Edmund Gill was born and raised in Elliotvale, Prince Edward Island. He was the second youngest in a home that had up to 21 children residing there at any one time. Edmund was the son of John Thomas Gill who was a well known blacksmith and carriage maker on Prince Edward Island and apprenticed many up and comers in his trade. During his youth Edmund worked with his brothers alongside their father at the family shop repairing wagons, making school desks, and any odd job that came their way. In his adult life Edmund primarily worked as a farmer on Prince Edward Island. He and his brothers also inherited a love of old stories, and a belief in the supernatural, from their father.