When Hezekiah Townsend was born in 1768, in Dutchess, New York, United States, his father, Elijah Townsend, was 23 and his mother, Phebe Wood, was 23. He married Hannah Shaw in 1784, in Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 7 daughters. He lived in Ontario, New York, United States for about 10 years. He died on 17 November 1827, in Yates, New York, United States, at the age of 59, and was buried in Penn Yan, Yates, New York, United States.