Gilman was born on July 3, 1860, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Mary Perkins (formerly Mary Fitch Westcott) and Frederic Beecher Perkins.
Gilman 3 Temmuz 1860’ta Hartford, Connecticut’ta doğdu (Mary Perkins (önceden Mary Fitch Westcott) ve Frederic Beecher Perkins).