Once a gentlewoman of some standing, her father lost all his money in a speculation(investment), forcing her to find work to support herself. She became a governess but found the work little to her taste, as well as being badly paid. So she trained to become a certificated teacher and is well thought of at the National School where she teaches.

Eliza was a Coram child (see www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk), an orphan left at the foundling museum to be brought up. At school, she became a monitor helping to teach the other children, progressed to pupil-teacher, before working long hard hours to become a certificated teacher. She worked at several ragged schools in London before being offered a post at a Charity school in Worcester where she now teaches.