William R. Glenn is a son of David and Nancy (Rainey) Glenn, who were North
Carolinians, born in 1800. They were brought to Middle Tennessee in
childhood and there married. Of eleven children born to them — five sons and
six daughters –six are living. They were Methodists and the father was a
Whig and a farmer, and owned 640 acres of land. He died about 1863 and his
widow in 1881. Our subject is of Scotch-Irish descent on his father’s side of
the family. He was born in Williamson County, January 29, 1837, and was
reared on a farm. He attended the common schools, and at the age of sixteen
engaged as salesman in a dry goods store, continuing about two years. He
then turned his attention to farming, and in 1861 enlisted in the Confederate
Army in Company J, Ninth Tennessee Infantry, serving nearly four years, and
was neither wounded nor taken prisoner. In 1870 he was united in marriage to
Mary M. Graves who was born June 7, 1846. They have one child, William E.
Both husband and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.
Mr. Glenn is a Democrat and cast his first vote for Fillmore. He owns 225
acres of good farming land.

Goodspeed’s Biographies of Lauderdale Co., TN