William Tripp was born about 1736, probably in Tiverton, RI, and died in 1802, in Queensbury, NY (present day Glens Falls, NY) probably in the Quaker burial grounds. He married Phoebe Wilcox (or Willcocks) 26 June 1758/1759. Perhaps first moving to the Dutchess County "Oblong", William Tripp removed to a farm at Halfway Brook near Queensbury, New York with other Quaker families. He had sold his farm in Tiverton to his brother John Tripp, who married Elizabeth Joselin. His father, Thomas Tripp, reportedly joined son, William Tripp, in later life at Queensbury. William and Phoebe had children: Thomas, James and Jonathan.

During the American Revolutionary War, William removed his family temporarily from Halfway Brook to Dutchess County due to the dangers and depredations, in the Queensbury area, wrought by the native americans allied to the British and Tories. His land was released from quitrents in 1786 (for the time period of the war) because all his improvements to the farm had been destroyed.

William Tripp married again, sometime after 1765, to Lois Waite (who may have been a cousin since the grandmother of William Tripp was a Waite of Rhode Island). They had son William Tripp by this marriage. This is the son William mentioned in his Will.