Caperton, son of Hugh Caperton and Jane Erskine, was born near Union, Monroe County, West Virginia (now West Virginia) on November 21, 1810. At the age of 14, he traveled by horseback to Huntsville, Alabama, to attend school. He later graduated from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, then graduated from Yale College in 1832. He studied law in Staunton, Virginia, was admitted to the bar and practiced law. He was married to Harriett Echols.
