[1] The son of Josiah Kilburn, an iron founder who manufactured Franconia stoves, Benjamin received his education as a machinist in Fall River, Massachusetts, at age 16.

[2] His brother, Edward Kilburn (February 27, 1830 – 1884), however, learned the art of photography from a local daguerreotypist, Ora C. Bolton,[3] from neighboring Waterford, Vermont, at an earlier date.

Weller became a notable stereo-photographer who would introduce comic views of a special local color and pioneer a popular line which appeared in later Kilburn subject categories.

Early period Kilburn stereoviews were sold by Joseph L. Bates,[4] a retail outlet which specialized in Oliver Wendell Holmes stereo-viewers at his location on Washington Street, Boston.

By 1890, Benjamin's second son-in-law, the attorney Daniel Clark Remich, had joined the board of the firm, as well as James M. Davis, agent for a growing army of door-to-door salesmen.

As general manager, located first in Philadelphia and later in New York and St. Louis, he used his cable address "Artistic" to direct production, send photographers to distant lands, and hire a sales force to distribute the views.

The Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 became the high-water mark for their business as they acquired exclusive rights to sell stereoscopic views of the World's Fair.

[8] Civic-minded citizen, American Civil War veteran and supporter of the Grand Army of the Republic, he developed an early fire-fighting apparatus, and was involved in search and rescue on Mount Washington.