Ka cika wannan magana: An haifi Hamilton a ranar 28 ga Yuli, 1894. Ya shafe mafi yawan lokacin yaro a Seattle. Shi ne babba na yara maza biyu (ɗan'uwansa, Edgar Charles Hamilton, wanda aka haife shi daga baya) ga iyayensa (Thomas Luther da Henrietta Hamilton). Farkon sha'awar Hamilton a cikin jirgin sama ya fara ne lokacin da yake kimanin shekaru 10. Mahaifiyarsa ta yi tafiya don ganin
1904 St. Louis Exposition, inda akwai nuni na gliders da Octave Chanute ya shirya kuma, ko ta yaya a kan dawowarta, Hamilton ya zama ya fi mayar da hankali kan aikin jirgin sama. Mrs. Hamilton na iya yin haɗi tare da Chanute a cikin wasan kwaikwayo tun lokacin da matasa Tom Hamilton ba su yi tafiya mai tsawo tare da ita ba. Bayan wasu shekaru, Hamilton ya nuna cewa sau da yawa ya rubuta wa Chanute game da al'amuran fasaha da suka shafi jirginsa na farko, kodayake ba a sami wani rikodin da ya ambaci Hamilton a cikin tarin wasikun Chanute da ke yanzu a Laburaren Majalisar ba.