Child of Christoph Ludwig Friedrich Heiden was born on March 19, 1825 to Johann Jochim Diederich Heiden and his wife, the former Ilsabe Catharina Sophia Teschenow and was a younger brother of Maria Heiden and, therefore, uncle to August Heiden and his half-sister, Fredericka (Heiden) Schmidt.

On January 27, 1883, Ludwig sent a letter to his nephew, August Heiden containing this information. Wilhelm would have been August's first cousin.

"Wilhelm is a tailor and lives in Gorlitz, Silesia."