 Field was born in Watertown, New York, the son of William Field and Rebecca (Wheelock) Field.He moved with his parents to Cato, New York, and attended public schools and graduated from the academy in Victor, New York 

In 1844, he moved to Detroit, Michigan, and engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits.Here he married Mary Kercheval whose father, Benjamin Kercheval (1793-1855), had been an officer in the War of 1812.