William James Robjohn was born on 2 November 1843 in Tavistock, Devon.
He left England with his family for the United States, arriving in New York City at the age of 14.
[1] In 1870 he adopted the name Caryl Florio in response to his family's objections to his career choice.
In 1896 Florio left New York City for Asheville, North Carolina to take a position as organist at the newly built Cathedral of All Souls; a church established by George Washington Vanderbilt II.
He remained in that position through 1901, and was afterwards active as a music teacher and choir conductor in Asheville.