William Owen, born in 1802, was Robert Owen's second son and the one he brought with him when he first came to Indiana. Although historians often wrote that William did not live long enough to equal the legacy of his brothers, it seems quite possible that, although he did not establish a national reputation, he may well have had a greater impact on the village of New Harmony itself. William kept a chronicle of day-by-day events in the establishment of the town.  

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When Robert Owen left his new settlement just a few weeks after its founding, it was William, age 23, who was left to cope. As people were pouring in, with his father in Europe, William was trying to provide agreeable habitations; was searching for and getting valuable information about the village affairs, the manufactories and the businesses of the Harmonists; learning sources of supplies; inspecting houses; and acquiring the knowledge that was necessary to carry on. While doing all of this, practical William was having doubts about his happiness in the New Society.

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William was the first Owen Community editor of the New Harmony Gazette, the newspaper which played a major role in the settlement. Although he had a poor speaking voice, he also lectured publicly. He delivered two Fourth of July addresses. As a primary member of Robert Owen's Preliminary Society, William had the responsibility for New Harmony while his father lectured throughout the East, encouraging more utopia-seekers to pour into the crowded town.

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In addition to his early responsibilities for his father, William's accomplishments included his own choices. Early in the first years of the settlement, William founded the Thespian Society and acted in the plays. He imbued such vitality in the theatre that it survived a hundred years. In 1834, he became a director of the State Bank of Indiana and was also instrumental in establishing the Posey County Agricultural Society, whose contributions, fairs, and events were invaluable to the region. In 1837, William married Mary Bolton, who died before they had been married a year, leaving William with a daughter, Mary Frances. William died just three years after his wife.