He was born on August 30, 1838 in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Wyoming Academy in 1858. On August 30, 1859, he married Helen P. Griffin. They had three children: Gertrude Achilles, Helen Carter, and Henry G. Strong. After Helen's death in 1984 from diabetes, he married Hattie (Corrin) Lockwood, on June 14, 1905.