Elizabeth Van Lew was born in Richmond, Virginia on October 15, 1818. Her father, John Van Lew, was from Long Island, New York, and her mother, Eliza Baker derived from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While both parents originated from the North, they lived in the South and owned slaves. Therefore, Elizabeth grew up in her family manion located on Church Hill within a Richmond Society, and she witnessed slavery firsthand from the owner's viewpoint everyday. Later, she attended a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she developed a different viewpoint on slavery. She became anti - slavery, and then her works against the Confederates' beliefs started.