Sturgis was born in the United States on 1 March 1847. He was a son of
Russell Sturgis and his third wife, Julia Overing Boit, a daughter of Eleanor Auchmuty (née Jones) Boit and
John Boit Jr., one of the first Americans involved in the
maritime fur trade. Among his siblings were the authors
Julian Sturgis and
Howard Sturgis and Mary Greene Hubbard Sturgis (wife of
Bertram Falle, 1st Baron Portsea). From his father's previous marriage to Mary Greene Hubbard, his elder half-brother was prominent architect and builder
John Hubbard Sturgis. Sturgis was named after his uncle, Henry Parkman Sturgis (1806–1869), who with his brother
Russell Sturgis (1805–1887) made a fortune from the Manila-based mercantile house Russell & Sturgis founded with
George Robert Russell. His cousin
Maria Trinidad Howard Sturgis Middlemore was an author. ==Education and career==