Prescott's grandfather was William Prescott, a soldier who fought for the United States in the American Revolutionary War. Prescott grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, which is a city on the east coast of the United States. When Prescott was 15, he went to Harvard University. After he got his degree, he studied many different topics, before deciding that he was interested in the history of Spain. He wrote many books about Spanish history, which were very popular. His work had a significant impact on the study of the history of Spain. 