Henry Daniels, a native of Virginia, was living in Portland by 1850. He worked as a cook and caterer and, during the Civil War, was reportedly a valet to officers at Fort Preble in Cape Elizabeth. Fort Preble was a staging area for many Maine regiments.

Daniels and his wife, Jeanette, a native of New Hampshire, had four children, Henry A.W., Elizabeth M., Edward E.C., and Anna.

Daniels, born about 1819, died about 1880.