Augustus Hemenway (1805-1876) was born on April 25, 1805 in Salem, Massachusetts and died at Sagua La Grande, Cuba, on June 16, 1876. He was a prominent business man, and was considered at one point to be the wealthiest man in America, with extensive business interests in commercial and residential real estate in New York and Boston, lumber in Maine, copper and other mining developments in Chile, and a sugar plantation in Cuba.

His wife, Mary Tileston Hemenway (1820-1894), was born on December 20, 1820 in New York and died on March 6, 1894 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was involved in the literary, artistic, and civic movements of her time. A well-known philanthropist, she worked with and financially supported organizations and individuals in the anti-slavery, suffragette, immigrant education, women's physical education, historical preservation, and Native American cultural preservation movements. She financed the 1886-1894 Hemenway Southwestern Archaeological Expedition.

Sarah "Sally" Upton Hemenway (1787-1865), was born in Groton, Massachusetts on February 19, 1787 and died in Machias, Maine, on November 16, 1865. She married Dr. Samuel Hemenway in 1803, and mothered five children, including Augustus Hemenway. After separating from her husband and losing her home and property, she and her children lived with various family members and in the poorhouse for a period in 1818. Through supporting herself and her children, and entering trade with Augustus' help, she was a powerful influence on Augustus' development.

Charles P. Hemenway (1818-1893) was the youngest of Sarah and Dr. Samuel Hemenway's children. He worked as a manager for Hemenway and Company in Valparaiso, Chile from 1848-1859, and later as a partner for the company in Boston. During Augustus' illness from 1860-1873, Charles was given power of attorney for the business for many years.

Augustus Hemenway Jr. (1853-1931) was the only son of Augustus and Mary Hemenway. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and continued his family's philanthropy, supporting institutions, which included Harvard University, MIT, and the Museum of Fine Arts. He also supported the Metropolitan Parks Commission, which created Revere Beach Reservation, the Trustees of Reservations, and worked with notables such as Frederick Law Olmstead. In addition, he subsidized an archaeological expedition to Arizona in 1913-14, which explored Mesa Verde, among other sites.