his name was legally changed from William Decatur McDowell to William Decatur Page, and he is listed as the son of Harmon Page of Rabun County, Georgia. Since Harmon and Mary were both over 45 at this time, possibly he was Mary's son by a previous marriage. The family originated in the Carolinas. William married Laura (or Lauretta) Dowdy of Cherokee County, Georgia, in 1858.