[1] The son of a wealthy landowner, Salisbury helped manage the family's extensive properties and businesses in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

[2] He graduated from Harvard College in 1856, and studied abroad for two years at Friedrich Wilhelm University.

[6] Salisbury died from pneumonia at his home in Worcester on November 16, 1905, leaving his extensive collection of mostly American art to the museum.

[8] Salisbury dedicated part of his time and economic resources to the research and popularization of the Mayan culture in the Yucatan Peninsula.

He wrote a number of articles in the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society about the subject, such as: The Mayas, the sources of their culture, The statue of Chac Mool, Terracota figures from Isla Mujeres, The K'atun of the Mayan History.