When William Preston Atkinson was born on 4 August 1886, in Carnesville, Franklin, Georgia, United States, his father, William Hasteh Atkinson, was 22 and his mother, Clarisa Elizabeth Sheriff, was 27. He married Osie Laura Little on 10 June 1914, in Swink, Choctaw, Oklahoma, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 daughters. He lived in Caney Township, Little River, Arkansas, United States in 1900 and Wilson Township, Choctaw, Oklahoma, United States for about 30 years. He died on 28 March 1955, in Sawyer, Choctaw, Oklahoma, United States, at the age of 68, and was buried in Sawyer Cemetery, Sawyer, Choctaw, Oklahoma, United States.