Pitcairn was born on January 10, 1841[REF] in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland to parents John Pitcairn, Sr. (1803 - 1884), a machinist, and Agnes McEwan (1803 - 1891), a housekeeper [REF].
Pitcairn's parents had initially emigrated to America around 1835, and lived first in Brooklyn, New York, and then in Paterson, New Jersey, where Pitcairn' sister, Janet, was born.