He was born in Pawlet, Vermont in 1786, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1822.
Beginning in 1835, he also attended medical lectures in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was of the opinion that the superior tones of the Amati and Stradivarius instruments were due to their having been made of old and seasoned wood.
[4] He married Rachel Harmon (March 27, 1785 – December 16, 1818) on April 24, 1808.
She died in Barton, Vermont, and he later married Mary Ann Wallace.