William H. Edmunds was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan on December 7, 1854 to Newton and Margaret F. (Heartt) Edmunds, natives of New York. William was the third of seven children.

His father Newton arrived in Dakota Territory in 1861 after being appointed as chief clerk in the surveyor-general’s office. Edmunds was appointed Governor of Dakota Territory by President Abraham Lincoln after receiving strong support from former Governor William Jayne. He took the oath of office on November 2 and was joined by his family in 1864. Edmunds helped establish a public school system as well as a regular revenue system in Dakota Territory. He also promoted advanced farming techniques and successfully introduced sheep to Dakota Territory in 1865.

Edmunds also believed that warring conditions with the Indians in the territory impeded white settlement by creating a negative public perception of Dakota Territory. In October 1865, Edmunds and his commission began to negotiate with Indian tribes located along the Missouri River; and eventually, the commission reached treaty agreements with thirteen tribes. Dr. Walter A. Burleigh opposed Governor Edmunds’ peace policy with the Indians, recommending that Edmunds be dismissed from office, claiming that Edmunds had mismanaged Indian Affairs with a scheme to steal money from the Indian Bureau. On August 8, 1866, Edmunds was dismissed by President Andrew Johnson and was replaced by Andrew Jackson Faulk, father-in-law of Dr. Burleigh.

After leaving office, Newton Edmunds remained involved in both business and politics in Dakota Territory. He continued to serve in treaty commissions negotiating with Indian tribes and playing a role in establishing rail service between Yankton and Sioux City. In 1873, Newton and Leighton Wynn opened the Yankton State Bank. During the 1880s, he joined the statehood movement, attending the first constitutional convention in Sioux Falls September 1883. Newton remained active in business in Yankton until the time of his death on February 13, 1908. Newton Edmunds is the namesake of Edmunds County, South Dakota.

William Edmunds spent the first ten years of his life in Michigan. He then accompanied his family to South Dakota, where he continued his education as a public school student until the age of 17. After graduation, William secured a position in the private bank of P.P. Wintermute. Newton Edmunds bought out the bank in 1872 and changed the name to Edmunds & Sons. Later, the name was changed to the Yankton National Bank, of which he became president, with Charles P. Edmunds as vice president and William H. Edmunds as cashier.

On December 20, 1882, William H. Edmunds was united in marriage to Ella J. Dewey. Ella was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, to William P. and Eleanor Dewey, who came to the Dakota Territory in 1873. William Dewey was appointed surveyor general of the territory when living in Wisconsin and came to Dakota to enter upon the duties of the office, in which he served for two terms. He later filled the position of mayor of Yankton and was engaged in the practice of law until the time of his death. William P. Dewey is the namesake of Dewey County, South Dakota.

William and Ella had one son, Woodward, who died at the age of eighteen months in 1886.

In 1905 Newton sold out to the First National Bank where he continued on as president of the institution until his death. William remained at the bank and became one of “the best known representatives of financial interests in the Yankton area.”

Ella passed away in 1916–undoubtedly one of the reasons William chose to sell the property. A.G. Schenk, a local funeral director, purchased the Edmunds home in 1923, moving the Schenk Funeral Home to the property. This would be the site of the funeral home for 63 years. In 1936, A.G.’s son, Floyd A. Schenk, joined the firm. Floyd, his wife Sylvia and daughter Janet, moved into the main floor of the home in 1946; A.G. and his wife Alice resided upstairs. The Schenk’s added an annex and garage to the house shortly after.