Bill was the second son of Demetrius to immigrate to America. Details of his arrival are documented in the book of records of The Statute of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation Inc. Bill worked on the railroad with his father and his brother, John. Together they saved money so four more brothers could come to America to search for a better life.

Bill worked hard on the railroad in Savanna, Illinois, but was a farmer at heart. In 1917, he and two of his brothers bought farmland in central Wisconsin. A few years after moving to Wisconsin, Bill wrote home to Greece and asked his father to send him a wife. In 1919, a girl named Christina arrived and became his bride. They had two boys, Jimmy and Gus. Bill and Christina farmed the land in Wisconsin their entire lives.

Bill was a tall, lanky man. His bushy hair and thin face made him suggestive of men like Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson. In one particular photograph of Bill, he demonstrates the famous "Ballas Leg Cross", a comfortable sitting position enjoyed by Ballas men throughout generations.