 Greathouse was born in Frederick County, Maryland, one of 11 children of Harmon and Mary Magdalena Stull Greathouse.The Greathouses moved from Maryland to Virginia about 1770 and Daniel owned of land at Mingo Bottom in Ohio County, Virginia.Daniel married Mary Morris, and they had two children, Gabriel and John.. Greathouse was a direct descendant of Herman Groethausen, who immigrated from Germany 1710.