Noah Washburn was born around 1793 in Connecticut. He married Nancy Hedges, and their son Henry was born in the late 1820s. His wife died on September 7, 1834, and he married Statira Topping Vaughn. They lived in Southampton, New York, and Washburn worked as a tinsmith. By 1860, he owned $1,200 of real estate and $100 of personal property. They moved to Sag Harbor, New York, in the 1860s, and by 1870, he owned $800 of real estate. His wife died on November 30, 1874, and he passed away on March 6, 1875.