elisabeth miller bardwell was born in franklin county, massachusetts on december 4, 1831 to amos and minerva (miller) bardwell. as a child, elisabeth spent lots of time outside and developed an extroverted personality that led to a fearless and risk-taking demeanor. often she could be found taking books with her when she played outside, as she was known to learn from the environment around her. bardwell also showed early signs of being a scholar, finishing "adams' new arithmetic" at age twelve. initially, she attended the academy at shelburne falls, learning latin and various other subjects in order to prepare her for teaching at a higher level in the future. she began teaching at age 18 at district schools in her hometown until she decided to leave teaching to pursue further studies.