Born in Swanzey, N.H., on April 4, 1838, David W. Hill worked as a farmer until 1859, when he signed on to become a brass finisher with the J.J. Walworth Manufacturing Co., of Cambridge, Mass. After marrying Harriet Lane in 1862, and having son the following year, Hill enlisted as a corporal in Co. I, 16th New Hampshire Infantry, in September 1862, serving with his regiment in the Department of the Gulf for the duration of its nine month term.

Following his military service, Hill returned to work as a brass finisher and machinist for a succession of concerns in Cambridge, New York City, Newport, R.I., and Haydenville, Mass., into at least the mid-1880s.