A native of Switzerland, William Best emigrated from the Palatinate area of Germany to America in 1738. He became the area's first settler after purchasing a tract of land between the Lehigh River and Bertsch Creek. He fought in the French and Indian Wars alongside his son. Some of his descendants were veterans of the Revolutionary War, and several became locktenders. The 1840 family farmhouse is still located at the intersection of North Best Avenue and Gap Streets.