Kammala wannan jumla: D. H. Hill an haife shi ne a Hill's Iron Works, a Gundumar York, South Carolina zuwa ga Sulemanu da Nancy Cabeen Hill. Kakansa na mahaifinsa, Col. William "Billy" Hill, dan asalin Ireland ne wanda ke da ginin ƙarfe a Gundumar York inda ya yi bindigogi ga Sojojin Nahiyar. Kakan mahaifiyarsa dan asalin Scotland ne. Hill ya kammala karatunsa daga Jami'ar Sojojin Amurka a 1842, yana matsayi na 28 daga cikin 'yan makaranta 56, kuma an nada shi zuwa 1st Artillery na Amurka. A matsayinsa na jami'in soji ya bambanta kansa a cikin Yakin Mexico da Amurka, wanda aka ba da izini ga kyaftin din don jaruntaka a yakin Contreras da
Churubusco, kuma an ba da izini ga manyan mutane don ƙarfin hali a yakin Chapultepec. Daga cikin bayin da dangin Hill ke da su a lokacin ƙuruciyar Daniel Harvey akwai Elias Hill, wanda Daniel Harvey ya taimaka ya koya masa karatu da rubutu kuma wanda daga baya ya zama mai wa'azi kuma ya jagoranci ikilisiyarsa zuwa ƙaura zuwa Liberia.