 In 1851 he married Mary Trumbull of Stonington, Connecticut (Dictionary of Art Historians).During 1855 and 1856, Prime traveled in Europe, North Africa, and the Holy Land with his wife Mary, her brother James and his wife Sarah.He published "Boat Life in Egypt and Nubia" and "Tent Life in the Holy Land" based on his experiences there, which include his accounts of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea, and the port of Jaffa, among others.