Background
He was born on May 6, 1838 at East Charlotte, Vermont, United States, the grandson of Gideon Prindle, who had settled in Charlotte in 1792, and the son of George Prindle (or Pringle), whose wife was Louisa Harris. His paternal ancestors were Scotch Presbyterians, his mother's family of English Puritan stock. From the latter came his unusual physical strength and endurance.